Editorials
[Let’s Get Weird] The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh (A.K.A. Lo Strano Vizio Della Signora Wardh)
“Let’s Get Weird” is a series written by Jon Dobyns of electronic group Twitch The Ripper. In it, he reviews and shares his thoughts on some of the lesser known horror classics. Make sure to pick up their latest album Colorblind.
Call it an obsession, call it an infatuation, or frankly just call it a magnetic pull – but I am drawn to the vibe of the giallo era. “Vibe,” there isn’t a better word to describe it. From the hyper-stylized shots, to the ludicrous stories and chilling synth lines in the scores, gialli are more than just period pieces. In a great giallo everything lines up to create that perfect sense of mystery, murder, misery and, yes, vibe! However, there’s a charm to giallo that modern thrillers simply don’t capture. Perhaps the era has all to do with it. From beautiful countrysides to city grime, from haunting scores to ultraviolent Hitchcock-esque stories on acid that are peppered with all the flirtatious steaminess one can muster up. But of course not every film in the genre is solid gold. I’ll admit that some of the later pictures in this mold come across as vapid or dull. And the abundance of poor knockoffs and copycats just dilutes the pool of these clever, thought-out shockers. So for all the non-believers, I present proof you can strike gold in a silver mine. Director Sergio Martino gave us a debut that makes my top-five list of gialli, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.
While admiring the fan favorites, or at least mine, I get stuck in a whirlwind of genre classics. The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Blood and Black Lace, Deep Red, and The Black Belly of the Tarantula immediately come to mind for all fans. For myself, I consider them comfort flicks and I watch them regularly. True horror buffs know the directors who achieved levels of success and cult status for themselves.
But what about Sergio Martino? He might be a lesser name in the mainstream world, but he’s a genius in mine. Sergio produced a few titles that I consider some of the best and most creative of the genre. Martino kept me guessing who the black gloved killer really was in The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. As he put me through the cinematic paces of his effective gialli, I was the one who spat my drink out during the unmasking scene.
Tormented and tragic, Julie Wardh holds a special place in the heart. Not just because of the performance provided by heartthrob Edwige Fenech, but because of the exquisite heartache she exudes. She endures nastiness with an uncontrollable on-screen presence that is so intriguing. And maybe it is simply the genuine sorrow you feel for her. Simultaneously terrified by and attracted to the sight of blood, Wardh is haunted by memories continuously playing over and over in her mind of a sadistic ex-lover. The mutual perversion comes to light as flashbacks of incidents progress and begin to take over her stability.
More clever than the typical movie thriller, this film has an atmosphere that is influenced as much as anything by an infectious and melodic score. As we jump through numerous unpredictable hoops set up by Martino, eerie pads and voices lay down a thick air that adds to the on-screen emotion each time the soundtrack hits. Contributing to this weird level of pure dismay, I find myself humming the tune time after time. Waiting for it to pick up again, the discomfort it represents begins to feel almost welcome as it sticks with you for days.
In keeping with the depraved theme, poor Julie has no idea that everyone in her life is out to get her. From her husband and ex to her new love interests, all are planning to get Julie out of the picture. Three mischievous bastards from her past, present and future are all in cahoots and believe they can perform the perfect crime while an unrelated maniac is on the loose. That’s the key to this abnormal giallo. The black gloved, straight razored maniac has nothing to do with the characters directly, but serves as a simple yet crucial diversion to their devious plans. With a killer on the loose these characters are only able to distract Julie, reducing her accusations to nothing more than delusions. In fear of her ex’s capacity for doing her harm, the near-death close encounters seem like obvious events to pin on her late aggressor. But as it seems more likely that Jean, her ex, may well be innocent, Mrs. Wardh appears to be at a loss. Playing the damsel in distress, and playing it well, Julie turns to a new lover. Not knowing his true intentions as they skip town on a getaway, she still is unable to escape her own personal pandemonium.
But while The Strange Vice of… as a whole may seem soapie at times, an unpredictable fulfillment of unforeseen raw nastiness lies deep at its the center. Martino does an excellent job of creating characters for viewers to truly despise. Tension builds in unsettling ways as we wait for the misogynistic psychopaths to finally get what they deserve. Unable to distinguish hallucination from reality, it’s not until the final 15 minutes that the fog begins to clear.
Many giallo films were fast tracked in the early 70s. But very few came close to being as inventive and exciting as Sergio Martino’s debut in the genre. The twists, the tension, the mystery – and without a doubt the score – combine to make it one of the more cunning thrillers that really holds up. The biggest problem I’ve always had with the lesser titles is that the stories tend to drag in the middle. Also, there is a certain predictability that comes with the empty motive, which causes too many dull moments. As the years passed, some of the more seasoned writer-directors continued their output of genre films, but somewhere along the way lost the initial vibe that helped distinguish them in the first place.
The later era aside, however, I still can only name a few filmmakers worthy enough to be put on the same pedestal as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.
Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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