Pushing the boundaries of the Italian giallo, Andrea Bianchi’s aptly titled Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975), which features numerous examples of the seductive art of striptease, oodles of nudity, and a violently high body count, is an example of Eurotrash in its most disturbingly alluring state. . . not for the prudish or weak of heart, but fascinating to be sure.
A glossy B movie set in the posh world of a Milanese modelling agency, one of the house’s top photographers, Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo), uses his advantageous position to pull stunning women into his bed (I use this term loosely – a steamy sauna works just as well for the cheeky fellow) with promises that they will grace the cover of the world’s most iconic fashion magazines.
Not completely untrue to his word, he brings recently bedded (again, a loose term) Lucia (Femi Benussi) in to work with him, hoping the Agency owner, Gisella (Lia Amanda), will fit the girl into the rotation. A seedy world behind its glossy surface, everything has a price – a rule used not only by Carlo, but also Gisella.
A number of others pop in and out of the locale. . . Gisella’s unattractive womanizer of a husband, Maurizio (Franco Diogene) – looking a bit like a sleazy and less in shape Ron Jeremy; newly hired model Patrizia (played by real life model Solvi Stubing); another photographer, Mario (Claudio Pellegrini) – who is rumoured to be gay; and newbie photographer Magda (Edwige Fenech) – a woman who secretly wants to be a model as well, despite the short shelf life; a thriving, if not exploitative business.
But what lies beneath? A secret – deep, dark and seedy. Hinted at in the opening scene (doused in a cold blue unnatural light), these people share a collective past, something one unhappy assailant – dressed in black biker gear and helmet (meaning that we never see the killer’s visage) is using to fuel a murder spree. Almost like the wet bandits from Home Alone, the murderer toys with each victim by running water around them – a reference to the genesis act that spurred this person on.
And, as referenced above, untrustworthy characters abound. Carlo – quick to anger and happy to hide his secrets; Gisella – loving to abuse her position of power; Maurizio – could he be more than just a horny old fool?; Magda – is she too good to be true?; Mario – why does he never hit on the models?; Patrizia or Lucia – is there something suspicious about being the new kids on the block?; each person a threat. . . that is, until one after another, they fall like flies hitting a zapper.
Fusing its sexy and seedy narratives, screenwriter Massimo Felisatti (the writer of the 1971 giallo The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) set out the story, while Bianchi (credited for the story) pushed the dialogue and gory elements forward. The director continuously builds a paranoid suspense, his use of mirrors, voyeuristic angles (through barred fences, shadows), the water motif (the air being sucked out of viewers’ lungs as the killer toys with his victims, faucets leading them on a journey towards death), and untrustworthy characters come together to create a palpable atmosphere. Mimicking the action onscreen, composer Berto Pisano funks up the score, an almost Michael Jackson, “Beat It”-like stalking theme which features a woman sighing overtop – at times sensual, at others, eerily closer to the sound of one’s last breath.
Likely not for the squeamish, visually conservative, or ardent feminists, intriguingly, the women drive this film forward, meaty roles for its mostly female-leaning cast. Though not a classic of the giallo sub-genre, following similar plots to earlier films (and not breaking any new ground), Strip Nude for Your Killer is a darkly entertaining one hour, thirty eight minute ride (perfect for completing your giallo experience or finding a bridge to the soon to come American slasher flicks of the late seventies and into the eighties). So, unmask this Italian thriller and discover what lies beneath – sex, murder, lies, and vengeance (by no means model behaviour).
This film is in Italian with English subtitles, but also comes with a dubbed English version