Before becoming the go-to-guy for extravagant Euro-splatter, Lucio Fulci began his horror career on a fairly 'reputable' note, beginning with the trippy giallo "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" (1971) and "Don't Torture a Duckling" (1972). These films are easily the most character- and story-based out of Fulci's best-known works, and if you can parlay your gory expectations, "Torture" is definitely worth a look. While Dario Argento may have set the popular giallo standard with "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" in 1969, Fulci's efforts--while lacking in dynamic color schemes and heavy stylistic flourishes--actually hold together more logically (granted, there's still a lot of contrived activity and shifty glances going on, yet the story remains coherent). "Torture" concerns a killer preying on young boys at a remote village, where the superstitious villagers are not beyond chain-whipping a suspect to death in order to see justice served. Red herrings are trotted out with great frequency, but Fulci (who co-wrote the script with Roberto Gianviti and Gianfranco Clerici) exhibits such a down-to-earth style that the proceedings are given a sense of verisimilitude (credit also DP Sergio D'Offizi)...the film doesn't try to surprise the viewer more than share his/her sense of discovery as it progresses. There are also strong performances from Tomas Milian as an investigative reporter; super-super-sexy Barbara Bouchet as a wealthy ex-drug addict; and Florinda Bolkan as a practitioner of voodoo and witchcraft; while the English dubbing does the actors no favors, the characters have a memorable presence, even if a lot of their interactions are in service to the exposition-laden police procedural at the film's heart. "Don't Torture a Duckling" is an unconventional giallo that's definitely worth a look.
Review of Don't Torture a Duckling
