Torso

A. Griffiths

at 9:59 pm

Glad to see there is some agreement in the reviews here of Shameless’ release of “Torso”…”Where Whores Meet Saws”? Come on guys, treat the films you release (and the people who buy them) some some crumb of respect. I honestly don’t want a copy of this film on my shelf dressed up like this…I have the R1 Anchor Bay version and I wouldn’t swap it for this.

For anyone that doesn’t know, “Torso” is a mid 1970’s Italian giallo-type horror thriller that tells the tale of a group of girls being stalked and slaughered by a masked killer. OK, so that synopsis gives away the fact that the film is somewhat catering for the gore market, but it does have a certain amount of style that many other slashers don’t have. Sadly, it does not make much sense in places, and the “giallo” elements are poorly implemented (some rubbish about what colour scarf someone was wearing is a very weak attempt to add mystery). But what does work is the central device of getting the group of gilrs holed up in a remote villa at the mercy of the killer. The standout scene for me is the one where heroine Suzy Kendall has to hide in a closet while the killer is dismembering the girls he has just murdered and all she can do is watch in horrified silence and try not to scream lest he realises she is actully in the room – a great scene!

The acting is mostly good, the girls are beautiful, and there is some suspense as the survivors try and escape from the house. The gore is a bit shoddy, effects are rubbery and very cheaply done, but they still have impact.

Shameless need to have a re-think of their marketing of this stuff. They’ve done the same thing with “Killer Nun” (Father, I’ve Been a Murderous Slut!), the fairly serious “Flavia the Heretic” (Flay Me Baby One More Time!) and “Night Train Murders” (Whore Aboard!). What’s with the “whore” insults? None of the victims in these films are prostitutes or even promiscuous women! Using this type of tagline is marketing the films at naughty 6th formers out for a giggle…as I said, there is an audience for cult 70’s shockers like this, and I for one am not impressed.

Film – 4 stars

Shameless – 2 stars – Total of 3 for this release

Rating: 3 / 5

Daniel

at 2:24 am

I really liked this film, it had suspence, some gore and a bit of nudity. But the cover makes out the film is horrible, sick, cheesy, I was acually embarassed buying this in my HMV and the staff gave me a funny look with the title saying ‘WHERE WHORES MEAT SAWS’, yes this is quite sleazy but not as bad as the cover has made out.
Rating: 4 / 5

NELMES316

at 6:22 am

This is by far one of the best Slasher/Giallos I’ve seen outside an Argento or Mario Bava effort. Its lethargic but never tedious, full of suspense and has some genuine edge-of-the-seat moments. There is a highly intense scene where the beautiful Suzy Kendall must hide from the killer while he dismembers three of her friends. The plot is simple but there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. There is a very eye-catching female cast and the acting is pretty good. The only down side is the mediocre special FX. But this can be forgiven as the story is so good.
Rating: 4 / 5