Horror Movie Empire.com Reviews

    Gioia (Serena Grandi) is an ex-model turned girlie magazine owner who seems to be the focus of attention when it comes to some gruesome murders happening to those around her. Is she going to be next or will the sadist be killed and stopped in time?

    Delirium is a pretty gosh darn good giallo and has plenty of boobies and gore to keep the attention of people with some really bad cases of ADD. The screenplay itself isn’t bad and I while watching it I couldn’t quite guess who the murderer was until towards the very end. I generally like Lamberto Bava’s films and this one is no different.

    The screenplay is written by Gianfranco Clerico and Daniele Stroppa and it has enough twists and turns to make it interesting, plus some really oddball characters. Gioia has this really strange neighbor in a wheelchair named Mark (Karl Zinny) who witnesses the first murder, and it’s shades of Rear Window, except that he’s really creepy and keeps calling her on the phone. Why she puts up with him, I have no idea because in my opinion the guy needs to jack off to some porn videos or something. Then there is Flora (Capucine) who discovered Gioia when she first become a model. She’s a really bitter lesbian who wants to buy Pussycat, Gioia’s girlie mag, from her and who has her assistant walking around her house half naked. I guess that’s what makes the story realy interesting are these weirdos because I don’t think that the story would be as interesting without them. The reasoning behind the killer’s motive is pretty damn twisted, but perhaps a little understandable at the end once you learn more about the background of Gioia. I can appreciate the fact that they actually give some reasoning to it rather than just some random masked person going around offing people. Interestingly, Clerico also wrote New York Ripper and the Cannibal Holocaust. The second one I don’t recommend at all so don’t even go there!

    Lamberto Bava shot some very interesting and very strange scenes in this film. Every single time the killer is stalking a victim everything turns red, as if his anger is clouding his judgement. Not only that but two of the victims also have strange faces only seen by the killer right before they go after them. I think it’s some sort of symbolism for the killer and what they represent according to them. I suppose it reflects their neurosis pretty well, but it’s quite strange seeing somebody walking about with a giant eye for a face. There is one dream sequence involving Gioia, Mark, and what I think is a magic wand. If you don’t know what one is look it up and get back to me. Found out? Good! I must say that I have never seen one used in a horror film before and the whole scene being filmed in the blue light of the wand is kind of hot I must admit. Yes, Bloofer Lady has some issues! The effects are pretty good and there is a good amount of gore, my favorite scene including it is when some blood from a certain injured ‘private part’ pumps onto poor Gioia. If I was a guy I might now like that scene as much I suppose!

    Make no mistake Serena Grandi has a nice pair of tits but she can actually act, so that makes feeling sorry for Gioia rather easy. That’s really important because if the poor dear had a case of the Keanu Reeves then the whole plot wouldn’t work at all. There are quite a few familiar faces in this if you watch a lot of Italian gialli or horror films. David Brandon, who plays gay photographer Roberto, is also in Stage Fright. His character is a pretty likable guy but I didn’t guess that he is supposed to be gay at all until we are told he is. I really shouldn’t have to tell you what the hell else Daria Nicolodi has been in besides playing Evelyn in this. This character isn’t really any different from all of the other characters she has played and I have begun to notice that she uses the same gestures in every single role. No, really she does! Do I have too much time on my hands to be noticing such a thing? Quite possibly! Karl Zinny, who plays the pervy Mark, is also in Demons, which of course is yet another Lamberto Bava film. He really looks like he is enjoying himself playing Mark, perhaps a bit too much. He’s really heavy handed with the smirk and attitude and by the end of the film so I really want to kick him in the nuts for being an obnoxious twat.

    Well, Bloofer Lady thinks that Delirium is a lot of fun despite, or because, of the wacky characters and boobies. It makes me want to get a new bra and second guess the perversity of adolescent males in wheelchairs.

You can buy Delirium at Horror Movie Empire.

Bloofer Lady
Horror Crypt

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