6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A series of sex murders shock a college campus, and four beautiful young girlfriends head for the safety of an isolated country villa. But as they succumb to their own erotic desires, their weekend of pleasure becomes a vacation of dismemberment at the hands – and blade – of a lecherous maniac.
Starring: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson, Roberto BisaccoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 43% |
Mystery | 19% |
Thriller | 10% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
48kHz, 24-bit Italian & English.
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Death is the best keeper of secrets.
What good is a Horror movie if it doesn't open with a gratuitous breast shot, followed by a hazy and smeary sex orgy taking place in front of a still
camera? Well, there are plenty of great Horror movies that don't open in quite such a titillating way, but Torso does, and it's
both tone-setting and structurally necessary in getting the audience straight into the movie and into the mindset of the characters and how they're
going to operate throughout the picture. Torso, or The Bodies Show Signs of Carnal Violence as its title is more aptly translated from
the
original Italian, is a picture that's sexual in nature, a film that focuses on life's carnal pleasures and the violence that may be born from them. The plot
proves to be a bit more involved than "lonely stalker longs for women and cuts them to pieces when he can't have them;" there are deep psychological
undertones that run through the movie, and even if they're not always front-and-center -- Torso sometimes allows its more visceral
components to dominate -- the movie definitely gives its audience something more thematically evolved and emotionally involved than what there is to
see in a typical Splatter film.
Unlawful carnal knowledge.
Torso's 1080p picture quality is a mixed bag, but for the most part the image is a solid one. There is evidence of slight noise reduction -- grain occasionally appears to be frozen rather than organic -- but this is about the best-case scenario for a movie that appears to have undergone the process to some degree, and only at times at that. Details are consistently strong and don't have that waxy, plastic, lifeless look to them. Facial textures remain rather complex, and stone building façades and scratched and scuffed wooden floorboards, too, appear intricately detailed upon close inspection. A few shots do go a mite soft, and there's not a lot of natural depth to the image, but it holds up well in all corners nevertheless. Colors are the real bright spot here, pardon the pun. They're vibrant but not excessively so, balanced and generally a pleasure to behold. Blacks are steady, never crushing out details, but are maybe a little uneven and washed out in difficult nighttime and dusk shots. There are a few inconsequential spots of debris, but the print is in borderline miraculous shape. This is a somewhat frustrating transfer; it looks quite good, all things considered -- even with the apparent but inconsistent noise reduction -- but viewers distressed by even a hint of DNR might scoff at this one.
Torso features a crunchy and indistinct pair of mono lossless soundtracks -- presented in both Italian and English -- that won't win any audio awards in 2011, but each is sufficiently capable of delivering the bare-minimum required to keep the film moving along. It sounds at times like a scratchy old record playing through an underpowered speaker. Clarity is minimal as the music flows at the beginning, and the accompanying sound of a clicking camera shutter sounds harsh but nevertheless accurate. Dialogue is occasionally unbalanced, but for the most part the spoken word is adequately clear and distinct from surrounding elements. Background sound effects -- the din of a bustling college campus, for instance -- play like a glob of sound and don't create an immersive, real-life environment. There's not much difference to the English dub; the same critiques apply to each track, and both were sampled at random intervals through the screening. Of course, these criticisms need be taken in context of the greater picture. This isn't a modern-day movie, and while this one's not exactly a sonic marvel or joy, it's certainly adequate and no doubt the best Blue Underground could muster.
Torso's supplements consist primarily of a collection of promotional materials scattered around a Writer/Director interview piece.
Torso isn't the end-all, be-all of Horror and/or Italian giallo, but it's a fine example of its era and genre. The picture is built on a quality story that's more involved than a typical modern Slasher picture, and the direction is top-notch. It's well-paced, too, and leaves viewers with more questions than answers until the final few minutes. It's everything a Psychological Horror picture should be and a must-see for genre fans. Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of Torso features solid video and unspectacular audio to go along with a few extras. Recommended.
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale
1973
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence
1973
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence / Original Artwork
1973
Nude per l'assassino
1975
Profondo rosso | Special Edition
1975
Standard Edition
1982
L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo | Remastered
1970
1980
Sei donne per l'assassino
1964
Non ho sonno | Standard Edition
2001
Le foto di Gioia
1987
The Next Victim / Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh
1971
Special Edition | La morte cammina con i tacchi alti
1971
Lo squartatore di New York
1982
Featuring The Girl Who Knew Too Much / La ragazza che sapeva troppo
1963
Il gatto a nove code | Remastered
1971
Limited Edition | La sindrome di Stendhal
1996
La bestia uccide a sangue freddo / Asylum Erotica
1971
Chi l'ha vista morire?
1972
Non si sevizia un paperino
1972
Cosa avete fatto a Solange?
1972
Mil gritos tiene la noche | Remastered | Limited Edition Puzzle to 3000
1982
Reazione a catena
1971