Naked You Die

Dark Sky

R1 DVD

Naked You Die is a stylish Giallo tale which is high on style and mood while low on the gore and violence. This is an unusual directorial choice since most Giallos are marked by fairly intense violence, that being said, the look and feel of the film makes it very successful. It is further enhanced by a groovy Sixties soundtrack and a cracking climax.

It is fair to say that the style of the movie is a little strange. It was original developed by Mario Bava and Tudor Gates but after a heated clash with the producer, Bava withdrew and was replaced by Antonio Margheriti. Accordingly, when originally released Bava would not even allow his name on it. However, as many years have passed, it is now listed as being by both directors. When first hitting the screen in the US it was butchered and marketed as the Schoolgirl Killer (sometimes even as the Mini Skirt Murders).

The film opens as an unseen murderer creeps in on a young woman having a bath; he turns up the music and strangles her. She is dragged across the floor and stuffed in a large suitcase and taken to the Hilda School for girls. All this occurs to a very hip Sixties soundtrack and then the opening credits rolls.

As one expect the girls are given a lot of attention by the camera as they spent their days in swimming customs and in skimpy clothing (it is holiday time). There are all sorts of strange activities go on, including one of the girls having an affair with Richard Barrett (Mark Damon) in which all manner of bizarre dialogue is used as a form of love play ranging from the King Richard tale to the tale of the Big Bad Wolf.

There is also the rather pervvy La Floret (Luciano Pigozzi) who likes to watch the girls from the shower and the strange swimming instructor who wears his diving gear exercising at night to work up a sweat and lose weight !

As one of the girls go missing, the headmistress tries to keep it all under wraps as the school has an international reputation. However, when one of the girls is found strangled in the shower the police are called and an investigation begins. The body count mounts and the strange characters are all possible suspects. One of the joys of this film are the various possible killers, the twists and turns of the plot and, of course, the climatic ending - you will not guess who the killer is !

As a Giallo film this is a fairly low key film, it certainly lacks the violence found in most films within the genre, but the careful creation of suspense through some superb cinematography make this a very enjoyable thriller.

This edition from Dark Sky is uncut and while showing some minor damage here and there, for a forty year old film, it looks superb. The colours are very bright and clear and the image is solid, the soundtrack is marvellous and the voices are clear. There are easy to read subtitles in yellow.