User Reviews

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is one of Fulci's earlier (and honestly, in terms of story-line, better...) films - and although not the typical "bloodbath" that Fulci is known for - this is still a very unique and enjoyable film.

The story surrounds a small town where a series of child murders are occurring. Some of the colorful characters involved in the investigations - either as suspects, or those "helping" the investigation (or in some cases both) - include the towns police force, a small-time reporter, a beautiful and rich ex-drug addict, a young priest and his mother, An old man who practices witchcraft and his female protégé, a mentally handicapped townsman, and a deaf/mute little girl. All of these people are interwoven into the plot to create several twists and turns, until the actual killer is revealed...

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is neither a "classical" giallo or a typical Fulci gore film. Although it does contain elements of both - it is more of an old-fashioned murder mystery, with darker subject matter and a few scenes of graphic violence (although nothing nearly as strong as some of Fulci's later works). This is a well written film with lots of twists that kept me guessing up until the end. Recommended for giallo/murder-mystery fans, or anyone looking to check out some of Fulci's non-splatter films - but don't despair, DON'T TORTURE still has more than it's fair share of violence and sleaze. Some may be put off by the subject of the child killings, and one main female character has a strange habit of hitting on very young boys, which is also kind of disconcerting - but if that type of material doesn't bother you, then definitely give this one a look. 8.5/10

Sporting a title seemingly more suitable for a Looney Tunes featurette than a grisly giallo, "Don't Torture a Duckling" (1972) is nonetheless a Grade A thriller from horror maestro Lucio Fulci. In this one, someone has been strangling the preteen boys in a rural, southern Italian village and, typical for these gialli, there are many suspects. There's Barbara Bouchet (Patrizia), looking more scrumptiolicious than you've ever seen her, a rich girl hiding out after a drug scandal; Florinda Bolkan (Martiara), the local epileptic voodoo woman; her witchcraft-practicing beau; Giuseppe, the local idiot; the sweet-faced priest; his dour mother; and on and on. The film features some unusually violent set pieces, including a chain whipping of one of the main characters in a graveyard (one of the most realistically bloody sequences that I've ever seen) and a nifty dukeout when the killer is ultimately revealed. The film's bursts of violence compensate for the fact that there are no real scares or suspense to speak of. Still, this giallo fascinates, with its unusual rural backdrop, unsettling child murders, oddball characters, and freaky score by Riz Ortolani. The film has been beautifully photographed in what I presume to be Monte Sant'Angelo, near the Adriatic in southern Italy (at least, that town's police force is thanked in the closing credits). And while subtitling would've made this fine-looking DVD work even better (the American slang doesn't convince in this rural Italian setting), Anchor Bay is to be thanked for another job well done. Oh...that title DOES eventually make perfect sense, too!

Set in and near a poor working class town in the mountains of rural Italy, it's a story of madness. The landscape may be quite picturesque, but there's madness herein, concealed behind the mask of a person who seems outwardly normal. This person kills little children.

In style and tone this film resembles Dario Argento's famous Italian giallos, those fascinating whodunit horror films, except that Argento's films are much better looking. Still, the visuals in Fulci's "Don't Torture A Duckling" are competent, with some interesting compositions and lighting. Lightning and thunder on a rainy night enhances suspense in one sequence wherein one of the "ducklings" is vulnerably alone.

In one sequence the gore is a bit overdone. But this is no slasher film. A legitimate theme undergirds the story. And that theme is that madness can take many unexpected forms, not just the obvious delusions of people who practice voodoo or black magic.

Plenty of red herrings render the puzzle solution difficult if the viewer doesn't assume an agenda on the part of the director. Don't dismiss someone who might not seem to be a suspect. The twist near the end provides good misdirection. However, in one scene midway through, a line of dialogue could have been added to clarify the relationship between two characters, one of whom is the murderer. The film's finale takes place on a beautiful mountaintop with the wind whistling in the background. We see flashbacks to clues and get insights into the killer's mindset.

I don't care for the film's widescreen projection. But background music is effective, and ranges from jarringly creepy at the beginning to low-key jazz, to indigenous Italian songs. Acting is generally average, though in a couple of cases, it's a bit overdone.

Though not as visually brilliant as Argento's giallos, "Don't Torture A Duckling" nevertheless is a fine film, one that contains a thematic storyline and enough of a whodunit puzzle to interest most viewers who like thrillers and murder mysteries.

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (Lucio Fulci - Italy 1972).

Definitely a prime candidate for the most insane movie title ever conceived and that's quite an achievement in giallo-land. Originally, the film was titled even more absurdly, "Don't Torture Donald Duck", literally translated from its Italian title. A small Donald Duck figure features briefly as a toy, but hardly enough to render a title like this, but, apparently, it was changed in fear of legal ramifications by Disney. I railed quite a bit against Fulci's earlier LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971), but here all the right ingredients are present. A surprisingly effective mystery, a good cast and imaginatively shot against an unusual rural setting. Everything just clicks. I think it's justly hailed as one of the director's most accomplished achievements.

The story is set against the backdrop of a small mountain-side town in Sicily, where someone is killing young teenage boys. Among the suspects, the most obvious one is a young woman, Maciara (Florinda Balkan), a self-proclaimed witch who is seen suspiciously unearthing the skeleton of a baby and sticking pins into way effigies. Guiseppe, the village idiot is under suspicion as well, since he made a feeble attempt to profit from the disappearance of one of the boys and walked right into their trap. By the time a quick-witted newshound (Tomas Milian) arrives from Milan to cover the murders, he immediately begins to question the authorities' assumptions, when he meets two other potential suspects: Don Alberto, the local priest (Marc Porel) with a high-minded attitude, and Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet), a bored young woman from the city with a troubled past of drug offense, who also fancies having sexual relations with the young boys in town. Talk about your prime red herring.

Fulci nicely contrasts modernity and tradition with the newly constructed elevated highway meandering through the Sicilian hills, past old towns where life is still firmly rooted in tradition and superstition. One could debate about the film's political stance as The North versus The South, or as commentary on small-town virtues - society's conventions in general - that are all too often dangerously close to tipping over into moral disintegration, chaos and - ultimately - self-justice by the populace. The film has often been lambasted because of its anti-catholic tone, but it's hardly an important element here, except for obvious plot-related reasons, which would be giving away too much. It's actually rather tame compared to a film like Joël Seria's DON'T DELIVER US FROM EVIL (1971). Probably, the film's rather unflattering portrayal of small-town Sicilian values (when another boy is killed, the local populace are depicted as a retarded lynch-mob) might be cause for some offense in Sicily, but - considering Sicily's problematic relation with the rest of Italy - hardly problematic for other Italians, I would think. The film vanquished into obscurity far too quickly to have much impact anyway.

When talking Fulci, the amount of gore is usually a prime subject for discussion. Although eyes-gouging scenes are lacking, the film does contain two very graphic scenes. In the gross-out finale, the killer falls of a cliff, smashing his face along the rocks on the way down with gruesome results (albeit, not very realistic). And the chain-whipping sequence with Florinda Balkan in the graveyard shows Fulci's penchant for sadistic violence and typically, he's not holding back at graphically showing what most film-makers would merely hint at. Surely, one of the most horrifying scenes in Fulci's repertoire.

Above all, this is a taut, well-written, effective little mystery, nicely lensed by Fulci, with an impressive cast of genre-regulars like Barbara Bouchet, Marc Porel (not very convincing as a priest), Tomas Milian and Florinda Balkan (mouth-foamingly crazy as the town's witch).

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

I didn't know what to expect when I rented this widescreen DVD. I knew it had a cult following but I had also seen a lot of the director's later works which although delightfully gory were also pretty much incoherent. DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING actually had a linear storyline and a mystery that kept me guessing almost until the end. And after all was said and done, it was a genuinely unsettling and creepy experience. One major caveat: I would much rather have heard the original soundtrack and read English subtitles than the uneven dubbing found here.

Lucio Fulci, later known for his graphic horror films like The Beyond and Zombie, was years earlier a master of the Italian giallo (in the company of Argento and Bava) with films like A Lizard In A Woman's Skin and his masterpiece, Don't Torture A Duckling. This film has all the elements of the Italian mystery/thriller genre known as the giallo, but really pulls the viewers in by having each key character with a skeleton in his/her own closet. This keeps you doing as much detective work as the detectives in the film itself. Who is killing the young boys in town? The young rich woman who is so bored that she sexually taunts the eventual victims, the reporter who likes to tamper with a crime scene to get a better photo shot, the townswoman with a mentally disabled daughter, the local witch, the town idiot....the list goes on, and you have to keep mental notes like a true game to play and solve. The themes in this film are very daring and done with that perfect Italian style in the early 1970s. It is certain that no American studio would have even considered making a film of such strong content, and that is precisely why this is such a satisfying film (despite some unusual accent choices for the dubbing for the English language version -- You'd do yourself a favor by watching it in its original Italian language, as that is how the actors spoke) and will definitely have people discussing its meanings long after viewing it. As the saying goes, they don't make them like this anymore, so get a copy and cherish an important film like this one!

"Don't Torture a Duckling". I'm still not absolutely certain what the title means, so i guess this movie is in good company with some other gialli, but it's really atypical. I'm a fan of the style but it's always the atypical ones that stand out. This one isn't about rich sleazebags getting their just desserts, and the rural setting gives it a very different feeling than most. My stepmother's family was from a village like this, and even today, just an hour outside of Rome you can find places like the town featured in this movie -- a bit old-fashioned (some unkindly might say, "bkacward"), insular, etc. No electricity is pretty commonplace.

Anyway, here we have a movie by Lucio Fulci, from the period when he was making a lot of very high-quality thrillers. It's short on the gore and bloodshed that he's known for except in a few key scenes, when the violence is really pronounced and startling. It also is a film that makes use of its red herrings in an unusual way. in fact, you could even say that the red herrings are the very point of the movie. Basically young boys on the verge of puberty are being killed violently in this little community, and of course, the townsfolks' suspicion immediately turns toward the outsiders, or those who are deemed to be weird and thus isolated even within the community, like Maciara, the epileptic witchy lady. The community is so suspicious, so determined to put someone away for these terrible crimes, that they simply will not listen to reason. Maciara's death is both the most violent and saddest moment in the film, as on her way out of town she is beaten to death with chains while soul music blairs from a radio so that people can't hear her screams of pain. The killer, of course, ends up being someone much closer to home, so to speak, and is "unmasked" almost in the last three minutes. His final scene is way more over-the-top than what came before but it somehow is really fitting. I love this movie and I think it's very possibly Fulci's best.

While the english dubbing might be considered a bit stiff by some, I really don't think it's too bad. The cast is also very much an international one, so I highly doubt they were all speaking Italian, thus hearing the film in English is not really any less" true" than the italian cut. Speaking of the cast, there are some real notables here, from western stars to women known for their roles in Bond films. The story is the real treat here, and it might surprise you how much pathos Fulci is able to wring out of it.

Overall, this is a really good movie (pretty close to great). I actually think that when I revisit this film (as is bound to happen) I'll enjoy it more the next time through. As far as a giallo film, this movie wasn't nearly as much fun as any of Argento's entries, but it did try to do some things that I found innovative and compelling. For my first Fulci film, I was rather impressed, though I can almost say for certain he won't be replacing Argento as one of my favorite horror directors. This movie is a twisty entry into a genre I love, and it's one that I've already recommended to a few people. For our full review of Don't Torture a Duckling visit True Myth Media!

Despite having a loyal legion of fans and cementing his name as one of the pioneers of Italian splatter, the work of the so-called 'Godfather of Gore' (a title I reserve for Herschell Gordon Lewis and nobody else), Lucio Fulci, has never completely won me over. Arguably his most popular film, Zombie Flesh Eaters, left me struggling to stay awake, and the likes of The Black Cat, The New York Ripper and Warriors of the Year 2072 range from p**s-poor to tedious at best, although it could be said that these are minor works in an extensive filmography. However, I adored The Beyond and City of the Living Dead, and there is something quite spectacular about his early gialli. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin was dazzling and truly weird, and Don't Torture a Duckling, made the following year, stands on its own as one of the strangest and most engrossing thrillers to be found in the genre.

In a remote Italian village, three young boys spy on couples about to engage in sex through a barn door and later torment the local idiot and peeping tom Giuseppe (Vito Passeri). Soon enough, the boys start turning up dead, murdered and discarded in the surrounding areas. Giuseppe is arrested, but is soon released when another boy is killed while the simpleton is in custody. A media circus descends on the town, while intrigued journalist Andrea (Tomas Milian) and police chief Captain Modesti (Ugo D'Alessio) search for clues. Tongues start to wag as the beautiful Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet) arrives in town with a shady past and skimpy outfits, as she is quickly viewed with suspicion. Yet with a town full of eccentrics and loners, it's difficult to figure out just who the killer is. Is it the old nut at the top of the hill, or are the murders the result of black magic performed by demented witch Maciara (Florinda Bolkan)?

The village of Accendura and its surroundings are a beautiful backdrop for the carnage and unspeakable horror playing out in the story. The ignorance of isolated small-town folks and the dangers of pitch-fork-waving mentality seems to be the main theme, something that Fulci explored later in his zombie movie City of the Living Dead. However, themes tend to take a back-seat in a film this bonkers, and Fulci has fun lining up the band of possible suspects and weaving in convoluted red-herring sub-plots to keep the audience guessing. There are many strange moments, including a scene in which Patrizia seems unnervingly comfortable displaying her naked body in front of a nervous young boy. Fulci can't resist dabbling in a bit of gore, and it's here that Don't Torture a Duckling stutters, climaxing with an unintentionally hilarious death featuring some diabolical special effects. Still, it's up there with the director's best work, and a must-see for fans of the more out-there gialli.

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This is Lucio Fulci at his best. If only all the films he made after were like this.

This extraordinary film is as intriguing as Dario Argento´s "The bird with crystal plumage"...

If you´re an Argento fan but you don´t like Lucio Fulci films, like

"The Beyond", "Manhattan Baby", "The House by the Cemetery", etc. this one has nothing to do with the others... this is what the Italians call "giallo"... that would be something like a "who-done-it" movie in a nutshell.

You won´t know who the killer is until the last moments of the film.

But apart from that, there´s the plot: some maniac living in a small village starts killing little boys... A journalist (Tomas Milian), a sexy young woman (Barbara Bouchet), a priest (Marc Porel), his mother (Irene Papas) and a witch (Florinda Bolkan) are the main characters in this tangled, bloody story.

Talking about the actors, I want to say that Tomas Milian is superb (like always), and Florinda Bolkan is terrific as the village witch...

Do you want to know who is the killer?...

I cannot tell you... but I can tell you that you must see this film!.

(10 out of 10)... of course!

A journalist (Tomas Milian) and a morally-suspect young woman (Barbara Bouchet) try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town that is rife with superstition and distrust of outsiders.

The script was constructed by a handful of writers, including Gianfranco Clerici, who is probably best known for his controversial "Cannibal Holocaust". This film in many ways is also controversial. Children are shown both as murder victims (which is taboo) and as less than innocent. The latter is probably more realistic than the Opie Taylor version of childhood, however. Over the years, the film has also come to be associated with anti-Catholicism and misogyny, though it would be far too simple to accept either of those accusations.

Briefly stated, the accusation of misogyny, at least in this film, is absurd. Yes, Barbara Bouchet is reduced to her unclothed physical form when we first meet her, so there is that. But the most gripping, emotional scene is the death of a woman and the agony drags on, eating deep into viewer's souls. If anyone watches that scene and thinks the intent was to torture a woman (on film) rather than to create sympathy, that point of view is within the viewer, not the creator.

The star names in this one are Barbara Bouchet, perhaps best known up to this point for "Casino Royale" (1967), and Tomas Milian, who took off with Carol Reed's "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965). Bouchet has done well for herself, but Milian is the bigger name for fans of cult or genre film. He popped up again and again in spaghetti westerns before finally going mainstream (i.e Hollywood). Milian may be second only to Lee VanCleef in defining the entire genre.

"Duckling" is said to be Lucio Fulci's most personal film, as well as his favorite. It is also one of his better films, and it is a shame that so many others are better known (not that those others are bad movies, mind you). The voodoo, the child murders, the suspense and development of plot... this is a finely crafted film, and is worth watching again and again. While not as outright gory as some of his work or as exploitative (despite the Bouchet scene), this more subtle approach works well.

Interestingly, although the crumbling architecture of Matera as shown in the film is authentic, it has since had a bit of an economic boom thanks to tourism and repeated appearances on film. Known as "the Subterranean City", Matera has been considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993 and was declared Italian host of European Capital of Culture for 2019. Those Fulci fans hoping to go location scouting may find that much of it has been revamped.

The 2-disc Blu-ray set from Arrow Video is most likely the last word on "Duckling". We have a new audio commentary by giallo expert Troy Howarth. A new 28-minute video discussion with another giallo expert, author Mikel J. Koven (the creator of he term "vernacular cinema"). A new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger, who addresses the misogyny claims. And extensive interviews with Lucio Fulci, actor Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D'Offizi, assistant editor Bruno Micheli and assistant makeup artist Maurizio Trani. It would take half a day or more just to view this material... and you should.

If DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING hadn't been directed by Lucio Fulci, few people, including horror movie fans, would pay attention to it. It's well made and it's very atmospheric (great cinematography) but it's more drama than giallo or horror. The lack of central characters make it almost impossible to identify or attach oneself to whatever is going on. There are two people who eventually become the "heros" of the story but they only appear regularly during the final act! The film is excruciatingly slow and with no main characters showing up until the conclusion, the whole experience seems even longer. It's not bad but it's nowhere near the greatness many here have claimed it to be. DTAD only looks brilliant when compared to Fulci's worst films, like HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY.

In a small, idyllic village, far more is going on than meets the eye. When a local boy is found murdered, a suspect is quickly arrested. The police commissioner has serious doubts about the man they've put in jail. It's the second such killing, and it won't be the last.

Director Lucio Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a disturbing giallo, due to its subject matter. It is a tale of perversity, superstition / the occult, madness, and revenge. Packed with interesting characters, red herrings, mystery and suspense, this is one of Fulci's most satisfying thrillers.

Florinda Bolkan (A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN) is perfect as the insane, shattered Maciara. Her beating is brutal today, and had to be extreme in 1972! Barbara Bouchet (THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS, THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES) is also good as the VERY free-spirited, Patrizia. Though the bloody, final revelation is a tad overdone, it remains effective...

Lucio Fulci made a good movie! I know, it's weird, but satisfying to be able to compliment his work, after I spent a lot of time being critical of his movies. Movie is beautifully shot, gore is not over the top and is edited very well for the time and acting is pretty good, with very little overreacting. The whole pace and story, while not amazing or spectacular, keep's you interested and make this movie a decent one, which is, after watching a few of Fulci's later movies, a big thing and you can only wonder what happened and why did it all go in the direction it did. I give it 7/10 and recommend it for some thriller/mystery fun! :D

What can say here other than you will enjoy this Film if Italian early 70's is your genre. The movie has a Greta surprise ending as well that makes it worth watching outside of ambience of Italy and Lucio style gore.

Cult-director Lucio Fulci is probably most famous for his gory Zombie flicks from the 1980s that earned him his rightful reputation as the "Godfather Of Gore". Fulci's absolute greatest film, however, dates back to 1972 and, while it is definitely gritty and violent, it is not nearly as gory as many of his other films. "Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino" aka. "Don't Torture A Duckling" of 1972 is not only by far Fulci's greatest film, this tantalizing and utterly brilliant Giallo is one of the absolute highlights of the genre. The stunning atmosphere and tantalizing suspense, the great Sizilian setting, the intriguing story the brilliant performances or the intense moments of sheer shock - I don't know what to praise most about this ingenious Giallo! "Don't Torture A Duckling" truly delivers cinematic perfection in every aspect, which makes it an absolute masterpiece of Italian Horror cinema.

Contrary to other Gialli, it is not seductive beauty queens who are slain one by one, but little boys who fall victims to a killer on the loose. Bodies of little boys are found in rural Sicily. While the police are desperately searching for the killer, the little town is basically full of strange people, and the townsfolk are screaming for a culprit...

The film is stunningly suspenseful and uncompromising from the very beginning, with a gritty, dark, and constantly tense atmosphere that has yet to find an equal. The acting performances are among the best in Italian Horror cinema. Tomas Milian (one of my personal all-time favorite actors) is excellent in the lead, as journalist Andrea Martinelli who is investigating the crimes. Sexy Barbara Bouchet delivers both eye-candy and a brilliant performance. Equally outstanding performances come from Irene Papas and Florinda Bolkan, who is utterly brilliant in her role. The great score by Riz Ortolani brilliantly intensifies the suspense and atmosphere, and the film is ingeniously shot in fascinating Sicilian landscapes. Although not as gory as many other Fulci films, this film is definitely gritty and uncompromising in its violence, with a few shockingly brutal scenes.

"Don't Torture A Duckling" has everything brilliant Horror requires. This is not quite as easy to get hold of as most other Fulci flicks, but I assure that searching it will pay off. Any Horror fan MUST see this personal favorite of mine, and I highly recommend any true lover of film in general not to miss this. A Masterpiece!

Set in the lush of rural Italy there is something altogether different with the locale of 'Don't Torture a Duckling' in comparison to Fulci's later works. This does not go amiss and is perhaps one of the strengthening factors of this (satisfactory) film.

While it is true that many of the characters are developed throughout the plot, this is not altogether convincing yet should be noted with some merit. Several reviewers have taken the opportunity to compare this film to, say, 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' - the latter usually coming under fire for it's (alleged) lack of characterisation. Let's remember though that 'Zombie', in essence, is an exploitation film and should be noted more for being a timely piece rich in visceral shock-value. Characterisation and plot development are not strictly paramount (- although some would disagree).

This is not to say that 'Duckling' is in any way a 'bad' film but it is certainly lacking something and it becomes a difficult task to put a finger on what that is. There is a degree of realism to the film itself and it's portrayal of violence and emotions. Sure, there are no exploding zombie heads or pierced eyeballs but that does not mean to say that 'Duckling' doesn't fail to shock in places. The film may look dated but in regards to it's subject matter this film is still as relevant today as it was when released, maybe more so. Particularly here in the UK, any film dealing with the death of young children, religion (it is debatable as to whether or not the Catholic Church is being swiped at here), sex and superstition is going to create strong resonances.

Having heard nothing but good about this film I do feel rather uneasy by not rating it nearly as high as I thought I would. The giallo characteristics of the film are a catalyst and the musical score is very apt and helps to create a chilling ambience. The camera-work is impressive and noteworthy. It just seems that some leads and ideas never really seem to anywhere in particular...take the woman who seems to flirt with literally everyone; this may be justified by fails to rouse much interest at all. Certain parts, take the end montage of flash-backs, for example, seem emphatically 'corny' and unnecessary indeed. It may be clear that Fulci can create a film that isn't dependent on gore and can move the viewer but this isn't as ground-breaking as some have made out.

To conclude 'Don't Torture a Duckling' is an overrated, underrated film but do keep an open mind. It seems like 'Duckling' is going to ever-remain as the 'tender' or 'intelligent' film that Fulci directed merely because it has little bloodshed.

I tend to get furious when hearing about Lucio Fulci's reputation as a director. Too often he's categorized as a no-talented filmmaker, only out to shock and disgust entire audiences with images of pure gore. True, his films contain more explicit filth and sickness as your average mainstream American production, but his films always are of wide range and the plots are gruesomely morbid. Don't Torture a Duckling is yet another story! This film is a pure gem of the Italian shock cinema! I easily dare to call this film a masterpiece…it's an old-fashioned giallo that includes all brilliant aspects of genuine horror. The film shows the search for a inhuman serial murderer in a small Italian mountain-town. The bodies of 3 young boys are found, horribly mutilated. There are quite a lot of pseudo-madmen in the town but every trail leads to nowhere. Among the suspects are a greedy bum and a scary woman, obsessed by witchery and voodoo. Like a true mastermind, Fulci knows to find the right creepy tone for his film. He portrays the small town as a claustrophobic and inescapable setting of macabre happenings, supported by a giddy soundtrack. Fulci also develops himself as a genius storyteller here. The script always is one step ahead of you and the complex plot will mislead you more than once. In other words, this is a unique giallo (horror slash murder mystery). The gore isn't presented as grotesque and explicit as in Lucio's later milestones (among them are the legendary Zombie 2, The Beyond and the New York Ripper), although there still are a few nauseating and hard-to-watch shock-sequences shown.

Don't torture a Duckling is the most compelling and effective achievement Lucio Fulci ever brought forward and it easily ranks among the greatest Italian horror movies ever made. Right next to the masterpieces made by Mario Bava and Dario Argento. The film is fascinating from start to finish, some plot aspects are alarmingly realistic and the tension is adrenalin-rushing at all times! A must see for horror fans and an absolute priority for Italian shock-lovers!

First of all I have to say that I'm a huge Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento fan. Although I have not seen absolutely all of their movies, I really enjoyed almost every one I did see. I really like giallos and I thought Argento was the master of this genre, after seeing films like "Tenebre" and "Phenomena". But after I saw "New York Ripper" by Fulci, I found out that he could do pretty good giallos besides his graphic zombie movies and even outdo Argento, on a certain level.

I love Fulci's style, and yes I love gore, but this film I think, although it has a more developed plot and characters than his other films, is not his best one. What I don't like is that it can be confusing at times, especially at the end. And the fact that we go from one suspect, to another, and then another until we even suspect the retarded little girl for a moment, I think it goes too far. I know giallos are supposed to keep you guessing until the end, and the killer should be very hard to find, but this film plays a little too much with our minds. However I did like the scene when the witch is killed, I think it is very well done and gave me the chills. The acting is also pretty good and the photography is great.

Although this is not a bad film, I think Lucio Fulci has made better films than this, and I think his best one is "The Beyond", a very different movie but a more atmospheric and visual experience.

I give "Don't torture a duckling" a 7 out of 10.

Before becoming the go-to-guy for extravagant Euro-splatter, Lucio Fulci began his horror career on a fairly 'reputable' note, beginning with the trippy giallo "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" (1971) and "Don't Torture a Duckling" (1972). These films are easily the most character- and story-based out of Fulci's best-known works, and if you can parlay your gory expectations, "Torture" is definitely worth a look. While Dario Argento may have set the popular giallo standard with "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" in 1969, Fulci's efforts--while lacking in dynamic color schemes and heavy stylistic flourishes--actually hold together more logically (granted, there's still a lot of contrived activity and shifty glances going on, yet the story remains coherent). "Torture" concerns a killer preying on young boys at a remote village, where the superstitious villagers are not beyond chain-whipping a suspect to death in order to see justice served. Red herrings are trotted out with great frequency, but Fulci (who co-wrote the script with Roberto Gianviti and Gianfranco Clerici) exhibits such a down-to-earth style that the proceedings are given a sense of verisimilitude (credit also DP Sergio D'Offizi)...the film doesn't try to surprise the viewer more than share his/her sense of discovery as it progresses. There are also strong performances from Tomas Milian as an investigative reporter; super-super-sexy Barbara Bouchet as a wealthy ex-drug addict; and Florinda Bolkan as a practitioner of voodoo and witchcraft; while the English dubbing does the actors no favors, the characters have a memorable presence, even if a lot of their interactions are in service to the exposition-laden police procedural at the film's heart. "Don't Torture a Duckling" is an unconventional giallo that's definitely worth a look.