GL84 Sent to a mental facility, a young woman finds that the asylum is the setting of a rampage against the residents and staff at the hands of a maniacal killer and tries to find a way of setting things straight once the bloodbath begins turning up more victims.This here turned out to be quite the impressive and enjoyably trashy giallo. With the main focus of the film stretched out in a large, gloriously Gothic villa there's an absolutely spectacular atmosphere here that makes the film seem far more suspenseful than it really should be as the massive lay-out, numerous long twisting hallways and cavernous structures providing the perfect foil for a location which is a rather suspenseful setting for such a film. That plays into the film's main enjoyable section here in that this one is so enjoyable trashy and sleazy that it really does come off far more watchable than it really should. With the Gothic atmosphere firmly established, that it utilizes these in conjunction with the utterly bizarre weaponry featured for the killing tools as on the wall of the communal sitting room is every medieval weapon any homicidal maniac could dream of, just hanging there for the plucking and there's even an iron maiden as a special bonus. That the absurdity of the situation, wherein this is supposedly a facility trying to nurture people's well-being would allow for such a devastating potential outcome makes this quite a sleazy time here almost as much as the other main fun to be had in it's copious nudity. The story has nearly the entire cast far more concerned with hitting the sack with the patient's, from forcing them into shower sessions, extended lesbian encounters scrubbing their bodies down with loofahs, enthusiastic butt massaging, hypnotically-erotic dance sessions and what seems like the main pastime at the château, indulging in languid self-pleasure between the sheets. These occur with such alarming frequency that it simply adds to the trashy charm of the film alongside the crude-if-unrelenting gore used for the kills which are given life due to the rather abundant torture tools on display. here. Though the majority of these are rather cheesy, there's a certain level of brutality inflicted in these scenes, from the assault on the patients in the garden to the utterly absolutely crazy finale where the killer strikes dozens of people across the head with a spiked mace that's rather chaotic. These here are the film's good points that manage to hold off the few flaws present. The main issue here is that sleaze and absurdity that flows throughout here might become something that works against it when this one really gets going, fully making for a bit of overkill at times. It's quite much for some, and there's a slew of things about it that makes for a challenging time. As well, the other issue here is the fact that there's no real mystery here for the strange killer running loose as it's quite obvious and doesn't come off as a surprise once it starts in, making for a little dull beginning as it sets this up which gives it away quite early. These here here it back even though there's some pretty enjoyable positives here.Rated Unrated/NC-17: Continuous Full Nudity, Hardcore Sex Scenes with plenty of stimulating touches, Language, Graphic Violence and drug use.

ferbs54 A textbook definition of the term "Eurosleaze," Fernando Di Leo's "Slaughter Hotel" (1971) dishes out the sex and violence in fairly equal measure. The "hotel" of the title is actually a sanitarium for homicidal, depressive and suicidal women, at which Dr. Francis Clay (Klaus Kinski) tries to keep some kind of humane order (and the fact that Klaus Kinski, of all people, seems to be the most normal person on display here should give you a clue that this is gonna be one bumpy ride!). Still, this clinic does seem like more of a luxury hotel than anything else, as the regulations are few, informality reigns, and all the inmates and nurses are hotties. Plus, have you ever been to a rest home in which medieval weapons and torture instruments are casually arrayed on the walls? This last fact just makes it all the more easy for the black-caped killer who has lately started to terrorize the old pile. What follows, in true Eurosleaze fashion, is a mix of decapitation, strangulation, hatchet, arrow and iron-maiden murders with nude massages, lesbianism, female masturbation, and shower and bathing scenes. It all builds to one completely over-the-top finale, with the killer running amok with a hatchet through the nurses' quarters. Basically well-put-together junk, "Slaughter Hotel" yet boasts two excellent features. First, Silvano Spadaccino's score, ranging from catchy lounge music to sinister musique concrete, is outstanding. And second, Rosalba Neri, who plays Ann, a lustful nymphomaniac, is so appealing and so hot--I'm talking almost on a par with Edwige Fenech here, believe it or not--that she just about steals the whole show. In all, not a bad time killer, and with a nice presentation on this great-looking Shriek Show DVD.

BA_Harrison A mysterious killer, clad from head to toe in black, breaks into a loony bin that seemingly caters exclusively for rich beautiful women. Utilising a variety of medieval weapons, that conveniently and rather unbelievably decorate the huge institution, the maniac proceeds to slice, chop and stab his way through the patients and staff.Hampered by a simple story and rather unimaginative deaths, The Cold-Blooded Beast isn't a particularly great giallo; but with a good cast (including Klaus Kinski) and a bevy of gorgeous hotties willing to shed their clothes at the drop of a hat, the film is still worth a watch if you enjoy sleazy Euro-horror.Director Fernando Di Leo wisely packs his otherwise unremarkable film with so much full nudity and soft-core sex that one can easily forgive the pedestrian plot and lacklustre kill scenes. The women (who aren't exactly the shy and retiring type) all get nekkid at one point or another, and some of them are even kind enough to indulge in a spot of lesbianism, and, occasionally, graphic masturbation (at least in the uncut European version that I saw).Margeret Lee is drop-dead gorgeous as Cheryl, ultimate target of the killer, whilst scorching hot Rosalba Neri (French Sex murders, Amuck) stars as nymphomaniac Anne (who steals the show with a spot of explicit self-gratification). Also unmissable are Jane Garret and Monica Strebel as a pair of rug-munchers who, in the film's funniest and most memorable scene, indulge in a spot of tribal dancing before getting down to business.Klaus Kinski isn't required to do an awful lot; he doesn't spend much time on screen and, thankfully, he keeps his clothes on.Although the violence in the film is fairly frequent and quite nasty in tone (an axe attack, a stabbing, a crossbow bolt through the neck, a body trapped in an iron maiden), the actual gore level is fairly low (we see quite a bit of blood, but not much else). Towards the end of the film, things get a bit stronger and eventually when we are treated to a fabulous moment where the killer goes crazy with a mace and does away with a whole group of nurses in seconds.Shortly after this, he is shot to death by trigger happy police officers in a squib-tastic finalé.The Cold Blooded Beast gets a fairly decent 7/10 from me, for it's gratuitously sleazy vibe and for not worrying too much about letting a decent story get in the way of all of the sex and violence.

Red-Barracuda Slaughter Hotel is a sensationally sleazy and spectacularly silly giallo. It involves a mystery killer who stalks and slashes in a clinic for mentally disturbed women. This clinic is ideal for the purposes of a homicidal maniac as it contains a room with an arsenal of medieval weapons and torture devices. The film-makers find no reason to explain this. It does seem a trifle irresponsible considering some of the inmates have murderous tendencies. But there you go. The clinics other feature is a croquet green - I can honestly say I have never before seen a movie where croquet and medieval weaponry share the billing.The doctors include a Peter Fonda lookalike and the legendary Klaus Kinski. In the Shriek Show DVD Klaus has a really silly English accent but it isn't as distracting as it might be as Kinski basically sleepwalks through this movie. The women are pretty hot though. Rosalba Neri turns up and delivers classic dialogue like 'I'm not one of those mad people who need you, I just want to make love' before going off for a soft-core shower. Generally speaking the dialogue in this movie is atrocious, it's not exactly helped by the appalling dubbing but it is very (unintentionally) funny in places. However, the cinematography is pretty decent, incorporating a great deal of angular camera-work. And the set itself is pretty lush, recalling the colourful interior decor from Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace. A good thing. The mix of Gothic and giallo imagery is unusual and occasionally arresting. The music by Silvano Spadaccino is pretty forgettable, incorporating Euro-cheese and an insistent piano soundtrack when the killer is on the prowl. When the murders do happen they are impressively unconvincing. Occasionally laughably so. But they are often super-sleazy. In most giallos the sex interrupts the violence, in this film Di Leo takes the opposite approach. There is a very high sleaze factor. It occasionally even enters (if you excuse the pun) hardcore territory with some really graphic female masturbatory action. There is copious other soft-core fumblings, including a memorable butt massage. In fairness, Di Leo handles the sex better than the violence. Ultimately, Slaughter Hotel falls into the same category of giallo as Renato Polselli's Delirium, i.e. it's basically a bad movie that sort of gets away with it by way of its unrestrained Euro grind-house excess.