A year before they stunned the genre with ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, director Sergio Martino, co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi, and stars Edwige Fenech & George Hilton made their collaborative giallo debut with this “incredible piece of cinema” (Flickering Myth) that is “every bit as thrilling as Argento’s best” (Goomba Stomp): Fenech “at her most luminous” (Digitally Obsessed) stars as an unfaithful diplomat’s wife who finds herself hunted by a razor-wielding sex maniac while simultaneously haunted by her own depraved desires. Alberto de Mendoza (HORROR EXPRESS), Cristina Airoldi (TORSO) and Ivan Rassimov (EATEN ALIVE!) co-star in the “daring shocker that set the pace for years to come” (Mondo Digital) – also known as BLADE OF THE RIPPER and NEXT! – newly scanned in 4k from the internegative and loaded with new & archival Special Features.

Jamie’s Take (4 / 5)

For those wanting a suspenseful thriller, a whodunit that will leave you clueless until the finale than you need to check out The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. For those looking for a bloody Italian giallo film then you need to check out The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. For those in the mood for a stylistic horror film…ok, you get my point. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh reigns high for me in giallo films as well as a decent murder mystery with enough boobs and blood to satisfy gorehounds. The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh has it all and I hope I can convince you readers to check this one out.

I know a film is really good when I feel sleepy before I start a review and by the time it ends I am wired as if I just drank three Jolt colas. I also have a tendency to talk to myself (my wife usually wants no part of seeing these films I get to review) and praise the movie as if I am speaking to a film class: “That’s a nice shot.” or “What a performance.” or usually my go-to “That was fucking awesome.” The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh had a lot of “That was fucking awesome” moments.

The movie begins with a masked assailant picking up a hooker one night in his car and as she undresses, she is killed by this masked madman with a straight edge razor. With a chilling quote by Sigmund Freud displayed across the screen after the murder, the film hooks the viewer instantly as this opening sequence is both directed stylishly as well as it entices the viewer to continue watching no matter how disturbing or brutal the film may turn out to be.

The absolute stunning Edwige Fenech stars as Julie Wardh, a bored housewife with a dark past married to an older diplomat. Julie has rather strange sexual desires and used to partake in some extracurricular activities with her former lover Jean (Ivan Rassimov) which usually resulted in sadomasochism and and torture. Now that she has sworn off Jean, Julie is content in her married life until she goes to a party with her friend Carol and meets her cousin George (George Hilton) who happens to take a liking to Julie. George is suave, good looking and rich with a big ego and a bigger pocketbook who refuses to hear “no”. His obsession with Julie ultimately results with him bedding her unbeknownst to her husband and while Julie’s life starts to change, this killer soon takes a liking to those around Julie, offing the ones she loves until she becomes the next victim.

Without giving too much away, that is the basic plot / premise of the film but the script by Eduardo Manzanos and Ernesto Gastaldi is much more innovating and smarter than what I am making it out to be. The script is tight, the characters are fleshed out and complex and every time I thought I “figured it out’ I was wrong. I do feel that the film could have been shorter as a few scenes go on too long (the film clocks in at 100 minutes) but this is a minor complaint. The finale, while I thought was great, should have ended maybe five minutes sooner thus giving the film a black comedy angle that some may feel out of place.

Much has been said in the past about Dario Argento’s work and how he started the “modern giallo” with The Bird With the Crystal Plumage. Argento’s insanely complex camerawork and surreal dreamlike cinematography are legendary. But without taking anything away from Argento, director Sergio Martino is no slouch himself and The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh feels like a fever dream, shot with sweeping camera movements and fisheye lenses giving the viewer a distorted voyeuristic look at the characters and what is transpiring. While I loved Torso and found All the Colors of the Dark to be ok, from the films I have seen by Martino, this ranks as his best (what a far cry it is from his later films like Hands of Steel). Martino also knows how to cast a film as the movie stars the talented Fenech playing a vulnerable but yet overly sexual housewife who prefers her love making with broken glass. George Hilton and Ivan Rassimov are also great as Julie’s new and former lover (all three actors would meet again in All the Colors of the Dark). These fine performances only elevate the horror and suspense even higher, giving viewers characters we care enough to root for or against.

As always the Severin blu ray transfer is remarkable and just looking at the old, beat up U.S. trailer only proves how great these transfers are. We are very lucky to have these films that have once been forgotten or never released on VHS to  not only be made available but completely uncut and in such fine condition. The extras are plentiful but how hard is it to get a new interview with Fenech? Is she a recluse now? I love the interview with Martino but since he’s still alive and in decent shape, a commentary track would have been nice with the director. I suggest trying to track down Severin’s limited edition that contains the CD of the soundtrack performed by Nora Orlandi. I am loving these limited editions that Severin puts out and really get a kick out of listening to these soundtracks, especially the score to The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh as I thought the music was great.

I would put The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh up there with Argento’s Deep Red or Aldo Lado’s Short Night of Glass Dolls as one of the finest giallo films I have seen to date. The film will please both thriller and horror fans alike.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Jamie says: Hidden Treasure!

Jamie's Take:	(4 / 5)
Blu-ray Extras:	(4 / 5)
Average:	(4 / 5)

• Of Vice and Virtue: Interview with Director Sergio Martino
• Cold As Ice: Interview with Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
• Vienna Vice: Interview with Actor George Hilton and Italian Genre Historian Antonio Bruschini
• Archive Interview with Actress Edwige Fenech
• Introduction by Actor George Hilton
• Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’
• Trailer
• CD Soundtrack [Limited to 3000 Units]