It's a painfully sad but inevitable conclusion to acknowledge that, just like with some great animal species, some of the greatest genres in cinema are threatened with extinction
The Italian Giallo, a sub genre of horror that was immensely popular from the mid-60's until the early 80's, has literally died out and practically every attempt to revive the genre results in sore disappointment. Pierfrancesco Campanella, writer/director of "Bad Inclination" has obviously watched and learned a lot of classic gialli from masters like Sergio Martino, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. It almost seems like he noted down all the typical and recurring themes and trademarks from the greatest gialli ever made and processed them into his own screenplay. The film features a black-gloved killer with a rather unusual murder weapon, beautiful scantily dressed women getting stabbed to death and convoluted plot twists. So yes, "Bad Inclination" features the ingredients of a genuine giallo, but sadly it ended up being a tasteless and dissatisfying horror stew. The plot is incoherent and ramshackle, most of the acting performances are atrocious (though admittedly I might be influenced by the downright god-awful dubbing) and – worst of all – Campanella doesn't succeed in generating that typical giallo atmosphere of sleaze and morbidity. "Bad Inclination" takes place in a Roman apartment complex full of flamboyant inhabitants. When one of the female tenants is found brutally stabbed to death with a metal set square (!), most of the residents are petrified but a few other ones immediately see it as a unique opportunity to get rid of their own personal problems. Soon after, two more bodies are found massacred with set squares, but the investigating police officer isn't convinced they're looking for just one killer. Since the apartment building homes a formerly successful singer and an ageing artist, the case also received a lot of media attention and puts extra pressure on the police's shoulders. The gimmick of using a set square as a murder weapon is presumably the most ingenious element about the whole film. The murders are gruesomely illustrated, but not really that shocking and they are too few! The nudity, albeit welcome especially when provided by the beautiful Elisabetta Cavallotti, is gratuitous and totally unnecessary. Nevertheless my respect to the director for being able to cast Florinda Bolkan in the role of vicious painter. Bolkan was the star in two of Lucio Fulci's greatest films, "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" and also appeared in other highly memorable Italian films like "Flavia: The Heretic", "Footprints on the Moon" and "Last House on the Beach". There's also a small cameo for an even bigger Italian star, namely Franco Nero, but it's totally insignificant and irrelevant to the plot.
Review of Bad Inclination
