Sunday, November 26, 2017

200 Items Or Less: Don't Torture A Duckling (1972)

A few thoughts: One of Lucio Fulci's most memorable films, in spite of the fact that few people are familiar with it. My girlfriend, being the Italian horror junkie that she is, had me watch this one, and while I definitely have some problems with the dubbing, weird cinematography, and inconsistent tone, this is easily one of Fulci's more watchable efforts that I've seen. Sadly, this movie didn't allow for him to show off much of the practical effects work he's known for, the story and mystery surrounding the killings more than make up for the relatively subdued gore. It's still a very violent and occasionally shocking film, but it doesn't get gratuitous with it very often, making it a lot more easy to sit through than something like 'Zombie' or 'The New York Ripper', both of which have some very...difficult moments. This isn't a genius film but it's well-constructed, rounded, and has some solid character development (in spite of the weak acting) for a film of this genre. It's not one of the absolute best giallos out there, but it's still worth watching.


Who would I recommend it to? Mostly fans of Italian horror. It might still be a little too violent and unpleasant for most people, but to the initiated, it will be easy to sit through.

My grade: C+

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