The nunsploitation sub-genre isn't something you think of as, for want of a better word, classy. There are one or two examples that manage to stand out, made with more polish and a slightly different aim, but they're generally just about the juxtaposition of nuns and sex, and/or violence. Killer Nun, in case you weren't clued in from the title, sits perfectly in this latter category.
Anita Ekberg is Sister Gertrude, a woman who feels troubled after some surgery that she believes didn't manage to cure the cancer within her. Full of anxiety and an overwhelming urge to start experiencing things she has stayed away from for many years, Sister Gertrude starts leaving her residence to hook up with random men in the city. She's also taking drugs, and generally starts being much less pleasant to everyone around her. The loyal, and smitten, Sister Mathieu (Paola Morra) does what she can to help Sister Gertrude, but things seem to be getting a lot worse when murders start happening. There's surely only one main suspect.
Directed by Giulio Berruti, who also co-wrote the film with Alberto Tarallo, Killer Nun is a crude and silly bit of fun. It's no surprise to see that Berruti didn't direct anything else after this, only the second feature that he actually helmed, or that it is the only writing credit for Alberto Tarallo (as well as the only story credit for producer Enzo Gallo). VERY loosely based on a true story, everything is done to make this as sleazy as possible, and it's no surprise to see that it was once a proud member of the UK's ridiculous "video nasty"selection, although it seems amusingly tame compared to what can pass before our eyes nowadays.
Ekberg is fun in the main role, delivering most of her performance with her displays of eye-widening and lip-quivering. Morra seems to be there to help maintain the required levels of intermittent nudity, and she does well enough in a role that allows her to step things up a bit in the grand finale. Fans of Italian cinema may also enjoy seeing Alida Valli, Massimo Serato, Laura Nucci, and Sofia Lusy, among others, and fans of cult cinema will recognise Joe Dallesandro when he comes onscreen in the form of Dr. Patrick Roland.
While it's never going to be anyone's favourite film, I've seen much worse than this, in both the video nasty selection and the nunsploitation sub-genre. The runtime helps, it's just under the 90-minute mark, as does the constantly bubbling sense of barely-contained hysteria. You can't go into a movie with a title like this and not know what to expect, which means that you should end up enjoying it as much as I did if you decide to fit it into your schedule. Actually any good? I'm not sure about that. I had some fun while it was on though.
5/10
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I guess if it's "Killer Nun" then one of the nuns has to be the killer. "Nunsploitation" sounds like the word to describe the main character in the Watchmen show on HBO, though I guess you could call that "blaxnunsploitation"
ReplyDeleteTook me a minute to get that, but I made it in the end.
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