Bezenby Like the sour and salty odour of Parmesan, this film reminds you that not every Italian horror film is as serious as Il Demonio. Instead, the Embalmer embraces you like a melted Tellagio and a warm Cacio (with Pepe, of course). We have a killer who alternates between dressing up as a skull faced monk and dressing up as a scuba diving serial killer! This film takes place in Venice (hence: the killer using scuba gear to snare his victims), and although the kills are spread across the film like Bel Paese over a nice Panini, there are patches of the film where my mind was wandering, which caused a jerk reaction like that of the olfactory sensation of sniffing a particularly ripe Cambazola.For the most part though the film is like cutting into a Calzone and seeing the contents ooze out. Loads of Mozzarella cheese, basically. From the Italian-Elvis clone bursting from a sarcophagus and singing an Italian-Elvis Clone song to the killer having a severe case of expositionitus, this film is like eating a sandwich which consists of a sharp Provolone with Parma Ham - High notes mixed with dull, Earthy plodding plot.The milky Fontina element comes from the bad dubbing, the gratuitous touring of Venice (including a glass blowing shop!) and the bad acting. The pecorino like goodness comes from the surprisingly high body count and the fact that the killer is really the guy you though immediately was the killer.It's kind of sweet (like Marscopone and Ricotta) that the film does try to give you some red herrings, but the film is not the best in terms of what Italian 1965 horror has to offer, kind of like Goronzola, you wouldn't pick it first if someone served you a plate of bad analogies.This might come as a surprise, but I used to sell Italian cheese. Now I just watch it.

Woodyanders A crazed killer preys on attractive young women in Venice, California by snatching them off the canals and streets before taking them to his underground chamber so he can embalm them alive. It's up to intrepid journalist Andrea (a solid and likable performance by Luigi Mortocci) to find the fiend and put a stop to his ghoulish rampage. Writer/director Dino Tavella relates the compelling story at a steady pace, makes nice use of the lovely city by the sea location, builds and sustains a good deal of tension, and does an equally sturdy job of crafting a pleasingly spooky atmosphere (both the killer and his subterranean lair are genuinely creepy). The climax with Andrea tracking, chasing, and fighting the killer is quite lively, exciting, and suspenseful. Moreover, this movie further benefits from a few nifty stylish flourishes, with especially neat use of freeze frames to identity each one of the maniac's next victims. Mario Parapetti's stark black and white cinematography and Marcello Gigante's robust and jazzy shuddery score are both on the money sound and effective. Worth a watch.

HumanoidOfFlesh A ghastly murderer is on the loose in Venice.He stalks women,kills various beauties and embalms them for his collection of beautiful cadavers.A young reporter tries to stop this crazed embalmer.The killer hides in the ruins of an old decayed monastery.He attacks his victims in scuba gear a la Dick Maas "Amsterdamned" and uses Venetian canals to leave the place of the crime.During the climax he is dressed as a monk with a skeleton mask."The Embalmer" by Dino Tavella is an enjoyable slice of an Italian proto-giallo with sluggish pace and unneeded comic overtones.The film has its share of effective and suspenseful moments and the script is positively macabre and downbeat.7 embalmers out of 10.

wes-connors "Women are disappearing amid the beauty of Venice, Italy, where a killer snatches his victims off the canals and streets to whisk them to his subterranean chamber. Once there, the killer embalms his victims to preserve them in a personal display of his crimes. A journalist is drawn to the disappearances and decides to investigate them," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. "The Embalmer" wastes a good horror movie setting; for example, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" would feel at home in Venice. A singer named Jti Janne appears, looking like Elvis Presley; alas, he does not sing "No More (La Paloma)". This movie may make you feel as if you are being embalmed.** Il mostro di Venezia (11/8/65) Dino Tavella ~ Luigi Martocci, Maureen Brown, Anita Todesco