A sleazy gem of a giallo movie, directed by the underrated Italian director Sergio Martino, in which the camera ogles the curves of the (often naked) female cast at every opportunity. This is said to be one of the main films (along with A BAY OF BLOOD) that influenced Friday the 13th and the American slashers of the 1980s, and some scenes are very similar - namely the nubile half-naked young woman being stalked through the woods by a masked villain scene, or the various graphic murders that said mystery killer commits. Certainly the gore fan gets his money's worth here. This is pretty hard to see in its fully uncut version (only in Italy was it released as such) but whichever version you do see is bound to be a pretty gruelling experience.

Martino directs a stylish and well-filmed movie which makes good use of the picturesque Italian countryside. Martino (along with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi) plays up the whodunit aspect of the plot whilst playing down the police investigation - the latter half of the film takes place in an isolated mountaintop location with only the girls, the killer, the milkman and a Peeping Tom handyman for company. The score helps add to the atmosphere a lot and familiar and veteran faces round out the cast. First up is pretty victim Suzy Kendall, who engages in a suspenseful cat-and-mouse chase whilst hampered with a sprained ankle; John Richardson as kindly college professor Franz; and Luc Merenda as a friendly doctor. The list of suspects is endless and the movie keeps you guessing right through until the drawn-out finale.

TORSO has many familiar giallo ingredients. There's the killer with a creepy mask (this time a balaclava) and black gloves who kills with a nasty weapon; the twisted blackmail plot that serves as a basis for the murders; and, of course, a perverted childhood incident which has resulted in the warped mind of the killer ("they were only dolls, stupid dolls made out of flesh and blood"). There's also an unexpected but nice little macho bust-up between hero and villain at the end of the movie which serves as a bonus for this action lover.

Four beautiful young women seek refuge in an isolated country villa after a gruesome series of sex murders upset a college campus. However, the relentless and depraved maniac has followed the gals to said villa. Director Sergio Martino, who also co-wrote the luridly compelling script with Ernesto Gastaldi, delivers a tasty truckload of female nudity (the delectable Angela Covello, the foxy Carla Brait, the luscious Conchita Airoldi, and the comely Patrizia Adiutori all bare their sumptuous bodies in the leering name of all-out unapologetic exploitation),does his usual ace job of creating and sustaining a supremely creepy and unsettling atmosphere, stages the brutal murder set pieces with savage aplomb (the killing in the muddy fog-shrouded woods is a real vicious doozy),further spices things up with an explicit depiction of an unsparingly raw and perverse sexuality, offers a bevy of seedy male characters as likely suspects (Ernesto Colli in particular is especially memorable as slimy street vendor Gianni Tomasso),and really pulls out the suspenseful stops in the positively harrowing last twenty minutes. The lovely Suzy Kendall makes for a fetching and appealing damsel in distress as the pure Jane while the striking Tina Aumont is simply gorgeous as the feisty Daniela. Giancarlo Ferrando's slick and stylish cinematography makes neat use of voyeuristic POV shots and gives the picture an impressive glossy look. The funky'n'shuddery score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis hits the get-down groovy chilling spot. Recommended viewing for fans of giallo fare.

In Perugia, a serial-killer is strangling college students. Inspector Martino (Luciano De Ambrosis) is in charge of the investigation and has a black and red scarf as the only lead to be followed. He asks the scarf street vendor Gianni Tomasso (Ernesto Colli) if he recalls who might have bought the scarf, but the man tells that he cannot remember. Then Gianni blackmails the killer and becomes his next victim.

Meanwhile the college students and girlfriends Jane (Suzy Kendall),Daniela (Tina Aumont),Katia (Angela Covello) and Ursula (Carla Brait) travel to an isolated villa to spend a couple of days together during a break from the art history classes of their professor Franz (John Richardson) that has befriended Jane. When Jane twists her ankle, Dr. Roberto (Luc Merenda) is summoned and asks her to rest. The student Stefano Vanzi (Roberto Bisacco) stalks Daniela since he is obsessed for her. Are the girls in danger in the villa? Who might be the killer?

"I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale", a.k.a. "Torso", is an average giallo. The story and the screenplay do not develop well the killer and the conclusion with the serial-killer explaining his problems is very poor and disappointing. The hot team of actresses is the best in this movie, specially the gorgeous Suzy Kendall. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Torso"

Note: On 11 June 2020 I saw this film again.