Orgasmo (aka Paranoia) (1969) ***
A year before Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage ushered in the giallo boom, Umberto Lenzi made Orgasmo (1969) (released in the US as Paranoia—not to be confused with his 1970 film Paranoia, released in the States as A Quiet Place To Kill), his first giallo and first of four with star Carroll Baker (Baby Doll (1956) (review)).
I enjoyed this psychosexual thriller a lot but despite the salacious elements (incest, orgies, hallucinogens, blackmail), it's kind of a slow burn. To be sure, there is some stylish—at times psychedelic—filmmaking on display and I found Colette Descombes particularly enticing. The Piero Umiliani (the man who wrote "Mah Nà Mah Nà") score is great, as is the Wess & The Airedales earworm "Just Tell Me" that the twincestuous Lou Castel and Descombes play incessantly as part of their scheme to drive Baker mad). The ending is deliciously satisfying as well, even if it is tangential.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
I enjoyed this psychosexual thriller a lot but despite the salacious elements (incest, orgies, hallucinogens, blackmail), it's kind of a slow burn. To be sure, there is some stylish—at times psychedelic—filmmaking on display and I found Colette Descombes particularly enticing. The Piero Umiliani (the man who wrote "Mah Nà Mah Nà") score is great, as is the Wess & The Airedales earworm "Just Tell Me" that the twincestuous Lou Castel and Descombes play incessantly as part of their scheme to drive Baker mad). The ending is deliciously satisfying as well, even if it is tangential.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
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