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A poorly animated body falls from the Eiffel
Tower as an amazing opening cast list attempts
to blind you to any technical deficiencies. A
supergroovy bass driven score then fires up as
Anita Ekberg, Howard Vernon, Barabara Bouchet,
Gordon Mitchell, Evelyn Kraft and Rosalba Neri,
are all named before we focus in on Robert Sacchi,
professional Bogart impersonator, gun detective,
and casual narrator of the French Sex
Murders. "It all started last night...",
he casually observes. So begins French
Sex Murders in a mixture of confusion
and cheesy effects that truly sets the tone for
what is to come.
Next we go back to the night before as Antoine
crashes a party and is soon in a bedroom flashing
a set of gems while pulling out his own family
jewels to service the girl he's just picked up.
When she's called away Antoine is far from happy
but with one hand on the blanket that's covering
his crotch he manages to beat her to death before
leaving post haste. He bumps into a cop on the
way out. Meanwhile a guest (known as Mr. Randall)
who has been pontificating on his book on one
Madame Colette, finds the body. Hooded customers/partygoers
are asked to leave as Bogie is called in to investigate
and is slapping cuffs on Antoine in no time.
Cut to Howard Vernon giving autopsy tips at a
dinner party. Back to Antoine who everyone seemingly
wants dead, who escapes custody with the aid of
a motorbike. He jumps a roadblock and runs down
a cop but to no avail as he gets decapitated by
a truck. Bogie is conducting investigations down
on nightclub street while Howard Vernon asserts
he'd like Antoine's decapitated head. A judge
drops by to chat with Vernon. Guitar spy music
with discordant keyboards is playing when a blonde
in a beach buggy turns up wanting to tell Vernon,
her father, about the relationship she's having
with his assistant. Vernon conducts a gory eyeball
examination and declares genetic schizophrenia.
The judge has his neck slit. Vernon, Bogie and
Randall get together to mull over the events.
Bogie wants Randall to go down to the cop shop
to clear up matters. Bogie finds another nude
dead girl before then. Another decapitation occurs
and when Randall finds the head he's stabbed.
The daughter finds both bodies and is stabbed
herself for her troubles. Howard Vernon is eventually
brought undone but not before he goes on the run
which elliptically and neatly brings us back to
the very beginning.
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| Video |
| Sporting a rough veneer (especially obvious during
location work) undoubtedly this film has never looked
better, but don't go in expecting rampant slickness.
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| Audio |
| With dialogue driving this twisted giallo from
beginning to end it's necessary that it remains
audible which it does. Narration seems to be thrown
in at random but comes through loud and clear and
so to does the great swinging score from Bruno Nicolai
that appears all too infrequently in the mix. |
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| Extra Features |
| Amidst a generous serving of extras, the standout
entry is the 32 minute doco The Wild, Wild World
Of Dick Randall. Besides his own documentation of
his work (see the Living Doll extras)
this is the first serious attempt to capture the
awesome and tangled legacy of Dick Randall and give
it some perspective. Interviewees include David
McGillivray, director Alan Birkinshaw, Julian Grainger,
and Corliss Randall, Dick's former life partner.
Clips shown include Challenge Of The Tiger, Clones
Of Bruce Lee, Don't Open 'Till Christmas, and For
Your Height Only. Besides the inclusion of two deleted/alternate
scenes the stills gallery also has a nice shot of
Randall on set with Weng Weng. |
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| The Verdict |
| Sometimes hokey and unnecessarily complex French
Sex Murders is less a cogent thriller and
more of an excuse to picture the crazy eyeball fetish
of Howard Vernon's character and the early work
of effects maestro Professor Carlo Rambaldi. A definite
Eurosleaze classic. |
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