Worth watching for the dream sequences, not so much for the giallo

jadavix

"Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is part giallo whodunit, part striking, hallucinatory nightmare. Only one of these parts in successful.

Those who have had to suffer through some of Fulci's later garbage such as "City of the Living Dead", "Manhattan Baby" or "The Beyond" might be surprised to find that he could actually direct. The dream sequences are filled with startling imagery made all the more striking for their auteurism. Who could forget the dissected canines? Even the giallo parts, the "real" aspect of the movie, feature inventive camera angles that take you by surprise.

But when the movie leaves the dreams behind, as it must, we are left with a not terribly interesting mystery. I didn't much care who did it, and the ending scenes, where we are supposed to be surprised, and kept guessing, by sudden revelations, felt needlessly drawn out and tiresome.

Who did do it? I wasn't paying attention.

The movie has some nudity, and a stabbing during a lesbian liaison. We only see the stabbing, not the bit before.

score 5/10

jadavix 20 April 2016

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3454980/