So Sweet, So Dead

1972 "One day you'll get closer to the violence of death... but THIS IS AS FAR AS WE DARE TAKE YOU... with any hope of bringing you back!"
So Sweet, So Dead
6| 1h40m| R| en| More Info
Released: 18 July 1972 Released
Producted By: Produzioni Cinematografiche Romane (P.C.R.)
Country: Italy
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A serial killer is on the loose. His victims are unfaithful wives and he always leaves compromising photographs at the crime scene.

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Produzioni Cinematografiche Romane (P.C.R.)

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GL84 Following a brutal crime spree, a police detective investigating a strange killer targeting unfaithful wives and adulterous spouses finds that a potential witness may help solve the case and tries to protect her when the killer starts to torment her while continuing his spree.This was quite the fun if slightly problematic sleazy Giallo. One of the more impressive acts here is the fact that there's a decent investigation wrapped around the strong sleazy thrills. With the introduction of the photography storyline in the crimes and using that as the main basis for catching the culprit, this one offers up the kind of traditional Giallo trope needed to drive the storyline forward with some extra notes that lead rather nicely based on the confines of the action here especially once it starts to signify the killers' chosen targets as that is a nice difference from most others who go for random victims at the start before the spree is found out. This addition makes for some fun as it builds that up into the remaining segments that play off this section of the storyline. Those stalking scenes are really fun, from the first encounter chasing the victim onto the beach from her apartment, appearing in the bedroom of the victim and chasing her into the bathroom for the final murder or to the tense sequence of the wife getting ambushed inside the backyard and ending up having the whole affair witnessed secretly by the daughter which is a rather enjoyable highlight offering. A dispatch on a train speeding through the night is incredibly fun as well with the darkened compartment hiding the killer rather well, and a later scene featuring the killer striking a victim in a bathtub only to then have the husband arrive and alter his exit strategy makes for a thoroughly enjoyable and tense sequence. As these scenarios allow for a constant stream of nudity and softcore fondling in showcasing their carnal exploits before the nude bodies are shown to be hacked to pieces, it gives this a rather fine sleazy air which all make for a rather fun genre effort. There are a few problems with this one, though, in that the film mainly employs a rather distressing hypocritical air that doesn't come off that appealing. Going off on the idea that the victims are being punished for straying from their husbands, a double-standard emerges when the male characters are also shown to be doing the same thing yet they never run into any kind of retribution because of it. Depicting them as heartless and needing to pay for their actions yet allowing the men to be okay with it gives it quite an old-fashioned air and tone that openly condemns their actions even though all the extramarital affairs are given loving, leering close-ups to see their full-on nudity. It's not a very welcoming tone for a horror effort and takes a lot of air out of the film as well as the fact that there's quite a long time in between many of these deaths as the investigation takes over to the point of ignoring a lot of other aspects here that don't make for an enjoyable time here. These hold it back even though it does have some worthwhile points.Rated X: Continuous Full Nudity, strong sex scenes, Graphic Violence and Language.
MARIO GAUCI This is yet another giallo helmed by a little-known director; the suggestive but actually deceptive original title, which translates to REVELATIONS OF A SEX MANIAC TO THE CHIEF OF THE MOBILE SQUAD, would lead one to believe that this is very low-brow stuff indeed – however, the end result (propelled by a pounding Giorgio Gaslini score) is not bad at all. Besides, there is a good cast on hand: the obligatory American 'star' is once again Farley Granger (looking remarkably more mature than in SOMETHING IS CREEPING IN THE DARK [1971]), but then we have what can best be described as cameos by "Euro-Cult" regular Silvano Tranquilli and three of its luscious starlets – Sylva Koscina (playing Granger's wife), Femi Benussi and Susan Scott; all the females are made to shed their clothes, with the latter two even involved in surprisingly explicit sex scenes! Incidenatlly, along with STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER (1975; also with Benussi), this was the most erotically-oriented genre effort I have watched so far; in fact, the movie under review was subsequently re-assembled and distributed as outright hard-core material under the moniker PENETRATIONS (but Granger understandably – and successfully – sued the producers over it)! The plot sees the traditional black-gloved killer targeting a small town's apparently unending population of cheating wives (leaving as calling-card photos of them caught in flagrante, albeit with their respective partners' face clinically erased); in this respect, it also emerges as one of the more moralistic giallo entries (at least, this time around one is spared the usual pursuit of the proceeds of either an inheritance or an insurance policy!). By the way, the film even foregoes the last-minute explanation of the killer's motives which concludes (unsatisfactorily) many a giallo – though, in view of just this unexpected striving for satirical relevance (which proves rather vapid nevertheless, given the sheerly exploitative elements by which it is surrounded), here was perhaps a case where one would have liked to know what made this particular person tick (a gratuitously deranged morgue attendant had been made to fit the bill all along, but the real culprit was not too far off the mark anyway)!!
The_Void Released at the height of the Giallo's popularity, So Sweet, So Dead manages to take in most of the common Giallo trademarks and craft a good example of the sub-genre out of it; although it has to be said that the Giallo has been done to far better effect on numerous occasions. It would seem that director Roberto Bianchi Montero was hoping he could implement a style similar to what Dario Argento is famous for, and indeed he has somewhat as the film features a black gloved killer committing some well worked, bloody and stylish murders, although the film unfortunately seems content to revel in it's sleazy atmosphere too much and this can sometimes have a negative effect on the plot. The storyline centres on a vicious killer who enjoys slashing women who are currently engaging in an extra marital affair. Naturally, Inspector Capuana expects the murderer to be among the city's underbelly; but as the murders continue, he starts to get the idea that he may have to look to higher society; and things get worse for him when the killer sets his wife as the next target! There's a fair amount of sex on display, although it's never overly erotic, and since the film doesn't put too much focus on red herrings and the identity of the murderer, it's sometimes unclear as to exactly what the point of the film is. It's quite possible that So Sweet, So Dead was only ever meant to be a cash-in on other, more successful Giallo's, although the attention to detail with regards tributes to other genre films makes it seem that the director has a genuine interest in this style of film-making. Indeed, the film is rather incomprehensible at times; but even when the plot does start to become tiresome, it's good to know that there's an undercurrent of sleaze to fall back on, and while this isn't exactly up there with heavyweight nasty Giallo's the likes of Giallo a Venezia and The New York Ripper, it's more nasty than a lot of it's counterparts. The film benefits from a good cast, which includes experienced Giallo actor Farley Granger and a small role for the popular Susan Scott. Overall, I can't say this is a heavyweight of the genre; but it's certainly worth seeing for the Giallo fan, despite a number of imperfections.
rjstewart An interesting addition to the Giallo genre. Most commentators have concentrated on the apparent misogyny and gratuitous nudity as well as the unfortunate version with porno inserts (which I haven't seen). I'm not sure about the first criticism and as to the second aspect it's an integral part of Giallo. Why else would most of us sit through badly dubbed plodding dialogue and awful acting except for the occasional glimpse of the unadorned form of Babara Bouchet or Sylvia Koscina? To mind my far more interesting is the political undertone referencing the corruption of the upper classes in 1970s Italy which is in tune with "respectable" movies such as 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion' and 'Illustrious Corpses'. I wouldn't want to spoil the movie for those haven't seen it, but there are also definite similarities with later efforts such as 'Dressed to Kill' and 'Seven'.In the Giallo catalogue, I'd put this up with 'Don't Torture a Duckling'. Not as flashy as Argento, but it has something. My DVD is I think a video transfer. Maybe time for a proper digital version?