The Devil’s Honey (1986) d. Fulci, Lucio (Italy) (2nd viewing) 83 min
The first 20 minutes of this erotic thriller from Fulci are outrageously soapy and naughty, packed with oodles of nudity and sex (including a howler of a sequence where our saxophone-playing hero (Stefano Madino) gives his lady fair (Blanca Marsillach, sister of Cristina, star of Dario Argento’s Opera) a “blow job” that must be seen to be believed. But after her tune-tooting tease dies on the operating table following a motorcycle accident, she decides to wreak vengeance upon the doctor (Brett Halsey, Return of the Fly) who failed to save her paramour’s life, not knowing that the sawbones has a few kinks of his own. (The nail polish sequence with Eulalia Ramon’s uncredited prostitute is another high point in silly/sexy.)
What starts out as a mildly racy Skinemax diversion becomes a brow-furrowing tale of abduction and torture with Stockholm syndrome overtures. Marsillach takes her clothes off a lot, there are a few admittedly steamy moments, and you’ll probably find yourself muttering “well, that ain’t right” more times than you’d care to count. For fans looking to explore “beyond” (haha) the Italian Zombie king’s splatter efforts, this is definitely worth a gander. (Look sharp for the director’s cameo as the charm bracelet seller toward the end of the film.)
For those fans, Severin's latest Blu-ray release is a honeypot of gold, packed with new interviews with Halsey, Corrine Clery (who plays the star’s frustrated onscreen wife), producer Vincenzo Salviani, and composer Claudio Natili, as well as a brief chat with Stephen Thrower who knows a thing or two about the subject, being the author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci, and an excellent audio essay with Troy Howarth, author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films. An alternate opening sequence and the original theatrical trainer round out the supplemental goodies.
The Devil’s Honey is available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Severin Films and can be ordered HERE:
https://severin-films.com/shop/the-devils-honey-bluray/
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