Delirium (1972)

- Delirio caldo
Requires a rewatch., 25 April 2006

As I've written any number of times, one of the things I enjoy most about Italian films is their convoluted plots. I've rarely run across a Giallo that I have difficulty making sense out of after it's over. But I've met my match with Delirium. It's a movie that I'm definitely going to have to watch again to fully comprehend what's going on.

From what I did get out of the movie, Delirium is the story of a police psychologist investigating a string of murder that he himself may be responsible for. A number of young girls are killed in a variety of explicit and shocking ways. The doctor's wife appears to understand her husband's madness, but is so in love with him that she actively protects him. But can she also protect herself either from her husband or from going mad? (At least this is what I think the film is about.)

Those interested in a variety of explicit and imaginative kills should find something to enjoy in Delirium. My "favorite" may be the first when the girl is stripped and killed in the river. As he proved in Bloody Pit of Horror, Mickey Hargitay could play a completely insane, over-the-top killer with the best of them. He may not have been the greatest actor in the world, but I certainly appreciate the passion and energy he brought to his films. If you're more into the sex aspects of Gialli, there's plenty of that found in Delirium. The most obvious example is the dream sequence where Hargitay is chained by his neck and forced to watch his wife, his niece, and his maid engage in a sexual romp. But, if you watch Gialli for the mystery aspects and to try to figure out "who done it", as I've indicated, Delirium may not be the best Giallo for you.

5/10