This week’s pick comes from the glorious country of Italy from the glorious era of the 1970’s in that glorious genre of the giallo. Director Ricardo Freda had directed (sort of) the first Italian horror film I Vampiri in 1957 and had made a few Italian gothic classics in the 60’s (The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock and The Ghost) but was slow to jump on the giallo bandwagon in the 70’s. Once he did, however, he jumped in with both feet and his insane giallo Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire starts with a woman getting acid thrown in her face and her throat slit. The body is stuffed in the trunk of the Swiss Ambassador and so the race is on for an ex-cop clear the politician. Of course nothing is at it seems and nothing makes any sense but that’s what makes it such an incredible viewing experience. Not quite Argento or even Fulci, but Freda shows that he certainly has horror directing chops with multiple ultra violent set pieces that display all the greatness of the giallo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9xnvG8iUJ0
