alex-ks Pale, dull and straightforward imitation of "Rosemary's Baby" (mystical part of the plot and conclusion). But even stranger - 1976's "Le Locataire" idea of insanity and illusions have a lot in common with this italian flic. But Polansky's movie stay strong, while this movie ruins apart after 30 min or so. And the ending is weakest spot. It's too much predictable (if you saw "Rosemary's Baby" before): in "Rosemary" there was satanic cult, and "Il profumo della signora in nero" has sacrifice/prey themes in it's core. So finale is obvious, when you start to realise WHICH movie inspired authors of this oldie italian flic.

matheusmarchetti How come this film isn't ranked among the finest European horror movies of all time? Francesco Barilli's "Perfume of the Lady in Black" is one hell of a stylish, elegant and altogether disturbing piece of Italian cinema, that is just as good if not better than the works of Dario Argento. And no, it is NOT a giallo, that is, unless you count Polanski's "The Tenant" a giallo. In the vein of Val Lewton's films of the 40's, "Perfume of the Lady in Black" is a psychological chiller which follows Mismy Farmer, giving a truly outstanding and intense performance, as a young woman who is either a victim of a voodoo cult, or a victim of her own distorted mind. Barilli not only manages to make it visually striking, but also creates an intelligent and creative script that delights itself making questions without always answering them. Unlike most Italian horror films of this period (with the exception of Avati's "The House with Laughing Windows" and Argento's "Deep Red"), this one aged very well, as there are hardly any unintentionally cheesy moments in it, and it's also genuinely frightening. Also, it relies mostly on atmosphere and slow build up than beautiful woman getting offed, even though the ending is particularly gruesome and unbelievably violent (considering there's hardly a drop of blood throughout), being somewhat nausea inducing, as it is sick, depraved and as downbeat as it can get. Nicola Piovani's haunting music score perfectly fits with the film's twisted poetic beauty. Overall, a definite horror classic, that, as I've said before, needs to be talked about more often. 10/10!

Woodyanders The lovely, slender, gap-toothed blonde beauty Mimsy ("More," "Autopsy") Famer gives a splendid, shattering, heart-breaking performance as Sylvia, a shy, passive and very reserved lass who suddenly starts to lose her marbles. Sylvia experiences troubling childhood flashbacks entailing a time she caught her mother doing just what you think with some other guy (she killed her mom and cut the dude up with a knife), sees and talks to an impish, ghostly manifestation of herself as a little girl, sees mommy's reflection in a mirror, and gruesomely offs several folks living in the apartment building she resides in (one woman is boiled alive in her bath tub, a kindly old man gets hacked up with a hatchet, Sylvia later plants said hatchet in her useless boyfriend's back, and so on). Is Sylvia really going murderously around the bend? Or is something more sinister and mysterious afoot here? As one might surmise from the above synopsis, "The Perfume of A Lady in Black" sure ain't your average, straight-down-the-line safe, conventional and predictable humdrum terror-tinged mystery thriller; instead it's an extremely surreal, disorienting, surprise-laden inside out edge-of-your-seat "Repulsion"-style psychological mind-twister flick that in its own deceptively bent and low-key way proves to be one exceptionally powerful and disturbing scarefest. Francesco Barilli's steady, subdued direction potently evokes a pungent, nerve-rattling sense of genuine menace from every objects and places (a mirror, a vase, a gorgeously verdant open field, a music box), upsetting the viewer's equilibrium by showing how the serenity of plain old everyday life can be easily disrupted and completed ripped asunder. Nicola Piovani's eerie, elegant, atmospheric score and Mario Masini's beautifully graceful cinematography (the fluid, stately tracking shots are simply breathtaking) significantly contribute to the film's spooky, strange, nothing-is-what-it-appears-to-be enigmatic and ultra-paranoid mood. The jolting and unexpected stinger of a brutal ending packs one hell of a ferocious punch. Offbeat, oblique and often unsettling, this first-rate shocker gets my highest possible recommendation.

HumanoidOfFlesh "The Perfume of the Lady in Black" by Francesco Barilli is an extremely stylish and beautifully shot occult horror film that is often regarded as one of the most underrated Italian horror movies ever made.This film influenced the works of Dario Argento-there are themes and set-pieces that would re-appear,virtually unchanged,in Argento's "Deep Red","Suspiria" and "Inferno".The cinematography is simply astounding and the score by Nicola Piovani is genuinely creepy.Mimsy Farmer plays an industrial scientist named Silvia who is troubled by strange hallucinations.These images that seem so real point to a tragic event from her childhood:the suicide of her mother."The Perfume of the Lady in Black" is obviously inspired by both "Don't Look Now" and "Rosemary's Baby",but there are some lashings of grisly violence(the evisceration/cannibalism scene is particularly nasty and gruesome).Overall,this Italian baffling psycho-shocker is a suitably unsettling exercise in psychological horror with incredibly beautiful Mimsy Farmer.A must-see for anyone interested in Italian horror.10 out of 10.