Don't Torture a Duckling

Director - Lucio Fulci (Zombi, The Beyond)
Starring - Florinda Bolkan (A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, The Damned), Barbara Bouchet (Gangs of New York, Giallo?), and Tomas Milian (Almost Human, Traffic)
Release Date - 1972
Genre - Horror
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Italian horror has many names that stand out.  Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Umberto Lenzi, and Bruno Mattei just to name a few.  However, none of these masters of horror stand out like former spaghetti western turned horror director Lucio Fulci.  Fulci was already a well known director for his westerns but he became a world wide name with his films Zombi, The Beyond, City of the Living Dead, House by the Cemetery, and Don't Torture a Duckling.  I've seen a great deal of Fulci's work and was lucky enough to review a few of them over the years but one that always escaped my grasp was Don't Torture a Duckling.  This was a film I had try to watch for year but something always prevented me from doing so.  I had ordered the Anchor Bay released DVD several times and every time the disc was dislodged in transit and damaged.  I gave up on seeing the film until Arrow Video announced the release of the film on blu.  When MVD took over for the U.S. release of the film I reached out to them and they were kind enough to hook me up with a copy.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a small Italian town that is rocked when they find several young boys murdered over the course of just a few days.  The police suspect a woman who stays way from the town and lives an isolated life but when the villagers take matters in their own hands they hoped the murders would stop with her death.  What they soon realize is that the killer is someone else and someone the children trust.  The rush is on to stop the killer before they can take another innocent life.

     I love the savagery and veracity of Fulci's films.  His horror films have some of the best gore and entertaining stories I have ever seen which only goes to show that you can have gore as long as it fits the story.  Don't Torture a Duckling was not the gore filled horror film that I expected from the Godfather of Gore but it still had a story that would leave you feeling uneasy.  The acting in this one is fucking fantastic.  I loved the characters, the energy, and the cast's dedication to the role.  What stands out here is actress Barbara Bouchet.  She is absolutely stunning and draws attention to herself in every scene she is in.  A true goddess in Italian cinema.  The story for this one is simple but works just like every other giallo before it.  The mystery around the killer is what drives the film and the killers reveal is not that predictable.  I consider myself a man of average intelligence and I have to admit I didn't see it coming.  The film has a great pace set about and all the scenes hold your attention very well.  Finally, the film has several deaths.  We don't see them all but the effects we do get are great.  The blood is a little too red for the effects to be perfect but they are still fun for what we get.  Overall, Don't Torture a Duckling was well worth the wait.  The film may not be The Beyond but still stands on it's own as a testament of how great Fulci really was.  Check it out.