Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

ferbs54 My old buddy Rob, who knows more about psychotronic movies than anybody I know, was the one who turned me on to one of my favorite film experiences of 2006, "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh" (1970), so when he recently raved about another giallo thriller from 1970 that he'd just seen, "The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion," I made a mental note to check it out as quickly as possible. And boy, am I glad I did! In "Forbidden Photos," Dagmar Lassander plays the part of Minou, a woman who is being sexually blackmailed by a man who has incriminating evidence of a murder her hunky businessman husband supposedly committed. Lassander looks a bit like a redheaded Debra Messing here, and her character is indeed quite the mess even when we first meet her, smoking and drinking too much and popping tranquilizers the way I'd pop Pretzel Nuggets. Needless to say, the events she must go through in this sexy, stylized thriller push her ever closer to the cracking point. Anyway, while gorehounds may be a tad disappointed by the lack of extreme violence in this picture, there are abundant joys to be found. Luciano Ercoli's direction is impeccable; the script by Ernesto Gastaldi (who seems to have written every other giallo that I see!) is one made to keep you guessing (although, plotwise, the film is much more straightforward than many other gialli); and Susan Scott, playing Minou's best friend, is remarkably sexy. But the single best element of this picture, for me, is yet another superb score by the maestro, Ennio Morricone. Isn't it remarkable how many hundreds of outstanding film scores this man is responsible for? I'm just in awe of this friggin' dude! I promise that you'll have this film's catchy theme song bouncing around in your head for days...and won't be forgetting this little giallo picture too quickly, either. Thanks, Blue Underground, and thanks again, Rob!

Scarecrow-88 Pill-popping, alcoholic wife of a struggling businessman, Minou(the foxy bright red head Dagmar Lassander, often covered with heavy facial make-up)is being tormented by a sexual deviant/sadist(Simón Andreu)who has her listen to a cassette tape that might just possibly link her husband the killer of an investor who was recently found dead. Minou adores her husband and even if he's a killer she's willing to give up her body to this cretin if it saves her beloved from being implicated in a crime of his own doing. What Minou doesn't realize is that the blackmailing sicko photographed their sexual activity and now threatens to expose pictures to her husband if she doesn't allow herself to becoming his sex slave! The blackmailer is quite elusive and any trace of his identity seems hard to come by..Minou's husband Peter(Pier Paolo Capponi)and Police Commissioner Frank(Osvaldo Genazzani)believe it's quite possible she's having a nervous breakdown or a collapse in sanity. Only her nympomaniacal best friend Dominique(the VERY sexy Susan Scott who is wardrobed to show the goods and figure she's blessed with)seems to believe Minou's cries that there is a sadistic fiend threatening to kill her if she doesn't comply with his demands at sexual servitude. But, is the blackmailer REALLY the mastermind of the degrees of mental anguish bestowed upon Minou?Crazy giallo has a few twists and turns, but this is a psycho-thriller where we know the heroine is voicing the truth although he's cagey and able to hide away from capture. The film puts out everyone as a suspect, even Dominque at one point. As in the very best gialli, the success of the plot depends on how the viewer is fooled..if you can see the twist coming a mile away(..and I did)then perhaps it fails. As far as the fashions..this is a gay fashion designer's wet dream. The film's a practical run-way of Italian fashion dressing Lassander and Scott in various styles. Plenty of sleaze for the average giallo-lover.

Red-Barracuda This is a slightly unusual giallo. In fact, it is debatable whether it is actually a giallo at all, as there is no knife-wielding black-gloved assassin and there are no murders to speak of. Strictly speaking, this is a mystery movie with a giallo feel. The gialloesque elements come in the form of an eye-catching title, stylish camera-work, great interior decor, a Morricone score, a convoluted mystery, sleazy undertones and the usual quota of beautiful looking women and hideous looking men. In other words, its great fun. The cast is very small, including giallo regular Pier Paolo Capponi, but the undoubted stars of the show are the leading ladies. Both Dagmar Lassandar and Susan Scott look very alike, and this is no bad thing as they are both stunning. Susan Scott is particularly effective here, she has a great screen presence and truly shines in this film - it really is hard to take your eyes off her. The Morricone score is pretty varied, from dreamy lounge to cheesy Euro-pop. It isn't necessarily one of his better soundtracks but it certainly has kitsch value. There is also some incredibly un-PC dialogue and the plot itself is not exactly coming at us from a feminist angle! However, this is to be expected from a 70s giallo movie and its one of the reasons why we love them. They are time-capsules of a different era. I would recommend this film for giallo completists and lovers of obscure Italian movies. Its unusual and camp fun. But if you are expecting an Argentoesque violent thriller you may be best served looking elsewhere.

Superwonderscope Ever after giallo writer Ernesto Gastaldi teams up with producer-director Luciano Ercoli for this Forbidden Photos... Set in 1970, this early giallo is nicely shot in Techniscope. No murders, just plain old blackmail story and some shy eroticism. Sultry Dagmar Lassander is at her best and Susan Scott is also fab as the devious friend.The plot is totally implausible but the suspense works til the end...It's always surprising to see in these 70's gialli how the women look incredibly sexy and how the men are all ugly...projections of the writers/directors fantasies, maybe? Anyhoo... not boring at all, funny at some point -check out the dresses and the hats, it's a blast!-, not necessary but worth a look.