Text (c) Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019
Images from the Internet
Killer Nun (aka La monja homicida)
Directed by Giulio Berruti
Cinesud / Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment
88 minutes, 1979 (etc.) / 2019
Was it inevitable? It
seems like there was a period of time where the A-list actors of the Golden and
Silver Age of Cinema were getting old, and their careers were in freefall. The
result was them taking desperation jobs, i.e., horror films.
Think about it: Whatever
Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) had Joan Crawford and Bette Davis; The
Nanny (1965) had Davis and Trog (1970) had Crawford; Hush… Hush
Sweet Charlotte (1964) starred Davis and Olivia De Havilland.
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| Anita Ekberg |
This was also true in
the “foreign market,” as shown with Swedish actress Anita Ekberg in La monja
homicida, or as it was known in the Western Hemisphere, Killer Nun. Ekberg
had a long career in Italian cinema, including being in such first rate fare as
Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960).
There is a discussion among
critics and academics on whether or not this film fits into the nunsploitation
subgenre because it does not necessarily meet the sheer audacity (B and D, torture,
sexual exploitation) that many in the category flaunt, but in my opinion, it’s
close enough to meet the standards.
Ekberg plays Sister Gertrude,
a seasoned nun who has recently gone through a surgical procedure to remove a
brain tumor. It has left her convinced that she is still sick, and also
addicted to morphine. These make her take unusual chances, such as stealing and
random sex with strangers. Oh, you just know the Catholic Church loved
this release, especially from the home country of the Vatican.
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| Paola Morra |
Sister G works in a sanatorium
that is reminiscent of Vittorio De Sica’s A Brief Vacation (1973), where
people go to get cured. It is full of nuns and nurses in similar roles. But
unlike what De Sica’s presented, this is closer to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest (1975) with a bunch of men and women who are just a bit out of it (e.g.,
sexist womanizers, elitists, deranged), and Ekberg is a bit of a stern Nurse
Ratched, even as her world spirals out of control. The nun Sister G shares her
room with, Sister Mathieu (lovely and toothsome Paola Morra, a model in real
life who apparently had to be nude in some of her scenes), is also in
love with the bad Sister.
Things seem to blow up
a bit when a handsome new doctor arrives, played by Warhol associate Joe Dellesandro.
In both the Italian and English versions his thick New York accent is dubbed
over, keeping down the spectacle of his “brogue” that he brought to the likes
of Eurotrash releases Flesh for
Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974). He is also kind of
wasted here as his character is never given a chance to develop and he goes by
looks alone. He barely gets to – err – take a walk on the wild side (he’s
mentioned in the Lou Reed song, if you don’t get the reference).
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| Lou Castel and Alice Gherardi |
The centerpiece, of
course, is Ekberg (d. 2015), who was a big star at the time, even though her career was
on the decline. She performs demented quite well, with closeups of her eyes
fluttering and her lips quivering. The Theremin playing at her moments of crisis
also help to let us know she’s having an “episode.”
Along with borderline
nunsploitation, there is also a dip into the giallo genre, as there as murders
galore at the home, with lots of solid red herrings to throw the viewer off the
trail (I had two suspects, but it became pretty obvious early on which of those
was correct). Meanwhile there are lots of killings, and some are them are quite
gruesome, including one with pins that delves into near-Lucio Fulci territory.
There are quite a few
extras, including both the English dubbed version of the film and the original Italiano
release with English subtitles. I’m going to recommend watching the Italian,
if only just for the film’s ending, which is different with each other (a textual
“what happened next” coda, as this actually is based on a true story in Belgium
just a few years before filming).
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| Paola Morra and Joe Dellesandro |
Most of the other
extras are in Italian with English subtitles, unless indicated. Largely these
are also new for this release. The first up is “Our Mother of Hell,” a
52-minute interview with director Giulio Berruti. He explains the process of getting
to work on the film and how thanks to pressure on the film industry from the
Church, he could no longer get funding and had to work as an editor afterwards
(he directed only two films, this one being the second). He holds nothing back,
and it is quite interesting.
“Cut and Sound” is a
20-minute interview with editor and sound department head Mario Giacco, which
is okay. Similarly, is the 24-minute interview called “Starry Eyes” with
actress Ileana Fraja, who doesn’t really have that big a role, though one scene
is pivotal; she discusses her whole career, beyond the film.
There are two English (both
British) extras, including the 30-minute “Beyond Convent Walls: The Killer
Nun and Nunsploitation.” This is a deep introspection on this film and the
history of nunsploitation. Fascinating stuff. The other is a full commentary by
film critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint. It’s not as deep as it could have
been and they certainly seem to enjoy their contributions, but it’s still worth
the watch.
The last two are the
Italian and International trailers, and an Image Gallery of stills, posters,
lobby cards and video boxes.
While not as over the
top as many nunsploitation releases or even Italian giallo of the time,
there is still enough of off-kilter behavior and gory gooiness to keep the
attention of fans of those genres. Know that you may feel a need to genuflect
and say a few “Hail Marys” afterwards to cleanse your palate.
