In their second episode of Fragments of Fear Peter and Rachael take their first foray into the work of prolific Italian genre film director, Umberto Lenzi, delving into the second of his gialli with American actress Carroll Baker; Così dolce, Così perversa aka So Sweet… So Perverse (1969). They discuss one of the most influential but unsung figures of the giallo; Luciano Martino, examine the various strands of the 1960s giallo and look at the core themes at the heart of the film from its erotic nature and changing gender politics to Lenzi’s critique of class and portrayal of the ennui of the bourgeoise:

Lenzi certainly had many films to his name and probably remains best-known for his infamous gut-muncher ‘Cannibal Ferox’, although he was more than happy to jump between the various horror strands, with the likes of ‘Eyeball’, ‘Spasmo’, ‘Nightmare City’ and many, many more to his name.

Here’s the simple synopsis for So Sweet…So Perverse in case you are new to the film:

A wealthy married man comes to the aid of a frightened young woman who, by all appearances, is under the control of her abusive boyfriend.

And here’s some clips from the film to whet the appetite:

About The Author

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Simon is a journalism tutor in London, who also just happens to be a movie fanatic, with a craving for the darker side of cinema. He has written three books - on the horror films of director Bob Clark (2014), the history of the character Norman Bates (2015) and the work of British exploitation director Pete Walker (2017). He is currently working with director Richard Loncraine to explore all avenues in a bid to orchestrate the re-release of 1978 Mia Farrow chiller Full Circle