Day 29: The Strange Story of Olga O

Basic Instinct is often referred to as an American giallo.  I dunno how accurate that is, because I've only seen bits and pieces of it.  And most of us only remember seeing Sharon Stone's bits and pieces in it.

After Basic Instinct, a small boom in "erotic" films occurred, not only in America, but in the rest of the world.  Of course, Italy jumped on the bandwagon, bringing Serena Grandi on board.

Serena Grandi was not new to the giallo game.  I mainly remember her as Gioia in Lamberto Bava's Delirium.  But apparently she was kind of a sex symbol back in the day.  I'll admit she's very good looking, but she's no Edwige or Nieves.  Doesn't help matters that her nudity is usually obscured somehow.  The 70's giallo queens were freely nude, but Serena plays it prudish here compared to them...and even compared to her costars.

The story revolves around Olga, who has recurring nightmares about her mother being covered in blood and shooting her father.  Turns out she blames her now deceased mother for her father's suicide.

In an attempt to put the past behind her, Olga and her husband go to the town where Olga grew up.  Olga catches up with her old flame, who has since married her old rival.  But of course that doesn't mean they're not gonna hook up.

Olga also begins to get strange phone calls, threatening her.  Later, her friends start dying.  What's going on?  And how long before two randomly matched characters do the horizontal mambo?

The giallo elements take a backseat to the soft core elements of the film.  The story mostly serves as a way to string sex scenes together.  I'm normally never one to bash soft core Skinemax movies.  But this one really holds back the goods.  The sex scenes are tame.  More like the R-Rated mid-90's movies that would play on HBO at 10:00...with Ron Silver showing up to grab a paycheck.  If you're gonna go soft core, throw some more boobies and booties our way.  Show her on top.  Show her.  Period.

Sorry.  I've gone a long time without sex.  26 years, two months, and 23 days to be exact.

The movie starts to become a giallo again about an hour in.  For the most part it isn't too involving, but the resolution provides a decent twist.  One that wouldn't have tested well with American audiences back in the 90's.  Or even now for that matter.

Well, tomorrow is the last film on the month.  How has it been for you?