Split Picks’ Italian horror series wraps up with a classic Martino giallo and a controversial cannibal film
The finale of Split Picks’ Italian horror series has arrived, and it closes out with one of our favorite horror directors: Sergio Martino. Martino is another jack-of-all-trades who has worked across genres and in various roles behind the scenes. But his greatest imprint will always be for his stunning work in horror, and his gialli rank among the best of the genre. Jim Hickcox brings his favorite of Martino’s gialli, 1971’s The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh, starring Edwige Fenech. The classic, twist-filled film offers the perfect opportunity to explore Martino’s signature style.
Bennett Glace wanted to stray from gialli and chose arguably Martino’s most controversial film, 1978’sThe Mountain of the Cannibal God (a.k.a The Slave of the Cannibal God). It stars Ursula Andress (Dr. No) and Stacy Keach as they search for a missing person in a jungle that local lore says is still home to a lost group of cannibals. The Split Picks crew balance the things that make the film worth watching with its undeniably troublesome aspects. They discuss the odd trend of Italian cannibal films, whether Martino’s technical proficiency makes Cannibal God feel more cruel than the rougher found footage approach used in other more famous cannibal films, and what it means when a movie breaks all the acceptable barriers of horror.
Listen to the episode below, or on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon:
Missed the start of the Italian horror series? Listen to Bennett, Craig, and Steve Collins spend two episodes talking about Dario Argento’s The Stendhal Syndrome and The Phantom of the Opera. Then hear Frankie Vanaria, Bennett, and Craig go deep with the Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci’s The House By The Cemetery and Cat In The Brain.
Listen to last year’s series on the American Horror Titans: John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and George A. Romero:
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Split Picks theme music by Nick Miller, Lee Walker, and Craig Wright
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Find the complete October Horror 2022 series here:
