Now here is a highly sleazed, often nasty, at times unpleasant take on the Giallo genre. Released in the late 1970’s Gore in Venice is one hell of a scuzzy and at times extreme ride that blends strong softcore, sexualized gore, and all manner of rape/ perversion- with a thin vein of who-done-it mystery running through its brutally misogynistic length. Here on Full Moon is a total uncut Blu-Ray release of the film.

Gore in Venice (aka Giallo a Venezia, Giallo in Venice, Thriller in Venice, Mystery In Venice) appeared in the year 1979- really at the grubby tail end of the original run of the Giallo genre. It’s an Italian production, and as its title suggested filmed around the city of Venice- which is here is either brightly hot, shadowy, or rainy & grim. The film was helmed by Messina, Sicily-born Mario Landi- whose fifty-one directorial credits are largely Italian TV series episodes and TV movies. Though he did have a few feature-length credits, going from the disproving father comedy of Siamo tutti Milanesi (1953), onto the crime drama of Maigret à Pigalle (1966), onto the prostitutes' rights comedy-drama of Batton Story (1976), and the sleazed psychic horror sequel Patrick Lives (1980). Gore in Venice is well enough shot film- blending typical  Giallo tropes, with often prolonged sexual encounters- which at points nearly throw the whole thing into being an all-out porn film.

The film kicks off in a decidedly jarring, and tone-fitting manner- as we hear a female sexualized moan, then a man is stabbed brutally in his stomach, with squelching from the wound. As the credits roll, we find that the man and pant-less woman are dead at the waterside- with shaggy blond-haired, moustached and boiled egg-eating Insp. Angelo De Pol (Jeff Blynn) investigating. As we get into the film we find out the couple are Fabio (Gianni Dei) and Flavia(Leonora Fani)- he is a constantly looking for new sexual thrills cruel hedonist, and she is an often non-consensual partner to his requests. A large part of the film focuses on flashbacks of the pair- and these are mostly sexualized. We have the pair making it outside near the boats as another man watches on, solo masturbation from her then whip started force sex, her engagement with a young man who comes to fix something at their apartment as he watches on, an unpleasant him making it out with her in a porn cinema as another man masturbates, and towards the end a rather gruelling double rape encounter. 

Around these encounters we get the rather laid-back Insp trying to figure out how they were killed, a series of brutal murders carried out on those involved in an orgy, and a few hissingly abusive phone calls & sexual encounters with trying to make ends meet brunet hooker Marzia (Mariangela Giordano). The film's atmosphere largely swings between sleazed and unpleasant- with only slight touches of 70’s euro campness.

Just before the murders occur, we often get sleazed and voyeuristic build-ups, and Landi really manages to create a feeling of grim unease, and unpleasant anticipation. And boy are some of the kills extreme- we have a woman pleasured then brutal blood spurting stabbed in her nether regions, and a nude woman tied down then her leg sawn off in gruelling prolonged detail, which reaches guinea pig film levels. 

I guess, it goes without saying, Gore in Venice most certainly won’t be for everyone, and even harden Giallo/euro horror fans may have issues with much of what’s on offer. But if you are looking for a highly sexualized and nasty example of the giallo form, then Gore in Venice, is up there with the likes of New York Ripper & Strip Nude for Your Killer.

Moving onto this region free Blu-Ray from Full Moon- and the new print looks fairly good, bright, and clear throughout. With the original Italian dub, and largely easy-to-see subtitles. The version here runs at just shy of the one hour and thirty-nine minutes mark- and is fully uncut, and to be honest I’m not sure quite where this version might have played when it was first released- as for large parts of the film it plays like a strong softcore picture, with fleeting darts into the hard & nasty. As with most of Full Moon releases, this is a barebone affair- with just a euro cult film trailer reel.

In conclusion, if you have a penchant for highly sleazed, and at times quite unpleasantly nasty 70’s euro cult fare, then this will be right up your rather troubled street. And good for Full Moon for having the guts to put this out extremely uncut and totally uncompromising!.