no spoilers xoxo

so i had spent my entire life curious about this movie. it came out the year i was born, and since then there has always been some scandal surrounding it. for parents, it was a harrowing tale, it was a warning sign, but above all it was something to never let your kids see. because for kids, it was also a warning sign, but misinterpretation of the film lead to kids romanticising alcoholism, self harm, reckless sex, and drug abuse.

because of this misinterpretation, the movie was kinda taboo until people revisited it a couple years later. upon revisitation under a more progressive and modern lens, it is less a tale of underage partying and sex, but a tale of self discovery and broken families. it is a love story of sorts, a romantic tragedy almost, and my one qualm is that i didn't watch it sooner.

9/10

SPOILERS!!!

okay so i am fairly new to giallo, I've seen suspiria, bird with the crystal plumage, and deep red, but i've not really ever delved properly into the genre. i wasn't expecting much as it is a fairy low budget film from the 60s, but boy was i pleasantly surprised.

i knew going into this that it would be very colourful and stylised, perhaps style over substance, and i would say that there's some truth to that; style is a big element of the film, however i think that style is just as important as anything else, after all film is a visual medium. now i will say that some may complain about bad acting BUT it's important to note that the original actors are very good, it's just the english dub that ruins it a bit. if lacklustre voiceovers kill the mood of a movie for you, please watch this in italian but with subtitles, i promise you'll enjoy it so much more.

now onto the actual movie, after a slow start, the intrigue starts. and so does the large amount of women having their tops ripped off. i swear i cannot think of a single death in this movie (where it's the models being killed) where their top isn't either already off, or ripped off in the process of being killed.
bodies are piling up left, right, and centre, and there is actually quite a graphic torture scene for a film from the early 60s. every character you start to suspect as the killer ends up having an alibi and you are stuck wondering if it will even be a killer from the main cast.

then comes the reveal: two killers!!!!
scream wasn't as original as they claimed to be haha

anyways i won't say who the killers are because even if you don't care about spoilers this movie is probably best enjoyed if you don't know who's killing people off.

overall 9/10 GO WATCH IT!!

spoiler free ;)

so i went into this movie completely unaware of the madness that was gonna ensue, all i knew was that this was a movie about a lizard demon baby thing
holy moly was i in for a ride

this is probably now one of my favourite horror films of all time, and it doubles up as a perfect encapsulation of why i don't want children. the practical effects are wild, i stg that baby lizard looks so real and all the body horror is amazing, i squirmed a LOT.

the actual plot is very sparse (possibly nonexistent but that is up for debate), and as someone who does really need a story to cling on to, i did have to google theories about it halfway through because i had no idea what was going on. there are plenty of theories about it such as the nuclear war one (my personal favourite) to think about during the movie to keep yourself engaged enough to enjoy the film.

overall 9/10 i completely adored it

(SPOILERS!!)

honestly so much better than halloween or friday the 13th i understand why there is so much hype. the fact that we never see the killer fully, or the actually believable (even to the police in the movie) red herring that is peter adds another layer of suspense. peter's anger at jess and him trying to intimidate her out of getting an abortion, along with the obscene phone calls, highlights the slight feminist themes of the movie.
it is one of few slashers that don't rely on gore for scares; there is barely any, and i appreciated the lack of nudity for shock value. it doesn't follow the traditional slasher structure; for the first hour or so plays out more like a mystery thriller than a horror, although we do get our horror kicks with barb's death, and the ending, which is absolutely CHILLING.

overall 8/10 i loved it!!