Freaktana A Major Disappointment

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Bezenby Massimo Dallamno takes the most sleaziest of premises and smothers it in luscious cinematography (by Joe D'Amato) and a silky Ennio Morricone soundtrack, to produce something uniquely Italian. It starts of fairly giallo like, with Italian teacher Enrico floating down the Thames on a boat with schoolgirl Elizabeth (Cristina Galbo, who hasn't aged a day since playing a schoolgirl in The House That Screamed three years earlier). Enrico wants to get into her pants, but Elizabeth tries what Enrico thinks is yet another delay tactic - that of claiming she saw a girl being chased in the bushes, and the flash of a knife. Enrico only has one bush in mind and stomps off in a huff.Unluckily for Enrico, a girl is found dead with a huge blade rammed into her most private of parts, and she's one of his pupils from the school he works in as a teacher! Enrico now has to try and cover up the affair he's having with Elizabeth, not only from his cold, distant wife, but also from all the staff at the school he works at. He probably shouldn't have dropped that pen when he flounced off either, because now he's got a cop on his tail too.In an effort to clear his name, Enrico has to hunt down the killer too, and sort out his love life! Maybe Elizabeth can remember something about that day on the river, or if she can't maybe she should shut up and stop using the flashbacks as an excuse to tell Enrico she's not in the mood. Enrico embarks on a journey where everyone around him is a suspect, from the priests as the girls school, to the janitor, and what has the mysterious girl Solange got to do with it all?This is the beginning of a giallo trilogy by Massimo Dallamano that continues with What Have You Done With Our Daughters and Rings of Terror (written by Dallamano, but filmed after his death). All involve schoolgirls who are a lot less innocent that they appear to be, and all include rampant schoolgirl nudity that is kind of frowned upon these days (don't worry though, we are not in Borderline Jimmy Saville Territory (or BJST) here, as it's mentioned a few times that girls are about eighteen, and very evident that the actresses involved left school long before they appeared in this film!). There's a bizarre scene where the girls all have a communal shower and cigarettes at the same time, which aren't two activities you'd usually associate with each other. This is a highly rated giallo due to the complex plot and amazing visuals, plus Fabio Testi always makes a good leading man. I've got to admit the plot was quite absorbing as well, as the focus shifts around various peripheral characters throughout, and Camille Keaton as the strange Solange definitely makes her mark. There was one bit that was rather iffy though - if a witness has a vital piece of evidence, would you have her blurt it out in front of every suspect in the film? Apart from that, this might be a good starting point for anyone interested in this kind of film.

christopher-underwood I have seen this before and like several other reviewers, would have considered this a decent enough giallo with low key killings and a disproportionate degree of investigation. NOT SO! Whether my previous views have been on video too dark and degenerated to see properly or that they were cut I'm not sure but this Blu-ray release from Arrow is a revelation. Excellent, tight direction from Massimo Dallamano, helped enormously by Aristide Massaccesi camera-work and marvellous Morricone score. Fabio Testi is great in the central role and is essential to keeping things revolving nicely between all the girls, his wife and the awful killings. Masses of nudity and although we only see one kill (and that comes as a great surprise) we see the aftermath in grisly detail - maybe these shots were simply removed from my early viewing. A very fine giallo, set in England, made with an English dub and a special treat for fans if a bit too strong for newcomers.

Leofwine_draca WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? is one of the masterworks of the giallo genre, a truly beautiful film that comes across as something of a masterpiece thanks to a strong and literate script, excellent cinematography and music, and a good cast being put through their paces. The only thing I'm surprised about is that I haven't got around to seeing it before now, because this viewing was long overdue.The film is set in London and features Italian crime film regular Fabio Testi as an Italian teacher at a girl's school. He's married but having an affair with one of his students, but one day the pair are interrupted by a brutal murder taking place just feet away. Testi finds himself suspected by the police while at the same time trying to investigate the crime himself so that he can bring the killer to justice.Sometimes a film seems so perfect that it's impossible to criticise it and that's the case here. This is a classy affair that deals with some explicit subject matter, but it's never sleazy or trashy, despite interludes in the showers and the like. Joe D'Amato's cinematography and the evocative piano music really keep it looking and acting like an art-house film rather than your usual gory giallo outing. The emphasis is on the suspense and the murder mystery aspects more than gruesome deaths and stalk and slash sequences.The script is tightly written and keeps you guessing throughout with many red herrings and the like. The twists and turns that arise are genuinely involving and there are some real shocks here; it's also a movie that gets better and better as it goes on and the ending is really stellar. Testi is fine as the lead and THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE's Cristina Galbo effective as his love interest. I particularly liked Joachim Fuchsberger as the dogged detective determined to get to the bottom of it. There's even a minor but important role for Camille Keaton (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE). WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? is truly a masterpiece of film-making and a film that even beats Dario Argento at his own game.

lastliberal I don't know when Edgar Wallace started writing, but the first of his stories to make it to the screen was in 1915. He died in 1932, and they are still making films based on his stories - King Kong being one of the latest. This is another of his stories. He specialized in mysteries.It is a good introduction to Giallo for novices. The film is dubbed, but, since it was filmed in English, you can't tell. And, it has one of Ennio Morricone's best scores.It has everything: sex, an after gym class shower scene, religion, murder. The murderer is targeting students at a Catholic girls school, and one of the teachers, Rosseni (Fabio Testi), is a prime suspect, especially after a girl is killed in his hideaway apartment. He has to find the killer, before he offs his favorite student, Elizabeth (Cristina Galbó).Police inspector Barth (Joachim Fuchsberger) is dogged in pursuit of the truth, and what he finds is shocking.Outstanding Giallo, and some really good acting.