Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Killer Nun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 20, 2012

Italian director Giulio Berruti's "Suor Omicidi" a.k.a. "Killer Nun" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer; video interview with director Giulio Berruti; and a collection of excellent original posters, lobby cards from around the world, publicity stills, pressbook articles and ads, and VHS covers. In Italian or English, with optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Soft skin

The title of Giulio Berruti’s film is most appropriate because the story that is told in it is indeed about a killing nun who apparently worked in a nursing home somewhere in Belgium. When in the late ‘70s people there started dying like flies, the Belgian police launched an investigation and the nun was quickly arrested. What happened after that is unclear, but the news about the killing nun reached Italy, and director Berruti decided to shoot a film about her. In other words, if you are looking for a very sleazy nunsploitation film, Killer Nun probably is not for you. You would be better off researching the work of directors like Gianfranco Mingozzi and Joe D’Amato.

The nun is played by Swedish sex symbol Anita Ekberg. Early into the film, we learn that she has had a tumor removed and is suffering from chronic migraines. The pain is so strong that she has started taking drugs in order to continue performing her duties. No one in the nursing home knows, possibly with the exception of the director (Daniele Dublino), who may or may not have a good reason to keep quiet.

Eventually, the nun goes on a killing spree. There does not appear to be a good reason why, but it looks like she has temporary blackouts which effectively alter her personality. As the bodies start piling up, the blackouts get longer and more intense. The nun attempts to convince one of the doctors (Massimo Serato) in the nursing home that she might be going crazy, but he quickly dismisses her fears.

However, the chronic migraines intensify and the nun’s personality from the blackouts permanently replaces her old personality. The new person is an aggressive psychotic woman who travels to the nearby town, seduces a man in a bar, and later humiliates another nun (the stunningly beautiful Paola Morra) who has apparently fallen in love with her.

Things become complicated when a young doctor arrives in the nursing home and starts paying attention to details everyone else has been ignoring.

The film does have a darker side which pushes it in the direction of the sleazy nunsploitation genre, but it is difficult to view it as cheap entertainment. The gore and nudity are added to its story simply to make it look attractive to a larger group of viewers who may not otherwise bother with it. This was a common practice in Italian cinema during the late ‘70s and ‘80s when the sexy comedies, for instance, became enormously popular. (Many of these films were actually very effective commentaries on sexuality, politics and culture).

In Italy, the authorities censored the film because its producers apparently went a step too far in their attempts to tie its story to the Vatican and some other scandals that were covered in the media. One particular sequence that was censored shows the nun effectively replacing God with drugs.

Several big character actors have memorable cameos: Alida Valli (Senso, Novecento), Lou Castel (Fists in the Pocket), and Joe Dallesandro, (Je Taime Moi Non Plus).

Berrutti worked with cinematographer Antonio Maccoppi, whose credits include such controversial genre films as Cristiana monaca indemoniata a.k.a. Our Lady of Lust and Le lunghe notti della Gestapo a.k.a. Red Nights of the Gestapo.

Killer Nun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Giulio Berruti's Killer Nun arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

Aside from the light scanner noise, which at this point is clear Blue Underground are not to be blamed for, I like the presentation quite a lot. Detail and clarity are obviously superior when one compares the Blu-ray and DVD releases, while colors have been effectively stabilized. However, there are select scenes where the light noise does affect background definition (see screencapture #11), though the effect is hardly as distracting as it may sound. What pleases me the most, however, is the fact that there are absolutely no traces of post-production sharpening as well as serious banding or artifacting, There is no edge flicker to report in this review either. To sum it all up, while there is clearly room for improvement (and basically this has everything to do with the light scanner noise), the presentation truly is very close to what I would consider excellent quality for this type of European genre films. Projected the film looks fine. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Killer Nun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Blue Underground have provided optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature.

The addition of the Italian audio track to this Blu-ray release is a good enough reason to recommend an upgrade (the DVD release only had the English dub). Additionally, dynamic levels are improved and some background hiss also removed. Clarity is better and I also noticed that the music sounds crisper as well. The dialog is clean and easy to follow, while the high-frequencies are not distorted. This being said, the lossless track does have a limited dynamic amplitude, but its limitations are clearly inherited.

Killer Nun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this video interview, co-writer/director Giulio Berruti comments on the true story that inspired him to shoot Killer Nun, the film's production history and some of the controversy that ensued after it was released in Italy, the cast, and specifically his collaboration with Anita Ekberg and Joe Dallesandro, etc. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (14 min, 480/60i).

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Killer Nun. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Poster & Still Gallery - a collection of excellent original posters, lobby cards from around the world, publicity stills, pressbook articles and ads, and VHS covers. (1080p).

Killer Nun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Giulio Berruti's Killer Nun will not appeal to viewers expecting a sleazy nunsploitation affair simply because the film was never meant to be one. Like so many other Italian genre films from the era, behind its 'shocking' visuals there is actually a very serious message.

I have really enjoyed Blue Underground's recent releases and hope that they will also consider bringing to Blu-ray some previously unreleased on DVD European genre films. Umberto Lenzi's Paranoia and So Sweet...So Perverse, Salvatore Samperi's Scandal and Nene, and especially Alain Robbe-Grillet's The Man Who Lies and Trans-Europ-Express would be great to finally have releases in North America. RECOMMENDED.