Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

BA_Harrison Lamberto Bava is nowhere near as well-respected a film-maker as his father, having directed some real stinkers in his time (Devouring Waves and La Maschera del Demonio, to name two of his abominations); however, he occasionally rises to the occasion, such as with this enjoyable late '80s giallo that has plenty to recommend it.The plot is a typical convoluted murder mystery in which a mysterious killer targets glamour models working for an adult magazine owned by curvaceous beauty Gloria (Serena Grandi). There are suspects aplenty, making it fun to try and figure out the identity of the killer (good luck with that... as with many a giallo, the killer is someone very unlikely and their motive even harder to guess). While the murders are relatively tame for the genre, two of them are made extremely memorable by the fact that the killer's POV portrays the victims as bizarre mutations: one girl is seen with a giant, veiny eye for a face, while another (played by Italian pop sensation Sabrina Salerno) is depicted with a bee's head (and is stung to death by a swarm of the insects!).In addition to an enjoyably absurd plot and the freakish hallucinations, we also get a ton of gratuitous female nudity (mostly from Grandi, although Sabrina fans will also be happy), making the film a delightfully sleazy affair. Chuck in neat supporting roles for Italian exploitation actor George Eastman and Argento regular Diaria Nicolodi, and what you have is a thoroughly entertaining, occasionally stylish (Gloria being stalked through a department store is a well-handled, suspenseful highlight) and not-at-all-stinky thriller.

Scarecrow-88 Models who work on the nude shoots of the adult magazine "Pussycat" are being murdered by a deranged psychotic who sees various colors before confronting them. Two of the first female victims, appear to the killer with grotesque faces commenting to us that he's quite mad(one model has the face of an eye with veins bulging;another victim has the face of an insect). After they are murdered, the psycho sits them on a sofa in front of the massive blown-up photos of Gioia(Serena Grandi, one hot mama with curves..think Anna Nicole Smith, except much prettier)a former model who is now in charge of her late husband's company of the Pussycat mag. Meanwhile, Gioia receives naughty phone calls from a wheel-chair bound cripple, Mark(Karl Zinny)who lost his girlfriend in an unfortunate car crash that has left him embittered and angry. Who could be the one threatening Gioia? And, what is the killer's motive for sending photos of dead victims in front of her old photos? This late 80's giallo is long on style and nudity(LOTS of flesh is shown and the camera glides so lustfully down Grandi's naked flesh..Grandi's naked body is shot by Lamberto Bava's camera in every lascivious way possible), but short on nasty violence. Much of the violence is non-gory(even the first victim's death by being stabbed through with a pitchfork isn't all that gruesome)and this particular giallo seems to concentrate on the story/mystery elements. The camera-work in this film is exceptional. The cast has Dario Argento vet Daria Nicolodi as Gioia's assistant Evelyn and Capucine has a small role as Gioia's rival Flora who wishes to buy the magazine from her. Most of the supporting roles are minor diversions such as George Eastman as hulky actor Alex who is offered as a promising love-interest to Gioia, but he stays away on shoots for most of the film's duration and David Brandon as Gioia's photographer Roberto. The only other real meaty part goes to Vanni Corbellini as Tony, Gioia's brother and the one responsible for getting the most out of the models who work on the mag's nude shoots.My favorite sequence is in the massive multi-floored clothing store where Gioia runs for her life as the female cackles of the psycho echo throughout. The identity of the killer is quite an interesting little twist, if a tad bit far-fetched.

Backlash007 ~Spoiler~ Delirium: Photo of Gioia is a giallo from the late 80's directed by Italian horror veteran Lamberto Bava. Let me just say that I started off with the best giallo-Tenebre. It was the first one I ever saw. I haven't found one yet that has surpassed it and it's the standard by which I judge all other giallo. So, having said that, Delirium is not the best of its kind, but it's certainly not the worst. George Eastman said in an interview, for the DVD release no less, that it was a waste of time. Daria Nicolodi also pretty much disowns it. Granted Eastman, Nicolodi, and David Brandon aren't given much to do, but it's really not that bad. Bava himself even doesn't seem that proud of it. It's sad really. I thought if they had fixed a few problems this could have been a classic. It needed a few more kills and a little more action. Delirium is basically a starring vehicle for the beautiful Serena Grandi (who gives the film much of its ample amount of nudity). It's about a madman killing models and terrorizing the owner of a Playboy type magazine, Gioia (or Gloria in the US version). But it's also deeper than that. If you check out this DVD do yourself a favor and read the brilliant Scooter McCrae essay included as a special feature. The most creative aspect of this film is the killer's perspective. Whenever he's about to kill someone, we get to see what's inside his head. The victim's are seen as monsters to the killer. It's a really original concept and they should have exploited that more. One of the things I really didn't like was score. It was done by Simon Boswell and he basically re-used the score he did for Demons 2. Also, the film drags at points which is why I think it could have used a few more kills. But it's not as bad as its makers would have you believe. You should either be proud of the things you create, or you shouldn't create them at all.

gridoon Sort of an "Eyes of Laura Mars" wannabe, this Italian import has a murky, gloomy visual style, a derivative slasher-movie plot and an exploitative approach (with lots of nudity and some graphic, though unoriginal, murders). Overall, a mediocre thriller, but at least director Lamberto Bava has some bizarre ideas that may not add up to much, but do manage to grab our attention (SPOILER:before two of the murders, the victims-to-be turn into appallingly ugly half-human monsters, at least from the killer's point-of-view). (**)