Set at a luxurious Italian seaside hotel during the much less touristy off season, the location is the stuff a vacation dream is made of. . . unless you’re in a giallo plot, then things might take a nosedive right off that very cliff-side. This is the setting of the sexy giallo The Sister of Ursula (1978), written and directed by Enzo Milioni.
Following a pair of sisters, Dagmar (Stefania D’Amario) and Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi), they are on a mission – as the rather horrid death of their father has led them to search for their runaway mother. . . who left them when they were very young – after she made it famous as an actress. This search has brought them to the aforementioned resort. . . a stunning cliff-sitting hotel with unique rooms, a lounging nightclub, picturesque pathways along the natural rocky seaside, and mysterious ancient ruins for sightseeing.
While Dagmar looks to make the best of their stay – she’s clearly on the hunt for some fun with a local boy toy, her sister is dreary, dour, and utterly unfriendly. . . shunning anyone who offers even the most basic of pleasantries. Partially due to a nervous breakdown she suffered after her father’s horrible demise, she also seems to have some form of parapsychological visions of the future – often revolving around the death of people.
Meeting all of the locals, there’s a jealous lurking druggie and sex fiend named Filippo Andrei (Marc Porel). . . he is in an on-again/off-again relationship with nightclub singer Stella Shining (Yvonne Harlow) – you might not want to ‘overlook’ her, then there’s the schmoozing hotel co-owner and manager Roberto Delleri (Vanni Materassi) and his lesbian philandering wife Vanessa (Anna Zinnemann). . . she’s obsessed with their slutty nudist hotel guest Jenny (Antiniska Nemour), while there’s also a young runaway couple (Roberto De Ruggeriis and Alice Gherardi) that don’t want to leave the resort until they’re given a room, and lest we forget the region’s foremost psychologist (Giancarlo Zanetti).
All seems to be going swimmingly, until a local prostitute (Danila Trebbi) is bludgeoned to death with an unknown object. . . until the very end, we only ever see piercing eyes, silhouetted attire, black gloves, and the murder weapon as a shadow – it looks rather phallic. Though it sends shockwaves through the community, most believe that it must have been the woman’s lover, and try to forget about it. . . that is, until two more bodies turn up soon after (this time, much closer to the renowned hotel). With a sex crazed killer on the loose, will the sisters be able to find their missing mother? Could Dagmar’s flirtatious ways put her in danger of this penal and penile murderer? Should Ursula’s parapsychological rants be heeded?
A film about sex and drugs and lounge music (that really doesn’t have the same ring as rock `n roll), heart-breaking affairs are had, intricate drug dealings are afoot, while that sultry singer always seems to be at the centre of all of the hip happenings in and around the resort (it’s also rather suspicious that her hit tune is ‘Eyes’ when that is always what we see of the killer). In other words, everyone is seemingly a suspect.
Centred on a strong cast, its salacious material, and one of the most stunning hotel locales you’ll ever see, The Sister of Ursula is by no means a classic of the giallo craze, but rather a prime sampling of how these later era gialli continued to push the envelope with more sex and violence (though there are really only a couple gory scenes) than those that were released at the beginning of the craze in the early 70s. Nonetheless, you can’t say it’s boring. . . though it does struggle to exude a unified vibe (it never really chooses whether it wants to be sexploitation, murder mystery, horror, or something else entirely – which will definitely bring it down a notch for many viewers). Lastly, it’s worth noting that despite all of the sex and violence, there is one scene set in a chapel that features a rather powerful speech on spirituality and humanity by Ursula – something likely not expected in this sort of feature. So, make a reservation at this sordid hotel, every room has a window with a view.
This film is in Italian with English subtitles