Giallo in Venice (1979) Mario Landi

In Venice a detective is on the trail of a killer who commits a double murder (a married couple) then more grisly killings occur. Sex, drugs, gore and perversions are ingredients of this sadistic and sleazy giallo.

“Giallo a Venezia” is, without a doubt, one of the sleaziest movies ever produced in Italy. Along with “The New York Ripper” (1982,Lucio Fulci) and “The Killer Is Still Among Us” (1985, Camillo Teti) this is possibly the nastiest giallo ever made.

The film begins with a double murder on the Venetian docks: architect Fabio (Gianni Dei) is stabbed with a pair of scissors, while his wife Flavia (Leonora Fani) is drowned. The fact that Flavia was pulled back from the water by the killer after being drowned, intrigues inspector DePaul (Jeff Blynn) and his assistant Maestrin. As they begin investigating friends of the couple, such as Marizia (Mariangela Giordano from “Burial Ground” and “Malabimba”), they soon discover that Fabio was in fact a sex crazed cocaine addict, who could only achieve sexual gratification by violence and sick voyeurism put upon his wife. During the investigation Marizia begins to receive threatening phone calls from ex-lover and soon after that a series of brutal murders is set in motion.

Director Mario Landi (“Patrick Still Lives”) fails to create any suspense or mystery. What Landi looses in mystery he more than makes up for with some of the most brutal violence and sex ever put on the screen. The violence in “Giallo a Venezia” is truly shocking. A prostitute is stabbed repeatedly in the crotch in one of the most sickeningly audacious murder sequences ever filmed. Another gory highlights include Giordano being tied naked to her kitchen table and having her leg cut off with a handsaw by the killer and Marizia’s lover being doused in gasoline and set alight. The long sex scenes are pretty explicit and it’s quite obvious that Landi’s intentions were only to show as much sex and blood as he could. To sum up,if you like sleaze and extreme gore then you should check this one out. Recommended!

Giallo in Venice (1979)