Chad

Spiderbite

I found this one to be mostly a slog that by the time it threw twist upon twist upon twist out, I just didn't care. The story has a slightly interesting premise but then doesn't really build on it because too much time is spent watching Christian mope around the house. They really gave you nothing to care about with any of the characters. Also, by now, one has seen so many movies that do the exact same thing that it just isn't unique or intriguing. Maybe it was when new to audiences in 1965.

I really have nothing more to add. My mind was wandering so much in the first 3/4 of this movie that I was composing poems in my head such as:

Watch Christian roam the house, the halls.
Watch Christian stare into space and walls.
Watch Christina ignore Helene's marvelous rack.
Watch Christian turn away from Brigette's "baby got back."
Watch Christian whine and cry and walk.
Watch Christian frown, mope and sulk.
Will Christian either bang or kill Brigette?
Just start this rhyme over and repeat for 90 minute(s).

My rating: ** out of *****

Shack

Eerie and atmospheric, and obviously on a tight budget. I chose this one unseen for the reviews and for the debut of Giancarlo Giannini. It shows its age a bit, but I found it quick and entertaining, with plot twists that have become rote today but were probably new then. My question after watching it, is if it actually qualifies as a Giallo. I might say it actually fits more into gothic horror; what does everyone else think?

Undeadcow

The very slow psychological drip of Libido was a disappointment; with a lurid sounding title I expected much more sleaze (which Torso delivers more on). Overall I enjoyed the film even if it seemed a bit simple single mindedly refraining about Christian's childhood trauma or corresponding moody existential crisis scene after scene. This resulted in some nicely drap lingering shots and artistic compositions sure to be reflective of the silence scream we are to believe is in his head and I largely enjoyed the staging and tone. For someone so messed up or if he was to be a victim he was surprisngly cool and that subverted a lot of what seems cliche plus the twist at the end was fun.

The single gloved clad hand casually pushing the old man over the cliff was a brilliant scene. An intense reveal as the camera panned back to show the killer unassumingly standing over and an unintentionally funny bit where everyone is standing so implausibly close to the edge.

...Ive been trying to talk my wife into getting a mirrored sex room like this... they dont make them like they use to.
I think it counts as a Giallo given the artistic slow whodunit nature of it, Italian origin, and fashion of it. Plus those black gloves dont seem accidental, if not an outright giallo is seems to have enough of the trademarks.

jholmes

Now you've got me excited to watch it. Not. Maybe we should have a poetry contest.

numbercrunch

A solid gialli centered around the time honored inheritance plot. The film has a gothic atmosphere which i also enjoyed. This one has some nice twists in the last act.
In my opinion its a loose relative to a pure giallo. Not sure their is a thing when it comes to Italian films, but I would label it a proto-giallo if I had to give it a label.

jacob_b

Besides the poetry, caught myself doing the same thing. Nice scenes, great location, just was dry, very dry. Beautiful ladies, though.

brainee

Is Christian's father still on the loose?
Are Paul and Helene having an affair?
Is Christian going insane?
How does Brigitte's kitten bikini tops stay on with no visible strings?
Watch Libido and find out the answers to these questions and more!

I thought I saw this before, but nothing seemed familiar while watching. Maybe a benefit of deteriorating memory as you get older ... repeat views get to be first time views again!

I could handle the slow pace just by enjoying the look and setting. Even in 1965, the twist had been done before (like Vincent Price's The Pit and Pendulum, even down to the ending with the trapped woman left by the man she helped drive insane).

jholmes

I think I enjoyed this more than Spiderbite, but I only gave it 2/5 stars. This film has nice gothic atmosphere and a sense of foreboding, but, yes, the pacing is so slow. Lots and lots of silent, moody brooding. I typically enjoy this sort of story (a person/group of people try to drive someone insane with fakery and gaslighting), so I liked that aspect. It just felt like they didn't have quite enough plot points to fill the time, so they attempted to do so with atmosphere. They really needed a whole other subplot or at least more "am I insane" moments (like the rocking chair/pipe) to flesh it out. With that, this coulda been a contender.

The ending/reveal was good, but it took a long time to get there. It's also not nearly as lurid or sex-infused as the title suggests. The gore factor is also extremely light. Neither are a problem, but I'm not a fan when the poster is such deliberate false advertising.

jholmes

Yes. It also reminds me of the Cat and Canary movies where a group of relatives gather at a mansion and someone tries to drive the young heiress insane. They attempted to make this more commercial with the whole sadist father/sex angle, but it's still pretty derivative.

Obi-Wanma

Watched this yesterday morning. I liked it for what it was. Similar to others, I was expecting something sexier based on the title and poster, but I was fine without it. Both ladies were very attractive. Twists and turns got a little silly, but that's ok, it was a fun enough distraction.