Director: Stelvio Massi (as Max Steel)
Year: 1989
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: Arabella l'angelo nero
Genre: Giallo
Plot:
After being caught at a whorehouse, a woman finds her hidden nymphomaniac desires brought to the surface which not only has the benefit of helping her husband write a new book but causes a vicious killer to target her victims putting them in danger of being next on the list.
Review:
This is one of the more engaging and fun trashy gialli. What really gives this one a large part of the fun here is the fact that there's such a sleazy and trashy feel to this one which really helps to make it more enjoyable. In dealing with her nymphomaniac manner, it includes not only the dealings with the continuous sex scenes and her sleeping around with everyone but also the opening shots at the whorehouse which manage to include all manner of kinky sexual thrills being enacted upon which really sets this off on a rather nice note which is always nicely realized and incredibly welcome considering the quality provided. By remaining an integral part of the film as a whole and staying quite relevant due to the various kinky sex she engages in for the sake of getting the novel written, there's a copious amount of nudity that she provides here with the lengthy sequences giving plenty of opportunities for that particular brand of sexual thrill which is nicely enhanced by the severity of these scenes.
Once the storyline moves into more rational giallo tropes with the victims being killed off in exceptionally grisly methods, things pick up and it begins getting even better with the film allowing for all manner of fun to be had with the ability to switch from the stalking scenes showing the traditional black-gloved killer prowling the area with weapon in hand and dishing out the brutal kills such that the initial death with the blackmailing police inspector which launches everything into motion causes some great stalking scenes to occur here with the motel ambush on the first victim or the later scene involving the killer striking the woman down rather than the usual male victims targeted before. Likewise, the finale out in the woods after she manages to pick up her last john features not only the big revelation about his secret life but also the nice twist involving the killer's identity which is rather shocking and nicely handled.
As well, the way in which these are intercut alongside the concurrent police investigations managed with the crazed lesbian inspector trying to fit everything together only to have her own troubled past ending up causing the investigation to stumble slightly, it maintains a highly engaging mixture of sleazy thrills alongside the strong familiar giallo tropes present which manage to fully embrace the elements quite comfortably and easily which all makes for a great time here. There is a minor issue to be had here, which does manage to hold it down slightly in that the film really doesn't seem to offer up much in terms of coherence or logical plot-devices which concerns the relationship between everyone which is so twisted and confusing it really makes no sense. As a couple, they make no sense and the motives for why they agree to undergo the whole affair is a strange one which goes hand-in-hand with the killer's motive as well since that makes no sense either. Still, the troubled logic is all that really holds it down.
Overview: ****/5
A superb sleazy Giallo without much in the way of flaws, there's quite a lot to like with this one that holds it up incredibly well within this particular branch of the genre. Those who appreciate this particularly sleazy side of the Giallo, appreciate the Eurohorror side of the genre in general, or are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here while most others out there who don't like these factors should heed caution.
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