Several of my friends and I have set out to discover good little-known horror films using DVD rental services. This long, mostly fruitless task has resulted in many nights of tedium but occasionally we'll discover something worthwhile, which, for us, is euphoria not unlike that experienced by treasure hunters. We've made great discoveries like Alucarda, The Legacy, and Blue Sunshine after enduring substantial mediocrity. I personally find it revelatory when I find a film I can enjoy in some capacity even if it isn't a fully satisfying experience.
The Sister of Ursula is such a movie. While it is intended to be a giallo, there are only obligatory inclusions of genre tropes. The film's unique focal points aren't on plot or artful deaths, but we see plenty of the victims and their surroundings before they die. Director Enzo Milioni knows he had no story, so he uses the running time as an excuse to photograph Italy's beautiful Amalfi Coast and its nubile inhabitants.
There's enough nudity categorize the film as soft-core pornography, though most of it isn't exploitative. Ursula's sister Dagmar, for example, is seen wearing a golden necklace to impress a young man at the hotel where the two are staying. After she goes back to her room, we see her masturbating with the necklace, which he complemented. This scene would normally have no relevance, but in the absence of plot, it works nicely as a piece of erotic art. There's a refreshing frankness to much of the movie's nudity that even the classic giallos usually lack.
Unfortunately, some plot is needed to tie up the more tasteful sexy parts. It's a boring cycle that repeats too frequently. As follows: a woman is shown to be naked for whatever reason (if a man is with her, he is stabbed), a masked marauder knocks her out and we see he is holding a phallic object, and then the slain woman is seen bleeding from her vagina. The amusement in these scenes wears off quickly, and they are hardly innovative. Another film from 1978 called Red Rings of Fear or Virgin Killer has the same death-by-sex toy gimmick.
We easily realize Ursula is probably the killer before we're told she is, and we are given an explanation that adds a layer of intrigue to the film. Apparently Ursula's and Dagmar's father disappeared before we met them and Ursula is convinced his spirit tells her to kill sexually active women. So, the film could exist in a hyper-masculine alternative reality where male domination is so severe as to interfere with women's self-identities. Ursula is integrated entirely into this world, and sees its continuation as endearing to the memory of her father. That's why she kills her victims with her phallic sex toy; it's the ultimate expression of male superiority. Father would be proud.
Plenty of contemporary directors should consider remaking this film, and I think Catherine Breillat would be ideally suited to its sensibilities. Then the story could drop the giallo disguise the original is forced to wear.
Recommended
The Sister of Ursula is such a movie. While it is intended to be a giallo, there are only obligatory inclusions of genre tropes. The film's unique focal points aren't on plot or artful deaths, but we see plenty of the victims and their surroundings before they die. Director Enzo Milioni knows he had no story, so he uses the running time as an excuse to photograph Italy's beautiful Amalfi Coast and its nubile inhabitants.
There's enough nudity categorize the film as soft-core pornography, though most of it isn't exploitative. Ursula's sister Dagmar, for example, is seen wearing a golden necklace to impress a young man at the hotel where the two are staying. After she goes back to her room, we see her masturbating with the necklace, which he complemented. This scene would normally have no relevance, but in the absence of plot, it works nicely as a piece of erotic art. There's a refreshing frankness to much of the movie's nudity that even the classic giallos usually lack.
Unfortunately, some plot is needed to tie up the more tasteful sexy parts. It's a boring cycle that repeats too frequently. As follows: a woman is shown to be naked for whatever reason (if a man is with her, he is stabbed), a masked marauder knocks her out and we see he is holding a phallic object, and then the slain woman is seen bleeding from her vagina. The amusement in these scenes wears off quickly, and they are hardly innovative. Another film from 1978 called Red Rings of Fear or Virgin Killer has the same death-by-sex toy gimmick.
We easily realize Ursula is probably the killer before we're told she is, and we are given an explanation that adds a layer of intrigue to the film. Apparently Ursula's and Dagmar's father disappeared before we met them and Ursula is convinced his spirit tells her to kill sexually active women. So, the film could exist in a hyper-masculine alternative reality where male domination is so severe as to interfere with women's self-identities. Ursula is integrated entirely into this world, and sees its continuation as endearing to the memory of her father. That's why she kills her victims with her phallic sex toy; it's the ultimate expression of male superiority. Father would be proud.
Plenty of contemporary directors should consider remaking this film, and I think Catherine Breillat would be ideally suited to its sensibilities. Then the story could drop the giallo disguise the original is forced to wear.
Recommended