About

Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a sensuous and psychedelic giallo fever dream. It follows Carol Hammond, an upper-class woman who has recurring dreams in which she has drug-fuelled sexual encounters with her neighbour Julia. After one of these dreams becomes unexpectedly violent, Carol discovers the following day that Julia has been murdered in reality. Incriminating evidence at the scene leads the police to suspect that Carol is behind the killing and though she insists that she is innocent, she is still plagued by the violence in her dream.

Less bloodthirsty than many of Fulci's other works, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is not without its shocks. A nightmarish sequence involving prosthetic dogs gained infamy when the special effects artist behind the scene was erroneously called before a court to answer questions on how the effects were made. Fulci blends reality and hallucinations, nightmares and dreams, to evocatively illustrate the crumbling psyche of the protagonist. The film features a luminous score from the legendary Ennio Morricone, enhancing the dangerous eroticism of Carol's journey.

Alternative title: Schizoid

R18+