Don't Torture a Duckling

I was crawling to the ending of this, what a slog, then the greatest thing I've ever seen in a movie (today) happened and it made it all worth it.

Reasonably enjoyable giallo, despite its flaws. The small Italian setting works well, and it starts off being quite atmospheric. However, the middle section drags somewhat, and with no real purpose. The enthusiastic cast do a decent job, and the direction is competent enough. There are a couple of nasty scenes, but the gore effects weren't great, in particular the last one (which led to howls of laughter from the crowd I was watching it with). Fans of Fulci's other work should see this.

A charming giallo from Fulci but a little too linear and conventional for its own good, however loved Barbara Bouchet as the small town seductress. The memorable sequence where the townspeople avenge the boy's death by brutally beating the crap out of the crazed voodoo lady is tragic and heartbreaking, one of Fulci's finest moments.

I'm sorry to say this is one giallo film I can do without Not very good in my opinion

Complaining about pacing in a Fulci film feels slightly redundant, but the middle section just drags. However, the film is a director who you could tell is working things out, between the heartbreaking scene in the graveyard, to the greatest ending of all-time.

Interesting giallo about a group of young boys who are murdered in a provincial Italian village ruled by gossip and superstition. The police are trying to capture two mysterious women who seem to be related to the murders. Not bad, Fulci creates a nice sense of dread, especially in the first half when you don't know what the hell is going on. Falters a bit with ending, and the final gore effect is really bad, but you can't go wrong with kids being horribly killed.

Despite it being one of his earliest, this is one of Fulci's more competently directed films. My primary complaint is in the plotting. I won't spoil it, but when all is said and done, there was a ton of stuff that took up a lot of time and ended up being entirely without purpose. I must say though, the climax absolutely floored me. The cliff scene was one of the most unintentionally hilarious things I've ever seen.

Proves that Fulci was definitely capable of crafting moderately intelligent narratives highlighting real social concerns. He created a coherent moral universe here that transcends its roots in exploitation and in fact defly used those tropes to expose a perversion and sickness rotting at the very core of Italian society, with Catholic hypocrisy and parochialism as the main targets. Some unfortunate dubbing doesn't detract too significantly from the stench of decay palpably conveyed. His best.

Vicious and bleak stuff from Fulci. Not as campy or surreal as his later movies I've seen.

I say this with as much love as I can muster for them: only amongst the type of weirdo pervert that cult horror attracts would this sort of bizarre, meandering trash be held up as an obvious classic.

Fulci determinedly refuses his audience stability reflecting the hysteria of the town . makes abundant use of his trademark of framing people: we view characters from between trees, railings, pipes, whatever Fulci can put in the foreground to create a separation or a sense of being observed, stalked. Perhaps the most striking scene, when a group of men accost one of our red herrings for some mob justice, circles the prey and uses judicious close-ups to enhance the fear of these predators

two words: barbara bouchet. oh, and the movie's good, too.

They shouldn't have misbehaved.

Very Nice

Love letter to hating small-town brutalities. Says a lot we partially follow these grisly crimes through the eyes of rich lady who seduces boys. Coz everything here is hideous, from bloodthirsty village who will accept any culprit just to crucify him or her -- men who beat the witch to death -- to priest as the worst of institutionalized religion. Gore bursts make you feel kinda nauseous in this context, even when it aims at catharsis -- priest crashing into rocks as Fulci unveils the truth.

This was my first Fulci and I enjoyed it a lot. Some dark ideas here and I'd imagine it ruffled some feathers. Compared to Argento and Bava giallos, it's a lot less stylized and feels a lot more grounded. Far less dreamlike. The cemetery scene, and particularly the choice of music during it, is inspired.

If nothing else, it's notable for that scene of the woman getting fucked up by chains set to pop music, which obviously made an impression on a young Tarantino at some point.

2022'de #IzlediğimFilmler ; 223. Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) Fulci'nin en iyi giallosu olabilir. Atmosferi, oyunculukları, sürprizleri ile çok güzel bir seyirlik. Bu filmle birlikte de "gore" kralığına adım atmış sanıyorum.

Entertaining and gory enough. Also the story is coherent unlike other Fulci messes.

Decent cinematography at times even though much of the film had an unprofessional air. The last 5 minutes are golden.

Some call Don't Torture A Duckling a "masterpiece". Lucio Fulci considers it his favorite of his films, but I can't say that I agree. Sure, the film is expertly made with a few scenes that hit really hard, but I can't say that it is Fulci's best film or even a "masterpiece". I still think that The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a better film, but that is not to say that this is a bad film. It is a good film. Just not a "masterpiece".

Incompetently written, shot, designed and acted, but inexplicably successful enough to have allowed Lucio Fulci to continue making thoroughly awful giallo movies for many years to come.

Pretty boring giallo horror film. I like Fulci for the gore that he packs into most of his films, this was not one of those films. for the most part it's really boring and a poorly paced and acted thriller about a superstitious town full of angry ignorant people. A little disappointed but wasn't really expecting much from an Italian horror film from this era.

(2nd viewing, 1s: 65)

Liked this less after rewatching and being more familiar with gialli including atypical ones. Felt disjointed at times as if Fulci wasn't able to release the vision he had in mind for this, but excellent small touches and social commentary throughout.

Hilarious ending.

Not particularly thrilling giallo from Fulci, but it's unusual subject matter and one explicitly violent scene are signs of greater things to come.

Arguably Fulci's best giallo. It's stylish, has a solid story and a good cast. I also enjoyed the rural setting which brought something different to the mix. It's closer to Fulci's later works than his previous gialli, and there are occasions of extraneous gore - like the ridiculous mannequin ending that leaves a sour taste. But overall, it's solid film-making and e.g. the lynching scene still packs a punch; it's one of the instances where Fulci's sensibilities suit the material perfectly.