Torso (Giallo Proto-Slasher Lives On)

 

Now, I’m not a huge slasher fan, especially slashers with non-supernatural villains, but I rather enjoyed Torso (1973, here the Arrow Video 4K special edition with a wealth of valuable, extra features), or, in the original Italian, I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale (The Bodies Show Traces of Carnal Violence). Let me change that a bit, though. I shouldn’t say I am not a huge fan of the genre, but more picky with these types of films. The story follows several young college women, Daniela (Tina Aumont), Jane (Suzy Kendall), Katia (Angela Covello), and Ursula (Carla Brait), who find themselves surrounded by a series of mysterious slayings. This is my first Sergio Martino picture, and his style is interesting. To start, there’s hardly an exposition; the audience is thrown into a world of lust-filled nights and concurrent nocturnal murders. It’s not even clear who the primary protagonist is until enough characters die!

   

For many viewers, this manner of narrative could be seen as structureless and erratic, and for many directors it could turn out that way, but the pace is consistent, and one scene rolls over to the next. Martino maintains a firm grip on Torso‘s direction; in one moment, the audience sees the killer strike again, and then the next the focus is back on the primary characters. The concealment and speculation of the killer’s identity creates a tense environment, a scarf being the only object to identify them with, and of course multiple people are connected to similar scarves throughout. The practical effects were minimal, but in traditional 1970s fashion, an always appreciated art form. The nighttime killings naturally bring dark scenes, but the lighting, at times, is so dark it’s hard to make out much of anything. For the most part, however, there’s enough to see, but not too much light to take away from the creepiness of the lurking killer. Despite Torso being an early slasher film (which can be less scary and cheesier than other horror genres), Martino’s film is creepy, and at certain moments the viewer remains on edge, especially in the climax that arrives in the last twenty minutes of the film. The film is worth the watch, and hopefully you come away with an important message: choose carefully what you wear from your wardrobe, or you might become a suspect!

 

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Written by Logan, Sexton of the Derelict Dead

Torso
Arrow Video
4 / 5