One can also giallo for Halloween! The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (1971; also titled Blade Of The Ripper) has all the prototypical elements of the Italian giallo genre: a leather gloved killer, bloody violence, writhing sex, a convoluted plot, chic 70s style in the outfits and interior design, a gorgeous score and an iconic, glamorous lead in Edwige Fenech. She plays the title character, a bored wife of an absent banker who is caught up in memories of an sadiomaschistic affair. As she tries to forget her former dastardly lover (Ivan Rassimov), another dalliance is entertained with a charming man (George Hilton) in her social circle. But there’s also an unknown killer on the loose – is there a connection with one of the men she knows and is she the next victim? There are some vivid, memorable dream sequences/flashbacks such as an explosion of glass raining down upon Fenech’s body in slow motion (a big influence on the contemporary giallo pastiche by Cattet/Forzani, The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears), all of which is scored by the eerie, beautiful music of Nora Orlandi. There are twists upon twists in the third act, all of which are overwhelming complicated, but sorted in a satisfying conclusion. For fans of the giallo genre, I enjoyed this a good deal, particularly with Fenech in the lead, and it is up there for me with other personal favourites that she’s starred in like All The Colors Of The Dark and Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key (incidentally that title is taken from this movie); all three were directed by Sergio Martino.
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