The first must-see film of the year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Beautiful, but sexually repressed young housewife Minou (a marvelously luminous performance by luscious redhead stunner Dagmar Lassander) gets assaulted on the beach by a cunning blackmailer (a compelling portrayal by Simon Andreu) who tells Minou that her struggling businessman husband Peter (smoothly played by the handsome Pier Paolo Copponi) is a fraud and a killer. Minou's world becomes topsy-turvy as the blackmailer plots to seduce her and she gives in to her previously neglected carnal desires. Director Luciano Ercoli, working from a sharp script by Ernesto Gastaldi and May Velasco, relates the engrossing story at a snappy pace and does an expert job of creating and sustaining a captivating sensuous and mysterious atmosphere. Although the sexuality featured in this film is pretty hot and kinky, it's nonetheless handled with surprising taste and restraint; the sex never becomes too graphic or sleazy, which in turn actually heightens rather than diminishes the overall deliriously erotic tone. Moreover, there's also an infectiously sly and bouncy sense of playful humor evident throughout which further enhances the movie's considerable entertainment value. The acting is uniformly sound, with a delightfully sassy turn by the lovely Nieves Navarro as Minou's racy and uninhibited best gal pal Dominique rating as a particular stand-out. Alejandro Ulloa's crisp, sparkling cinematography gives the picture an attractive glossy look. Ennio Morricone's lush, bubbly, harmonic score likewise hits the saucy spot, with Edda Dell'Orso's exquisite soaring soprano singing dreamy wordless vocals like some kind of naughty fallen angel. The nice surprise ending neatly wraps things up in a solid and satisfying way. Good, crafty and spicy fun.

Pill-popping, alcoholic wife of a struggling businessman, Minou(the foxy bright red head Dagmar Lassander, often covered with heavy facial make-up)is being tormented by a sexual deviant/sadist(Simón Andreu)who has her listen to a cassette tape that might just possibly link her husband the killer of an investor who was recently found dead. Minou adores her husband and even if he's a killer she's willing to give up her body to this cretin if it saves her beloved from being implicated in a crime of his own doing. What Minou doesn't realize is that the blackmailing sicko photographed their sexual activity and now threatens to expose pictures to her husband if she doesn't allow herself to becoming his sex slave! The blackmailer is quite elusive and any trace of his identity seems hard to come by..Minou's husband Peter(Pier Paolo Capponi)and Police Commissioner Frank(Osvaldo Genazzani)believe it's quite possible she's having a nervous breakdown or a collapse in sanity. Only her nympomaniacal best friend Dominique(the VERY sexy Susan Scott who is wardrobed to show the goods and figure she's blessed with)seems to believe Minou's cries that there is a sadistic fiend threatening to kill her if she doesn't comply with his demands at sexual servitude. But, is the blackmailer REALLY the mastermind of the degrees of mental anguish bestowed upon Minou?Crazy giallo has a few twists and turns, but this is a psycho-thriller where we know the heroine is voicing the truth although he's cagey and able to hide away from capture. The film puts out everyone as a suspect, even Dominque at one point. As in the very best gialli, the success of the plot depends on how the viewer is fooled..if you can see the twist coming a mile away(..and I did)then perhaps it fails. As far as the fashions..this is a gay fashion designer's wet dream. The film's a practical run-way of Italian fashion dressing Lassander and Scott in various styles. Plenty of sleaze for the average giallo-lover.

This unusual giallo starring Dagmar Lassander (Hatchet for the Honeymoon- The House by the Cemetery) and Susan Scott (Death Walks at Midnight- Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals) is one of the best of the genre! The movie follows a middle age married woman (Minou) who is almost raped by a psycho inform her that her husband is a murderer. The madman blackmails Minou into sleeping with him. A few days later she receives a letter with photos of her and the blackmailer in bed together! The movie is unusual to the giallo as it doesn't have violent murders or explicit nudity. Instead, director Luciano Ercoli (Death Walks on High Heels- Death Walks at Midnight) give us an interesting story, a lot of style, wonderful Ennio Morricone score, and great acting by the four leads in a film that will keep you interested till the end .Very recommended if you are into the wonderful world of giallo. 9/10.

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady above Suspicion is a Giallo that is different to what most fans will be used to, as the graphic, over the top murder scenes have been scrapped in favour of a sexually charged plot line. I was worried that this might not work out, as murders are a key element of this sort of film for me - but to my surprise, Luciano Ercoli has turned out another first rate Giallo that makes up for it's lack of blood with a constant stream of intrigue. The film works from a script by Giallo luminary Ernesto Gastaldi, who manages to keep every other Giallo trademark besides murder in the film. The atmosphere is charged with desire and frustration, and the central plot; which features blackmail, sex and mystery makes best use of its array of amoral and perverse characters. The film focuses on Minou; the attractive wife of a businessman named Peter. The story picks up when Minou is attacked by a stranger on a beach who informs her that her husband has committed murder and blackmails her into sleeping with him. The plot then takes another turn when the assailant furthers the blackmail with pictures of their rendezvous...Luciano Ercoli is never going to get huge respect from Giallo fans simply for the fact that he hasn't made a great deal of films; but it seems that the ones he has made get rated down too often, and just like Death Walks at Midnight - Forbidden Photos is an underrated Giallo. The director does an excellent job of ensuring that Forbidden Photos fits the plot in terms of look and style. The lighting and scene setting is excellent, and the upper class locations bode well with the central cast of characters. The acting is also surprisingly high quality with Dagmar Lassander impressing in the lead role. She is joined by Pier Paolo Capponi who takes the sinister role of her husband, while the cast is rounded off by the talented Susan Scott, whose husband and director Luciano Ercoli allows her to steal every scene she's in. The bisexual element of Scott's character fits the film well, and provides more perversion to the already sleazy atmosphere. The plot is significantly less convoluted than most Giallo's, but if you ask me; this is a good thing as it allows the director to put all the implications of the story across without being bogged down by plot details. Overall, this is a great Giallo film and while I know that it's high praise - I really wouldn't hesitate to list it alongside Gastaldi's collaborations with Sergio Martino in a list of premium Giallo films. Highly recommended!