14 December 2024
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)
98 min.
Directed by Lucio Fulci.
With Florinda Balkan, Stanley Baker, Jean Sorel, Silvia Monti, Alberto de Mendoza, Penny Brown, Mike Kennedy, Ely Galleani, Georges Rigaud, Leo Genn, Anita Strindberg, Franco Balducci.
A really unconventional giallo from director Lucio Fulci.

The daughter of a politician, upper class Carol (Balkan) has recurring nightmares in which she's murdered her amoral neighbor Julia (played by the lovely Strindberg).

But soon, said neighbor actually turns up dead...and the details of the killing match exactly Carol's visions.

Could she be the killer? Or is it one of Julia's obnoxious hippie friends? Or how about Carol's philandering husband Sorel?

Carol (and the investigating police) find they must examine carefully their perception of reality to discover the real truth.

Visually provocative, Fulci's stylish Lizard is an enjoyable concoction of giallo fun; lead Balkan is a pleasing presence (and recognizable from another interesting Fulci giallo, 1972's somber Don't Torture a Duckling).

The infamous 'vivisected dogs' scene - yikes! - is an unsettling triumph from special FX man Carlo Rambaldi.

Best scene: the bizarre sequence with the bats, Carol and her assailant.

Boasts another cool score by Morricone.

Italian: Una Lucertola con la pelle di donna.

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