Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Woodyanders Troubled Christian Bauman (a solid and likable performance by Robert Hoffman) discovers the beautiful Barbara (beguiling Suzy Kendall) lying unconscious on the beach. Christian's subsequent involvement with Barbara soon finds him thrust into a puzzling and dangerous world populated by decadent rich oddballs with something awful to hide.Director/co-writer Umberto Lenzi keeps the compelling, if convoluted, story moving along at a constant pace, does an able job of crafting a dreamy, perplexing, and potently morbid atmosphere (the hideously lifelike female mannequins littered throughout the bleak and surreal landscape are an especially inspired and unsettling touch), and concludes everything on a startling grim note. Hoffman and Kendall make for attractive and appealing leads; they receive sound support from Ivan Rassimov as Christian's protective brother Fritz, Adolfo Lastretti as the menacing Tatum, Mario Erpichini as the possessive Alex, Monica Monet as the alluring, yet enigmatic Clorinda, and Guido Alberti as helpful old-timer Malcolm. Ennio Morricone's exquisitely haunting and harmonic score rates as another major asset. Ditto Guglielmo Mancori's handsome widescreen cinematography. Granted, Lenzi doesn't deliver much in the way of either gore or sleaze, but the tricky winding narrative certainly keeps the viewer guessing about what's actually going on right until the alarming end.

Witchfinder General 666 Cult-director Umberto Lenzi is probably best known for the notorious "Cannibal Ferox" (1981), but, as far as I am concerned, his most interesting films are those from the 70s, especially his Poliziotteschi like "Almost Human" and "Rome Armed To The Teeth" as well as his contributions to the Giallo genre. While "Spasmo" of 1974 is not nearly Umberto Lenzi's best Giallo - "Seven Bloodstained Orchids" is, without doubt - it is an interesting one, as this is a highly unusual, stylish and extremely convoluted film that is unpredictable enough to surprise even experienced Giallo-buffs. Fact is that it is maybe even a bit too convoluted, which makes it very confusing throughout the first half, or even the first two thirds. The film really picks up then, though, and I can assure that "Spasmo" is a cinematic puzzle more than worth sitting through. The film which is elegant in style and dark in its atmosphere comes along with a mesmerizing score from none other than Ennio Morricone, and seems to get weirder and weirder in the beginning.Rich playboy Christian (Robert Hoffmann) brings the seductive blonde Barbara (Suzy Kendall) to a motel bungalow for a sexual encounter. When he shaves off his beard in the bathroom, a man breaks in and threatens him with a gun, at which point Christian shoots the intruder in self defense. Things get strange when the body has disappeared hours later... And why do hanged and seemingly murdered plastic dolls keep showing up?... As mentioned above, the film seems to make no sense at all in the beginning, and sometimes gets tedious in the first half, but the convoluted (and nonetheless extremely weird) storyline does make sense after all, when the film goes into its downright ingenious last third. As Lenzi's other Gialli, "Spasmo" is extremely stylish, with beautiful settings and buildings and an excellent cinematography. Very unlike most other Lenzi films, "Spasmo" is actually very tame on the violence and sleaze. The murders are not very gory (Zombie-mastermind George A. Romero was actually asked to put in several gore scenes for the film's American Release) and only one of the three sexy female stars shows some nudity (shortly). This is not to say that "Spasmo" hasn't got some genuine shocks though - it does, they're just not very graphic. The performances are good. Austrian actor Robert Hoffmann is very good in the lead. Beautiful Suzy Kendall is equally good in the female lead, as are her fellow actresses Monica Monet, a prime example of mysterious beauty in this one, and Maria Pia Conte. The always-sinister Cult-actor and Lenzi-regular Ivan Rassimov alone is capable of making films worthwhile for fans of Italian cinema, and he is once again great in his role here. The cast furthermore includes two regular supporting actors in Italian cult-cinema, Guido Alberti and Adolfo Lastretti. Overall, this is not one of the most terribly suspenseful or creepiest Gialli ever made, and neither is it one of Lenzi's masterpieces, but it is nonetheless a highly interesting thriller that provides enough surprises even for trained Giallo fans. I am not sure how many times I'll watch it again, as the first half is a bit too slow for my tastes. However, the film is very unpredictable and highly original, which makes it a must-see for my fellow Giallo-fans. Recommended!

Coventry Apparently it took FOUR authors to script this giallo-like production and, after seeing the movie, it's not even that surprising, as "Spasmo" is easily one of the most convoluted crime/thrillers I've ever seen. Although I don't think it's even possible to summarize the plot of "Spasmo", I'll make an effort nevertheless. Umberto Lenzi – probably the most versatile filmmaker who ever walked the earth – presents the bizarre story of a handsome yet utterly confused (can you blame him?) man dealing with a series of mysterious events that occur in only a couple of days. Christian falls in love with Barbara, a woman he and his previous girlfriend found in a near-dead condition on the beach. When wanting to spend the night with her, and even sacrificing his handsome beard, they're interrupted by an uncanny intruder with a gun. Christian accidentally kills him during a struggle, but a short time after the corpse inexplicably vanishes. Christian and Barbara entrench themselves in a fancy seaside villa, but the elderly tenant and his young female partner also behave suspiciously. Heck, even Barbara suddenly seems to keep secrets from him. Christian desperately tries to get in contact with his older brother Fritz, but he doesn't know if he can trust anyone anymore. It's quite complex already, and still I haven't mentioned the eerie mannequin-dolls that pop up everywhere, exhibiting grisly murders that may or may not have happened. The plot is indescribably weird and you really won't believe some of the dialog you're hearing, but somehow Lenzi manages to tie all the loose ends together during a truly inventive and well-plotted finale. Still several questions remain unanswered and I don't fully comprehend the connections between all the characters, but – seriously – who cares? "Spasmo" is a really cool movie and you'll easily forgive the shortcomings as well as the holes in the plot. Tension and curiosity are professionally build up through regular red herrings as well as more ingenious plot-twists. Lenzi also puts quite a lot of effort in the character-drawings and the many dialogs, no matter how demented they may sound. For example, barely a few hours after making her acquaintance, Christian nicknames Barbara his – and I quote – sweet little whore! And she thinks it's funny! Ever met a woman who's proud to be called a whore? As most of his older achievements (like "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", "Paranoia" and "A Quiet Place to Kill"), "Spasmo" is a tremendously stylish thriller, with beautiful images of Italian beaches and ancient buildings. Ennio Morricone's musical score is brilliant as always and, even though "Spasmo" is probably one of Lenzi's least violent & least bloody movies, there's a small handful of genuine shocks to experience (like the car-murder, to name one). Don't pay too much attention to the "Psycho"-comparisons. Both movies may perhaps share a theme, but the executions couldn't be more different. Another quick word about the convincing cast, loads of good-looking and talented Italian people here! Robert Hoffman and the charismatic Isaac Rassimov are perfectly cast as brothers and both Suzy Kendall and Monica Monet are extremely good looking femme-fatals. Highly recommended!

movieman_kev Quite possibly the weirdest 'Giallo' movie I've ever seen is this Umberto Lenzi Spasmo. I'll try to give you a glimpse of the plot. It's about love dolls, wait, no. It's about two brothers. Hmmm.. let me start over. It's about a killing that wasn't a killing. Oh, I give up Spasmo is Spasmo. There that should tell you enough. It's not something one would care to sit through more then once as the surprising lack of blood and sex, makes one focus on the plot more closer. And that's the problem right there. what IS the plot of Spasmo?? It's driving me mad I tell you MAD.. spasmo..SPASMO!!! It does have a vaguely hypnotizing effect to it though.My Grade: C-DVD Extras: An Umberto Lenzi interview (which helped me try to decipher it); Stills gallery; Theatrical trailer; Trailers for "Eaten Alive", "Seven Bloodstained Orchids", and "What have you done to Solange?"