DON'T
TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972)Director: Lucio Fulci
Anchor Bay Entertainment
DON'T
TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972)Horror fans know him and love him as the Maestro of Italian Horror Mayhem, but thanks to the efforts of the staff at Anchor Bay, one of Lucio Fulci's best films is finally presented as it was intended to be seen on DVD. DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a film that predates his well known splatter film by 7 years, but is certainly a harbinger of things to come.
When a series of child murders enrage a small rural community in Southern Italy, it sets an uncommon stage for this most uncommon giallo. Using many of the conventions of that famous form (strange characters with shady motivation, violent murders that serve as full blown setpieces...) Fulci turned the genre upside down, getting away from the Urban stalker motif that was popular and running rampant at the time.
As young boys turn up dead in this small community, a number of suspects parade by for the audience to enjoy, from crazy peeping toms to secretive witches, all the way back to a beautiful young woman who is a little to close for comfort with some of the victims--in more ways than one.
As the police stumble about looking for clues, enter our probing journalist, played with great verve by Thomas Milan, to get on the case. Milan joins up with the aforementioned somewhat improper young lass (Barbara Bouchet, as beautiful as ever), and the pair finally discover the shocking truth of the killer and his motivations. Of course that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of mayhem along the way...
DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING works so well for several reasons: The pace is quick, the cinematography is fantastic, and excellent performances, though I'm convinced that Barbara Bouchet could have been dressed in a Cookie Monster suit with just her head exposed and she still would have looked great here. Also, the characters are typical of the giallo cinema--damn odd! Fulci's soon to be characteristic handling of violence is on full show here (he actually used two major scenes from this movie again later), and the death of one of the main suspects will leave a longtime impression on you. You'll soon realize that Schweik from THE BEYOND got off light!
From the startling opening shot of the film to it's tense conclusion the movie works wonderfully. DON'T TORTURE is a true anomaly in Euroshock cinema, using the common tools of the trade yet applying them completely differently. One thing remains though, you won't be disappointed if you are looking for something unique (and yes my ghouliepals...it's got gore to spare!).
The DVD of DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING befits this masterpiece completely. Finally making the film available in it's original scope, the clarity of the image fully exposes the great cinematography and sharp visuals that are here to enjoy. The sequences at night in the rain are nothing short of a revelation, as the action is for the first time, completely decipherable. This DVD certainly marks a trend toward proving that the less mainstream works of Euro horror are both commercially viable and will create new fans for this great genre. Fulci fans, Euro horror fans, and anyone who enjoys a good suspense film should have this disc in their DVD library. (David Zuzelo)