He’s A Perfectly Normal Boy! Hooptober XI
23/32 - Italy 3/4 / 60s

The birth of giallo, in color! Or, so it is said. Bava's murder thriller is 90% style and what little substance there is fails because of a poor understanding of translation to an English script to give the film a more global appeal. This would diminish almost any film, but Bava's kinetic direction, a jazzy score, and an insane use of color keeps this film driving all the way to the 88th minute. Blood and Black Lace fits in nicely with my current De Palma-on-disc dive and sets the tone for everything from Argento to Scorsese.

Great watch. Too bad the original dub appears to be lost as the dub commissioned for the US release is not great.