I’m logging my Monster Movie Month © viewing with ultra-mini
reviews at the end of every week this October. I write it. You read it. No one
needs to get hurt.
Don’t Torture a
Duckling (1972- dir. Lucio Fulci) ****
Well, we’re off to a good start with a refreshing surprise.
I’ve never been a fan of Lucio Fulci’s gory nonsense, so I wasn’t expecting to
find anything appealing about one of his most famous flicks. Yet there is a
quite a bit about the charmingly titled Don’t
Torture a Duckling that is appealing, such as a central
mystery—specifically, who’s murdering the kids in a little Italian village?—
with a gaggle of suspects. This little village has the highest population of
weirdos this side of Twin Peaks. There’s an accused witch, a hermit who
practices black magic (and cut a police interrogation short because he has to
“take a crap”), and Barbara Bouchet as a drugged up pedophile. Fulci keeps the
excessive gore to a minimum, allowing it to shine in one scene that is
genuinely disturbing and one that is unintentionally hilarious. I saw the
culprit coming from a mile away, but the twist will be a neat one for those who
aren’t programmed to look for that kind of thing.
The Horrible Dr.
Hichcock (1962- dir. Riccardo Freda) ***
