A talented and versatile journeyman, director Sergio Martino (The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key) lent his talents to multiple genres across his long and varied career, but is undoubtedly best known for his giallo thrillers from the early 70s. Among the most highly acclaimed of these, 1973’s Torso revels in the genre’s time-honored traditions while simultaneously laying the groundwork for the modern slasher movie.

A sex maniac is prowling the streets of Perugia, targeting the picturesque university town’s female students. Alarmed at the plummeting life expectancy of the student body, Jane (Suzy Kendall, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and her three friends elope to a secluded country villa – only to discover that, far from having left the terror behind, they’ve brought it with them!

Also known as Carnal Violence, Torso was released in Italy towards the end of the giallo boom before enjoying a second life on the American grindhouse circuit. Co-starring Tina Aumont (Salon Kitty) and Luc Merenda (The Violent Professionals), the film finds its director at the top of his game, delivering copious levels of violence, sleaze, and one of the tensest cat-and-mouse games ever committed to celluloid!

For thoughts on Torso, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Arrow Films presents Torso with a stellar 2160p transfer in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. The previous Arrow Video Blu-Ray release of the film from 2018 was quite nice with its 2K scan, but the improvements here are obvious and extremely welcome for a film that thrives on its conjuring of a distinct atmosphere.

You cannot ask for better from the delicate application of Dolby Vision for increased color output which should be lauded for the nuance it brings to this picture. With much of the film taking place with victims stumbling around in the dark, it is important to have a confident handle on the contrast. The black levels are outstanding with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are in great shape with no evidence of blooming. The new presentation features some colors in the clothing and production design that stand out with sumptuous vibrancy. This disc handles every carefully curated choice from Martino with ease. This presentation never lacks something to admire.

With the core transfer, you will not find anything in the way of print damage. This new release is respectful to the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural. When it comes to the encoding, there are absolutely no jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances. The level of detail and clarity is stunning with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. The grain resolves well with no fluctuations detected at any point, even if some may find it to be a bit too thick. The texture on display in the costumes and within the setting is a revelation. The makeup effects likewise blend naturally which brings the disturbing images to the forefront with beautiful clarity. This presentation is another five-star effort from the crew at Arrow Video.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with remastered DTS-HD 1.0 mono tracks in Italian and English, both of which represent the film as well as you might hope. The dialogue has been post-looped which results in some loose sync instances that may distract some, but it is a product of this period in filmmaking. The dialogue itself comes through perfectly clearly without being crushed by the sound effects or score. A line of dialogue that was previously repeated on the English language track has been corrected for this 4K UHD release.

All of the various sounds in the mix seem deftly rendered so that nothing ever feels askew. The activity in the city creates a din of sound that creeps through to provide some excellent ambient details. The latter half conveys its sense of isolation well with crisp, subtle environmental texture. There are moments of bloody confrontations that add some intensity without becoming a muddled mess in the action. The memorable score brings a very distinct mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix outside of some brash highs. Everything is presented with resolute fidelity with only the occasional instance of sound presenting as a bit thin or boxy. This presentation is largely free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. Arrow Video continues to do right by their Giallo titles.

Special Features

The Limited Edition Arrow Video Blu-Ray of Torso includes a 31-page booklet featuring two essays from Adrian Smith and Howard Hughes which provide a great analysis of the film and the genre at large in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Three Versions Of The Film: Original Italian Version (1:33:39), Hybrid English/Italian Version (1:33:00), and English Version with “Carnal Violence” title (1:30:11)

Audio Commentary: Kat Ellinger, author of All the Colours of Sergio Martino, provides a really thoughtful commentary track in which she discusses the misunderstood nature of Sergio Martino, how this film fits into his career, the cinematography of the feature, working with Carlo Ponti, the locations in the film, the landscape of Italian cinema and more that provides great context for the feature. Ellinger always provides a unique perspective that is well worth a listen.

All Colors Of Terror: A new 34-minute conversation with co-writer and director Sergio Martino in which he discusses capitalizing on the giallo craze of the time, the process of making the film, the film’s reception, his feelings about the material from a modern context, his creative process, changes that were made to the material and more. This is a really excellent piece that should be sought out by fans of the genre.

The Discreet Charm of the Genre: A new 35-minute conversation with actor Luc Merenda in which he discusses his feelings on the films he was performing in at the time, his feeling of responsibility to his audience, the process of filming Torso, working with Sergio Martino, injuries he sustained on set and more.

Dial S For Suspense: A new 29-minute conversation with co-writer Ernesto Gastald in which he shares a story of meeting Audrey Hepburn, his work with “experimental” films, his work with Sergio Martino, playing in the giallo drama, trying to maintain mystery within these stories and more.

Women In Blood: A 25-minute conversation with Federico Martino, daughter of Sergio Martino and herself a filmmaker, in which she discusses the film’s legacy, her evolving feelings about the film, her father’s filmmaking style, a funny story involving Eli Roth and more.

Saturating The Screen: A 25-minute piece with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film, in which he discusses his personal history with the giallo subgenre, how Torso fits into and subverts the genre, the style of the film, the characters and more.

Sergio Martino Live: A 47-minute live Q&A with Sergio Martino from the 2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival in which the director discusses the career of his family and his early career, what attracted him to the giallo genre, the place of music within his films, specific highlights from his filmography and more.

Alternate Torso Titles: A four-minute alternate intro sourced from a very poor quality VHS with the Torso title.

Trailers: This disc provides the Italian Trailer (3:07) and English Trailer (3:05).

Final Thoughts

Torso finds Sergio Martino leaning into his most sleazy and ultraviolent tendencies, which is likely why this is such a favorite of many Giallo fans. It delivers many of the hallmarks that keep us returning to these types of films while impressing all the more thanks to the prowess of the legendary filmmaker behind the camera. There is so much to delight in with this twisted tale of murder and revenge from both a craft and performance level. Arrow Video has released a Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a grand assortment of special features. Martino fans will be thrilled by this release. Highly Recommended

Torso (Limited Edition) will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on September 17, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.