THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC

THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC (aka Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile/1972). Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero. 

"I may be homosexual but I am not homicidal!" -- "Cleopatra." 

An unknown killer is running around murdering women who are having affairs. The maniac leaves photos of the women and their lovers, although the latter's faces are scratched off. (Which begs the question: how can the police be so certain that the man in the photo is the lover and not the husband? At least we know that the killer gets the photos while stalking his victims.) In any case Inspector Capuana (Farley Granger) is assigned to track down the killer and pursues a number of leads before getting distressing information about the extracurricular activities of his own wife (Sylva Koscina of Hercules Unchained). Along the way he consults with Professor Casali (Chris Avram of The Killer Reserved Nine Seats), stumbles over a number of corpses, and interviews the lawyer Santangeli (Silvano Tranquilli), who's having an affair with a neighbor even as his own wife goes off for a dalliance. (You need a scorecard to count the affairs as well as the corpses.) Farley Granger, Koscina, and the other cast members acquit themselves professionally and the film is undeniably suspenseful, with a satisfying climax. Luciano Rossi plays the weird Gastone and Nieves Navarro is another victim. 

NOTE: New hardcore footage with porn star Harry Reems was inserted -- no pun intended -- into this film under the title Penetration. It was taken out of release in the U.S. after Farley Granger threatened a lawsuit. 

Verdict: Definitely one of the better giallo films. ***

HERCULES UNCHAINED

Reeves, Koscina, Antonini

HERCULES UNCHAINED (Ercole e la regina di Lidia/1959). Director: Pietro Francisci.

After the events of Hercules, Hercules (Steve Reeves) has returned to his homeland of Greece with his new bride, Iole (Sylva Koscina), and several of his friends, including Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini). The three of them decide to return to Thebes, but Hercules learns that there have been many changes in his absence. Oedipus the King has given his throne to his two sons with the understanding that they each rule a year and trade off, but Etocles (Sergio Fantoni) refuses to leave Thebes while his brother Polinices (Mimmo Palmara) has gathered together an army of ruthless foreigners to help him take over the city. Hercules agrees  to mediate a peace between the two men, but before he can do so he is kidnapped to the island of Lidia after accidentally partaking of the "waters of forgetfulness."

Evil queen: Reeves with Lopez

On Lidia Queen Omphale (Sylvia Lopez) tries to turn Hercules into the latest in her long line of lovers, all of whom have been preserved, quite dead, in a special underground gallery (this reminds one of developments in Jayne Mansfield's Loves of Hercules). The climax of the film actually brings us back to Thebes, where total war has broken out, but in one of the film's best sequences, the two brothers fight a vivid dual to the literal death with swords. 

Sergio Fantoni with Reeves

Hercules Unchained is a notch above Hercules, with a better story and more action. The dubbed performances all seem adept enough, and cinematographer Mario Bava's often garish color schemes -- reminding one more of neon-lit Las Vegas than ancient Greece --  are as wild as ever. Hercules also has an interesting fight with a creep named Anteo, played by boxer-actor-strongman Primo Carnera. The film includes a ballet, and if that weren't enough, a ditty is sung by Iole as Hercules takes a nap in the back of their wagon. Aside from the waters of forgetfulness, the film has no fantastic elements to speak of. 

Verdict: Surprisingly entertaining bit of "peplum." ***.