Delirium (1972)

Renato Polselli's "Delirio Caldo" (aka. "Delirium") of 1972 is an incredibly sleazy, demented, and violent Giallo of which two very different versions exist. The original Italian version is 102 minutes long, whereas the American edited version runs only 85 minutes. They did not simply cut out some sequences for the American version, however, but added some (including an entirely different beginning and ending), which basically makes the two versions two different films. I first saw the American version over a year ago, and recently purchased the Blue Underground DVD which includes both versions. Overall, one must say that the Italian original version is the recommendable one, even though the American cut has some particular qualities as well.Criminal psychologist Herbert Lyutak (Mickey Hargitay) is a sadistic maniac whose impotence-induced rage forces him to sadistically murder young women in order to get off. He is assisting the police in the gruesome sex-murders committed by himself, which makes it easy for him to blame them on others. In spite of his sadism and impotence, his stunningly beautiful wife Marcia (Rita Calderoni) is completely devoted to him...The plot of (both versions of) "Delirium" differs from your typical Giallo-storyline in that the killer's identity isn't a secret. Herbert Lyutak is the sadistic strangler, which is revealed in the first five minutes of the film. However, as the film goes on, we get the impression that there is another beauty-killing maniac on the loose. Mickey Hargitay, the former husband of Jayne Mansfield and muscleman who appeared in other Italian cult-flicks such as "Il Boia Scarlatto" ("The Crimson Executionner", 1965), "La Figlia Di Frankenstein" ("Frankenstein's Daughter", 1971) and director Polselli's own "The Reincarnation of Isabel" (1973), is at his best in his incredibly demented role here. Hargitay is very effectively demented, psychotic and just plain scary in his psychopath role here. The ravishing Rita Calderoni, also known for her many revealing roles in other Italian cult films including "The Reincarnation of Isabel" and "Nuda Per Satana" (1974) is drop-dead gorgeous in the role of the psycho's submissive wife.The film is very sadistic and sleazy, even for Giallo-standards. The hot female cast members deliver plenty of nudity, the film is filled with demented sexual perversions, and the murders are gruesome and very sadistic. Director Renato Polselli is generally known for his bizarre films.The original uncut Italian version is almost 20 minutes longer and thus has a more elaborate storyline. Not too surprisingly, there is also a stronger focus on the sleaze and sexual perversions in the European version. The psychedelic orgy sequences, most of which are included in the Italian original only, truly earn the film the title "Delirium". This the delightfully bizarre stuff that Polselli is good at. While I certainly recommend the original version over the American cut, it is undeniably rewarding for a Giallo fan to watch both versions. The American cut lacks some of the elements that make the original so great, but it includes (a rather preposterous) alternate beginning and ending involving a war-trauma (which is typical for 70s American cinema). The war sequences which are only featured in the American version, are quite nasty, and therefore recommendable to the gorehounds out there. The American version also includes one nasty killing with a plastic bag, which isn't included in the original cut. Still, the original cut has more to offer (both story-wise and sleaze-wise). My advice to my fellow Giallo-fans: Definitely watch the Italian version. If possible, watch both. A true must for fans of the sleazier and nastier kind of Giallo.

Sensationally sleazy giallo with loads of fab 70's gear worn by the men as well as the women and stacks of lurid action. When it's not sex or death on the screen, then it's shades of S&M in the cellar with chains, whips and other implements. Great looking, well OTT, eyes wide open shocker. Vivid killing in waterfall at the start sets the tone and we never look back, even the dead must have their clothing arranged in the sexiest possible way. Delirious ending but then this movie is true to it's title all the way. Perhaps the directing is not as stylish as some giallo and the music is rather muted. Some of the performances, especially towards the end are a bit uncontrolled but this is undeniably a very wild ride from start to finish.

Major Spoilers!!!DELIRIUM is more like a trashy, super sleazy twisted soap opera than a giallo. The overwrought direction/script/acting/sleaze sends DELIRIUM in the irremediably silly and worthless category. If you thought BASIC INSTINCT was misogynistic in its view of women and lesbians, you have seen nothing yet compared to what DELIRIUM has to offer. Every woman is a "helpless" killer or a helpless victim. They're all lesbian, unfaithful, and insane. And more importantly, naked. This might sound shocking to some and some scenes do shock a little but it's because the film/scenes are more annoying than anything else. DELIRIUM is very typical 1970s Italian provincial style of film-making. The overacting and over everything is something more akin to the style of acting seen in cheap Italian soaps than movies, which is why DELIRIUM ends up looking like a twisted version of DAYS OF OUR LIVES.The story and direction are remarkably convoluted and confusing, and deliberately so. This in order to hide the obvious potboiler storyline: An important and rich doctor is married to a beautiful young woman. The problem is, the doctor is IMPOTENT and the wife is still a VIRGIN. The two have never consumed their marriage (gasp!). The frustration of being an impotent man married to a virginal wife is shown as the main reason for the doctor's dementia and why he goes around killing young women, as seen during the opening sequence when he brutally kills a young girl in river. After this murder, the doctor becomes a suspect and is interrogated by the police. The wife, who knows her husband is the killer, is madly in love with him, and will stand by him no matter what. As the police are interrogating him, another woman is strangled at a phone booth. Because of this one murder (and subsequent murders), the doctor is not seen as the main suspect anymore. Who is behind these new murders? Who doesn't want the doctor to be found guilty by the police? Who wants to protect him? Yes, you've guessed it. The wife, of course. The story is so melodramatic and stupid that the film actually tries to make the sick doctor look like the hero by the end of the movie by portraying every woman (the wife, her friend and the maid) as total nut cases and whores. The doctor's massive serial killing streak (at the beginning of the film, we are told that there had already been 17 murders) is suddenly trumped by the protective wife's recent serial killings. Needless to say, the end result makes it look like that it's okay if a man kills tons of whorish women because he's impotent, but it's wrong for whorish, insane women who kill for love. But the really funny thing about all of this is that even though the wife is shown to be totally devoted to her husband, to the point of wanting to kill in order to save him, she is having an affair with the maid AND her best friend. This begs the question: how much in love is she really with her husband if she's having sex with two women? I guess the virginal wife needed to get her kicks somewhere.So, the husband kills because he's impotent (what's with Italian movies and impotence anyway?). And the virginal but whorishly bisexual wife kills because she loves & wants to save her impotent, serial killer husband. Does that make any sense to anyone?!?! The storyline is so divorced from logic that it's pointless trying to make any sense of it. Throughout the movie, we see the wife crying because their marriage is less than perfect. Boo-hoo! Who freaking cares. I don't know what kind of message the movie tries to send (if any) but it seems to say that having a fulfilled marriage is the ultimate raison d'etre in life. Yeah, sure!And to think, all of this mayhem could have been prevented if viagra had existed back then.Anyway, to make things even worse, not only is the direction convoluted but, technically speaking, it's really terrible too. Some scenes are totally disjointed. In one scene, the husband is fully clothed. In the next scene, he's bare-chested and seemingly naked. The sloppy editing and direction reminds me of the style of direction seen in old Bollywood movies, where people would be seen entering an elevator with one type of clothes and leave the elevator with a totally different wardrobe. Those looking for sleaze might get a kick out of DELIRIUM but the trashy romance style of film-making might hinder any fun to be had from the shameless exhibitionism on display from time to time. Watching DELIRIUM is a more frustrating experience than an entertaining one, even in the "it's so bad it's good" way. I know, you can't take a film like this too seriously but that doesn't change the fact that it's almost totally worthless. The only good thing about this crappy, twisted soap-opera-disguised-as-a-giallo is the beautiful Rita Calderoni. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She even comes out looking pretty good from this stinking pile of crap, which is hard to believe!

Not exactly a movie for the kiddies, I would consider 1972's Delirium to be some what of a grade B Giallo. The production is okay, the acting not bad, the dialogue average, but the violence is over the top with several grisley murder scenes. There is also way more nudity than your average Giallo. There are two versions, the American (85 minutes) and the European (102 minutes). The American version starts out with the main character, Herbert Lyutak, getting wounded in Vietnam. The movie mixes stock footage from the war with newly filmed scenes in a pretty ungraceful job of editing. But wedo learn that Herbert was born in Hungary and immigrated to the US in 1961 and joined the army in 1962. He has done three tours of duty in Vietnam and is a decorated, model soldier. He has been wounded and is being taken away in a helicopter. He is looking at a nurse and she changes into another woman who we soon find out is his wife, Marcia, played by the lovely Rita Calderoni (The Reincarnation of Isabel, Nude for Satan). Right after the credits we get to see Herbert pick up a girl in a bar and drive her out to a remote spot, chase her into a stream and then strip her and beat her to death. It's a pretty violent scene and not for the squeamish. Of course that could apply to almost every murder in this movie.The European version really is quite different than the American release and I thought it had a more coherent story. Both versions are a bit confusing but the European version is more consistant. It also skips the whole Vietnam segment which wasn't very well done anyway. The endings are both quite different as well and a couple murders are filmed differently also. I don't want to give away too much but we do know that Herbert murders a girl at the beginning of both versions and after that it is a bit of a cat and mouse with the cops who are trying to solve the murders along with Herbert who is a criminal psychologists and suposed to be helping them in the investigation. His wife starts having weird S&M dreams invloving her husband as the sadist and their maid and another woman who we later find out is her niece. Ther three women fondle and kiss each other while Herebert watches. The editing from the dreams to reality is a bit confusing and at one point early in the film Herbert does beat and cut Marcia as a substitution for sex which he can't perform with his wife. He does seem troubled about his violent tendencies and does not want to unleash his murderous ways on his wife. But he does like looking at her throat which is a very enticing part of female anatomy for him.The picture on the European version looks fine and is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. The American version however is missing a couple sections of the original so Anchor Bay had to take some Dutch footage from a VHS copy and splice it in. So you are watching and all of a sudden the picture gets worse and there are Dutch subtitles! But we are talking only a couple minutes worth so it is pretty minor actually. There is also a recently filmed 14 minute interview with director and writer Renato Polselli and Actor Mickey Hargitay which is pretty good really. I watched the US version, then the interview, and then the European version of the film. I did have more of an appreciation for the film after the watching the interview and as I said earlier, the European version is overall a better and more coherent storyline. The US version is dubbed in English and the European version is in Italian with English subtitles. Overall not too bad if you like extreme Giallo. Not nearly as good as say, What Have You Done With Solange, or most Bava's or Argento's, but certainly worthy of $15 or so.