In the Folds of the Flesh

Director - Sergio Bergonzelli (Apocalipsis Sexual, School of Erotic Enjoyment)

Starring - Eleonora Rossi Drago (The Angels from 2000, Uncle Tom's Cabin), Pier Angeli (Shadow of Evil, Octaman), and Fernando Sancho (Black Commando, Cross of the Devil)

Release Date - 1970

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Certain boutique labels don’t get the respect they deserve. While most people, myself included, often praise labels like Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video while labels like Severin and Mondo Macabro often go overlooked. Honestly, I really enjoy MM and their releases even though I may not always enjoy the films. I appreciate their eye for international titles and bringing those to American markets. A few weeks back I received their blu release of In the Folds of the Flesh. This was a new one to me and I couldn’t wait to dig into it. Like always, I want to thank Mondo Macabro for their support! 

      The film follows a group living in a villa who have a dark secret. Murder is not foreign to the three living there and when an escaped criminal arrives there attempting to black mail them he bites off more than he can chew when they get the upper hand. Soon the police is involved due to the amount of disappearances in the area bringing all their heinous crimes to light.

      When I was getting info together for my review, I saw that some call this film a trashy giallo. While I don’t see the giallo part I can confirm that it is trashy. Giallo is a popular Italian sub-genre of horror that focuses on the mystery aspect of the story. In the Folds of the Flesh is not so much a mystery but a story about how far the crazy family will go before getting caught. It was enjoyable but way too complicated when it had no need to be. The acting in this one is very enjoyable. The cast was a lot of fun to watch but their reactions in a lot of the scenes was a bit too overdramatic. It didn’t take away from the film but it did give me a few unintentional laughs when you mixed it with the English dub. The story for this one is very enjoyable, especially from an exploitation stand point, but there was a lot going on. In fact, some of the twists and turns could have been removed while keeping the overall story intact. I fucking loved the idea of the three psychopaths living in the same villa together when a criminal arrives and tries to black mail them. We then get some questionable turns like the rape scene that doesn’t really make sense in context of the film along with introduction of the police. It just feels like there is too many ideas being thrown in a pot hoping something sticks. It would have been a hell of a lot more enjoyable if it was more straight forward with the story. Finally, the film has a few death scenes that were surprisingly humorous but if you are looking for some serious blood and gore then you will be very disappointed. We have a beheaded corpse and an acid bath but that is really the extent of the carnage. They were funny in my opinion but nothing that will stick with you. Overall, In the Folds of the Flesh is not what you expect. If you snagged this one expecting a classic giallo then you will be very disappointed. However, if you want a trashy exploitation flick with a convoluted story then this one is for you. I highly recommend snagging the Mondo Macabro release if this one seems like it is up your alley.