jadavix "Perversion Story", as it is hilariously known, is an extremely entertaining stroll through the psychedelic, kinky '60s with some negligible giallo properties.'69 must have been the height of the whole 'porno chic' thing where strippers and nude photo shoots were not considered sleazy in the least. Rather they had merged with the sex positive, flower power sixties, so when the characters visit a strip club, along with improbably beautiful models, they get girls dancing in front of psychedelic projections and multi coloured balloons everywhere. The photo shoot is weird in the stupidest way, with private parts covered with miscellaneous stickers for no reason other than it was the sixties, man.The movie is only nominally a giallo. There's barely any violence, and certainly no black gloved killer stalking the beautiful, nearly naked model. It's less of a whodunit than a "did he do it" - the movie's protagonist ends up on death row. I was surprised that I actually cared about the conclusion: the movie is a triumph of style; you don't care what it's about, you're enjoying the ride too much. This is Fulci at the height of his powers of direction. He didn't need a story when it looked this good.

Witchfinder General 666 Lucio 'godfather of gore' Fulci may be best known for his ultra-gory Zombie films, but the majority of my fellow fans of Italian Genre-Cinema will probably agree that his Gialli from the early 70s, most notably his greatest masterpiece "Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino" aka. "Don't Torture A Duckling" (1972) are easily as noteworthy. The master's first Giallo, "Una Sull'Altra" aka. "Perversion Story"/"One on Top of the Other" pf 1969 is a very gore-less but utterly fascinating Thriller/Mystery which no Cult-fan should consider missing.As some other early specimen for the genre, this isn't a typical example for the Italian Giallo, as it doesn't focus on a series of murders. The womanizing San Francisco Doctor George Dumurrier (Jean Sorel) is with his mistress, the erotic photographer Jane (Elsa Martinelli) when he hears that his wife, who suffered from grave asthma, has died. Soon thereafter, George makes the acquaintance of the sexy and mysterious stripper Monica Weston (Marisa Mell), who happens to be the spitting image of his wife. Shortly thereafter, it is revealed that his wife was poisoned... I do not want to go into detail about the wonderfully convoluted storyline, but I can assure that "Una Sull'Altra" should satisfy any fan of suspenseful mysteries in general and Italian Cult cinema in particular. Italian cult-directors had a unique talent for combining sleaze and elegance; the late 60s in particular were a period when elegant films about sexual perversion (such as "Femina Ridens" or "La Malizie Di Venere") would lead from the restrictions of 60s cinema into the openly and explicitly sleazy 70s. "Una Sull'Altra" is from that period, and while the film is not yet quite as graphically explicit as many 70s Gialli, the focus on erotic elements is strong. Especially the gorgeous Austrian cult-beauty Marisa Mell ("Diabolik", "La Belva Col Mitra", "Milano Rovente"...) epitomizes eroticism as the femme-fatale stripper Monica. The film is full of tasteful female nudity, most notably by Mell. Elsa Matinelli makes another great, strong and sexy female as the sleaze-photographer Jane and Jean Sorel ("La Corta Notte Delle Bambole Di Vetro", "Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna", "Belle De Jour") makes a very good lead. The rest of the cast includes several other well-known cult-actors such as Alberto De Mendoza ("Lo Strano Vizio Della Signora Wardh", "La Coda Dello Scorpione"), John Ireland and Riccardo Cucciola, who is probably best known for his role in Mario Bava's 1974 masterpiece "Cani Arrabbiati".As Fulci's later Gialli, "Una Sull'Altra" is elegantly shot. While the San Francisco setting differs from the typical Italian Giallo-Settings it has a great potential for atmospheric beauty which Fulci makes best use of. The psychedelic score by maestro Riz Ortolani is hypnotic and brilliant and one of the most mesmerizing atmospheric aspects of the film. While the film is almost completely gore-less, Fulci's talent for gore manifests in one sequence in a morgue. "Una Sull'Altra" is a suspenseful, atmospheric and highly interesting film that is worth watching for many reasons. The gorgeous Marisa Mell is only one of these many reasons, but she's undeniably the most obvious one. 8/10

bensonmum2 Lucio Fulci may be best known for his zombie splatter-fests and that's a shame because he's really so much more than that. If you see the name Fulci and expect a gore-fest, you'll be disappointed. This one is even more bloodless than his other Gialli. But if you want a solid Italian thriller, you've discovered a real winner. I have no reservations about placing One on Top of the Other near the top of the list of the 60-odd Gialli I've seen. One on Top of the Other actually features very few, if any, horror elements. Instead, the movie focuses on two of the other Giallo trademarks – sleaze and mystery. And Fulci does a fantastic job with both. As for the sleaze, there's probably more nudity and sex in this movie than in Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling combined. As for the mystery elements, Fulci fills the film with enough red herrings and other mystery tricks for two or three movies. I was completely engrossed and entertained form the opening credits. Solid cinematography, nice San Francisco locations, an outstanding Riz Ortolani score, above average acting, and Marisa Mell make One on Top of the Other a new favorite of mine.My only complaint (and it is admittedly a small one) is the amount of screen time showing the film's protagonist sitting on death row waiting to die. A little tighter editing during this 10 or so minute segment might have helped make One on Top of the Other the best Giallo I've ever seen.I mentioned Marisa Mell in the opening paragraph and if you're a fan, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of One on Top of the Other. She never looked better and I've never seen so much of her. Her motorcycle striptease scene is worth the price of admission. Check it out! Come on, Anchor Bay – give us that Region 1 release!

HEFILM This is not a giallo film, nor is it in the lines of the fun but more exploitative Fulci film THE DEVIL'S HONEY. Nor is it a horror film, though you should watch fast for a Fulci cameo as a doctor in the film's one very gruesome moment. It has some nice well thought out plot twists and a fun 1960's San Francisco atmosphere. It's a very well made film on all levels.This deserves a decent release as most copies look like crud. The film is well staged in and around San Francisco and features ample but appropriate nudity.The whole things builds momentum and suspense with an especially cleverly done ending. Also watch for the use of mirror and mirror images throughout the film. Unlike many Euro films from this era it is also well acted and decently dubbed into English. It actually looks like it was all shot in English as there is none of the usual rubbery lip sync.Fulci was not a one trick pony director (as the better known Dario Argento definitely is) and if you're interested in seeing his diversity, see this film. If all you want is horror look elsewhere.