Lucio Fulci is probably most known for his straight horror work. Things like Zombie and The Beyond. And rightfully so. He has created some of the most memorable moments in horror. Before he dove head first into horror in the late 70’s and early 80’s however, he dabbled in a number of other genres. One genre in which Fulci got his feet wet was that of mystery/thrillers and one of his earliest thrillers was 1971’s A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin. Now thanks to Le Chat Qui Fume out of France we can enjoy this early Fulci entry in a beautiful Blu-ray digipack, 3-disc set.
Florinda Bolkan stars as Carol Hammond, a young woman who begins to have strange dreams that heavily feature a neighbor of hers. The dreams contain a ton of weird visuals and imagery, most of which are quite sexual in nature. At one point she’s walking through what appears to be a train cart and she’s just surrounded by multiple couples having sex. Eventually she reaches her neighbor and the two begin to join in on the festivities. Before too long the dreams turn murderous with Carol as the murderer and her neighbor the victim.
On the surface these dreams aren’t a big deal. Lots of people have crazy dreams just like these ones, so nothing to worry about right? Well, unfortunately for Carol her neighbor actually is murdered and it happens just like it did in the dream. So did Carol actually dream this murder because she committed it, or is she being set up? A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin attempts to solve this mystery, but Fulci keeps the audience guessing with dream sequences constantly thrown in throughout.
Overall this is a really solid whodunit. Fulci does a good job not giving away the killer up front, which is very important. Unfortunately that’s also what makes the movie a little difficult to follow. The plot gets a little complicated at times because of the dream sequences and it’s tough to distinguish fiction from reality. I actually had to watch the film twice to fully understand everything that I witnessed.
Confusion aside, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin is pretty classic Fulci throughout. The entire film is gorgeously shot. The dream sequences in particular are stunning. Especially the opening scene, which feels like something that could only be shot in the 70’s and only by an Italian filmmaker. I can’t really put it into words, but the whole movie has this feel that I don’t know can ever be recaptured. Those first frames are breathtaking. Cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller delivers on what may be his second best work next to Deep Red. These visuals blend perfectly with the hypnotic score from the one and only Ennio Morricone.
Of course A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin has some of the signature gore one has come to expect from a Fulci film. It’s not the goriest, not even close, but there is one scene that will make your jaw drop. Carol goes into a clinic and it’s filled with dogs that are town apart. I mean their stomachs are ripped open and you can see everything. It looks like experiments are being done on them and they’re connected to all these tubes. It’s quite gruesome and frankly a little hard to watch, so much so that Fulci actually had to testify in court that it was all fake and no dogs were harmed. When you have to testify in court that your practical effects are just that, you know you’ve accomplished something great.
This release from Le Chat Qui Fume is one of my favorites of the year, easily. I’m a real sucker for things outside of the actual discs that are included, things like the packaging and booklets. The box looks great, something that looks very nice sitting on my shelf, which is of high importance to me. The real bonus that I love, however, is that a booklet is enclosed with just tons of different pictures of various posters and promotional artwork for the film from around the world. This is particularly special because the film was re-released on the US as Schizoid and this includes posters for that. Quite honestly these little things are what set the best Blu-ray releases apart for me.
Another nice bonus, especially for those of us in North America, is that this release is region free. Most places online list it as region B, but I played it on my region A player and it worked just fine. If you want this release but have been hesitant because you thought it was region B, have no fear.
A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin may not be the horror that most people first think of when they first hear the name Lucio Fulci, but it is a very good film that showcases some of the director’s early years. And like I said, you still get that signature gore, it’s just used a little more deliberately. If you’re a fan of Fulci, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t enjoy this.