A shocking series of brutal child murders occur in a small remote rural village. Unscrupulous newspaper reporter Andrea Martelli (the always excellent Tomas Milian) and stuck-up rich recovering drug addict harlot Patrizia (the luscious Barbara Bouchet, who has a great lengthy nude scene) investigate the killings in order to get to the bottom of things. Acclaimed Italian cult horror director Lucio Fulci, who also co-wrote the crafty and twist-ridden script with Gianfranco Clerici and Roberto Gianviti, largely downplays the graphic gore in favor of expertly creating a potently creepy atmosphere and maintaining a steady unflagging pace throughout. However, Fulci does deliver one jolting splatter set piece involving a luckless lady being savagely beaten to death by a chain-wielding mob and likewise pours on the hideously explicit splatter at the picture's jarring climax. Popping up in solid supporting roles are Florinda Bolkan as strange, crazed gypsy witch Marciara, Marc Porel as earnest, affable priest Don Alberto Avallone, George Wilson as wise old black arts practitioner Francesco, and Irene Pappas as Don Alberto's protective mother Dona. Sergio D'Offizi's fluid, handsome widescreen cinematography, the grimly serious tone, Riz Ortolani's superbly spooky'n'shuddery score, the unflinchingly dark, perverse and disturbing subject matter, and the truly startling conclusion further enhance the sterling quality of this superior giallo murder mystery thriller winner.

A journalist (Tomas Milian) and a morally-suspect young woman (Barbara Bouchet) try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town that is rife with superstition and distrust of outsiders.

The script was constructed by a handful of writers, including Gianfranco Clerici, who is probably best known for his controversial "Cannibal Holocaust". This film in many ways is also controversial. Children are shown both as murder victims (which is taboo) and as less than innocent. The latter is probably more realistic than the Opie Taylor version of childhood, however. Over the years, the film has also come to be associated with anti-Catholicism and misogyny, though it would be far too simple to accept either of those accusations.

Briefly stated, the accusation of misogyny, at least in this film, is absurd. Yes, Barbara Bouchet is reduced to her unclothed physical form when we first meet her, so there is that. But the most gripping, emotional scene is the death of a woman and the agony drags on, eating deep into viewer's souls. If anyone watches that scene and thinks the intent was to torture a woman (on film) rather than to create sympathy, that point of view is within the viewer, not the creator.

The star names in this one are Barbara Bouchet, perhaps best known up to this point for "Casino Royale" (1967),and Tomas Milian, who took off with Carol Reed's "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965). Bouchet has done well for herself, but Milian is the bigger name for fans of cult or genre film. He popped up again and again in spaghetti westerns before finally going mainstream (i.e Hollywood). Milian may be second only to Lee VanCleef in defining the entire genre.

"Duckling" is said to be Lucio Fulci's most personal film, as well as his favorite. It is also one of his better films, and it is a shame that so many others are better known (not that those others are bad movies, mind you). The voodoo, the child murders, the suspense and development of plot... this is a finely crafted film, and is worth watching again and again. While not as outright gory as some of his work or as exploitative (despite the Bouchet scene),this more subtle approach works well.

Interestingly, although the crumbling architecture of Matera as shown in the film is authentic, it has since had a bit of an economic boom thanks to tourism and repeated appearances on film. Known as "the Subterranean City", Matera has been considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993 and was declared Italian host of European Capital of Culture for 2019. Those Fulci fans hoping to go location scouting may find that much of it has been revamped.

The 2-disc Blu-ray set from Arrow Video is most likely the last word on "Duckling". We have a new audio commentary by giallo expert Troy Howarth. A new 28-minute video discussion with another giallo expert, author Mikel J. Koven (the creator of he term "vernacular cinema"). A new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger, who addresses the misogyny claims. And extensive interviews with Lucio Fulci, actor Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D'Offizi, assistant editor Bruno Micheli and assistant makeup artist Maurizio Trani. It would take half a day or more just to view this material... and you should.

Another early giallo from Lucio Fulci, and I admit that I enjoyed this a lot more than his muddled A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN at first. Gorgeous scenery of the Italian countryside and a tight plot weaving in and out of about a hundred different subplots and strands help to keep this one intriguing throughout. The identity of the murderer is kept hidden well and the final revelation comes as both a shock and a surprise.

Due to the longer-than-average running time and the complicity of the plot, this film feels like an epic. At first, it seems rather muddled and confusing, we are unsure of what we are watching, until all the pieces of the jigsaw begin to fall into place. Suspense builds as the hunt for the real murderer progresses and things finally erupt in an exciting clifftop battle between the heroes and the villain over the life of a mute child.

Sometimes the film threatens to give you a headache as Fulci is never content to keep this camera still, instead weaving it in and out of his actors and actresses constantly. This makes some shots look very nice and artistically composed, others jolting and difficult to watch (especially some of the scenes where people are running through the woods - I thought I was watching THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT at one such point!).

Fulci's later penchant for nonstop carnage and over the top gore is foreshadowed here in a couple of graphic moments. In one of these, an innocent woman is chain-whipped to death by frightened villagers, which prefigures the later chain-whipping of the warlock in THE BEYOND (in fact, it's filmed in EXACTLY the same way). Fulci zooms in as blood spills from the jagged wounds on the woman's body in this moment of sadistic glory which is quite shocking to watch. The other excessive scene comes at the end of the film, when the killer falls to their death over the cliff. In a normal movie, you would see the killer fall and then cut away. Not so with Fulci. Every time there's a rocky outcrop on the cliff, the killer gets their face mashed up. Again and again. All while a crooning song plays over the action. Art or lurid exploitation? You decide.

The script is a literate one, with just about every character in the film falling under suspicion at some point. The actors and actresses do their jobs well, especially the child actors who are surprisingly good in their parts. Barbara Bouchet is around to lend some much-needed glamour; the first shot we see of her has the actress sitting naked on a chair. Yes, this is indeed an adult film tackling many controversial issues; neither politics nor religion are safe from Fulci. In all, this is a well-shot and tense murder mystery, which makes use of some beautiful locations and a good cast.