Product Details

• Actors: Suzy Kendall, Tina Aumont, Luc Merenda, John Richardson, Roberto Bisacco
• Directors: Sergio Martino
• Writers: Sergio Martino, Ernesto Gastaldi, Lewis E. Ciannelli
• Producers: Antonio Levesi Cervi, Carlo Ponti
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Italian
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: March 21, 2000
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0764008315
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,776 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #23 in	Video > Horror > Italian Horror
  #76 in	Video > Horror > Widescreen
  #86 in	Video > Art House & International > By Genre > Mystery & Suspense

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There's a killer on the loose who's murdering and mutilating beautiful young college girls, and there's no shortage of suspects. Four comely coeds decide to escape the madness by vacationing in an isolated country villa, but the maniac has his eye on them--one of them suspects his identity--and drops in for a homicidal holiday. With a title like Torso you know what you're getting, but despite the high body count and the suggestion of dismemberment, most of the gore in this Italian giallo is offscreen... with a few exceptions (an icky eye gouging stands out). Director Sergio Martino is no Dario Argento and the film is blunt, direct, and vicious, as can be seen when the killer disposes of a witness by ramming his skull into a brick wall with his car, not once but twice (with the appropriate close-up). The killer, who hides behind a ratty ski mask and strangles his targets with a florid scarf, is haunted by some obscure childhood memory involving a porcelain doll and a traumatizing accident. He straddles two clichés, the Norman Bates-variety psychos and the hooded, zombielike automatons of Halloween and Friday the 13th. It doesn't make much sense, but like most slasher films, it's really about suspense, spectacle, and a body count, and Martino doesn't disappoint. To restore the film, Anchor Bay has included a few brief scenes in Italian with English subtitles. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT DVD - Euro Trash at it's BEST, April 5, 2000

By	frankenberry (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Torso (DVD)

Anchor Bay's DVD of TORSO is incredible - the image is crisp, sharp, colorful and there is no artifacting whatsoever. The print is also UNCUT! For years the film was seen in the US only in an edited version with most of the gore and sex cut out. It's great to finally see the entire uncut film with it's original opening and the extra sex and gore bits....I love the head crushing scene (albeit kind of fake) plus there's extra shots of the killer sawing up the bodies into little pieces. What more do you want? There's the cool looking hooded killer plus lots of stylistic giallo touches...this movie is better than ever especially in this impeccable presentation. It's letterboxed and includes the fun US trailer-"Tor---so!" as well as the original euro-trailer. A few shots in the film are in italian with english-subtitles because either the english track was never recorded or it had been lost...but it's not annoying at all and you just can't help loving this disc...especially if you are into euro-sleaze! One of Anchor Bay's best!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stylish, gripping giallo-thriller, February 24, 2004

By	Libretio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Torso (DVD)

TORSO (I Corpi Presentano Tracce di Violenza Carnale, 1973)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
DVD soundtrack: Dolby 2.0 mono
Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

Following the murder of several classmates by a frenzied sex-killer, a group of female students retire to an isolated villa until police have apprehended a viable suspect. But the maniac is wise to their deception, and he/she follows them...

This stylish, gripping giallo-thriller - the equal of anything directed by Dario Argento at the time - was co-written by veteran scribe Ernesto Gastaldi and director Sergio Martino, the latter a journeyman technician whose commercial ethos catapulted him from one genre to another within the dictates of Italian popular cinema (cf. BLADE OF THE RIPPER, THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS, SEX WITH A SMILE, etc.). Despite bland performances from an unremarkable cast (including Euro stalwarts Suzy Kendall [THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE], John Richardson [THE MASK OF SATAN] and Luc Merenda [THEY CALLED HIM AMEN]), and some pretty obvious red herrings amongst the supporting players, TORSO is augmented by a number of beautifully crafted set-pieces (most notably the stalking of a young woman [Cristina Airoldi] through desolate marshland by the masked maniac), photographed with stunning visual flair by Martino's regular DP Giancarlo Ferrando (THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL) and edited to perfection by Eugenio Alabiso (MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD).

The second half of the movie, during which Kendall becomes enmeshed in a nightmarish situation at a remote but picturesque country villa, is genuinely nerve-racking, staged with cat-and-mouse efficiency by Martino at his most inspired. Spiced with audience-pleasing elements of sex and violence which tested the limits of censorship in 1973, TORSO is a minor gem. Produced by Carlo Ponti, previously responsible for the likes of WAR AND PEACE (1956) and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO!

Sadly, despite Anchor Bay's bold attempts to compile an uncut version of the film, their print is incomplete. According to 'Video Watchdog' magazine, about a minute's worth of footage is missing from a minor scene at the beginning of the film, which is slightly re-edited from the original. All the nudity is intact, however, along with some brief glimpses of fake-looking gore. Some of the material in the English-language version - never intended for audiences outisde Italy - is presented in Italian with English subtitles, and while Anchor Bay has provided an alternate version in Italian throughout, they've rendered it completely worthless by failing to offer subtitles for the rest of the film! A couple of trailers are included.

NB. Viewers are warned that the disc contains an insert which replicates an Italian lobby card, where the killer's identity is made plainly obvious. So, try not to look at it when you first open the casing!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Italian Slasher!!, May 13, 2001

By	kurlebj "kurlebj" (Hackettstown, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Torso (DVD)

Torso is a great depiction of the better side of italian cinema. There are a lot of really good italian horror/slasher films and a lot of bad ones. This is a great example of a very good one. This film has everything you could ask for in a movie like this: Great violence scenes, nudity with very good looking italian women, good plot line and some stylish camera work to boot. Torso is relatively the same film as a movie called "Pieces" but this film is much much better. The dubbing can of course get a little annoying but honestly, the movie was so good that after about 15 minutes I barely noticed it.

Overall, very stylish italian horror from the 70's. Pick this one up...it's a keeper.