''Libido'' is a 1965 Italian

giallo film In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, l ...

written and directed by

Ernesto Gastaldi Ernesto Gastaldi (born 10 September 1934) is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular gen ...

and Vittorio Salerno, from a story by Gastaldi's wife Mara Maryl. It stars

Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for ''Seven Beauties' ...

Luciano Pigozzi Luciano Pigozzi, also known professionally as Alan Collins (10 January 1927 – 14 June 2008), was an Italian character actor. A long-time staple of Italian genre cinema, Pigozzi was noted for his resemblance to Peter Lorre and appeared in s ...

, Maryl and

Dominique Boschero Dominique Boschero (born 27 April 1937) is a French-Italian actress. Life and career Born in Paris by Italian parents, Boschero spent her childhood in Frassino, Italy with her grandparents until the age of 15, when she returned to Paris.Mauriz ...

Plot

In a cliffside mansion, a young boy named Christian witnesses his sex maniac father murder his mistress in a room lined with mirrors. The father then kills himself by jumping off the cliff. Years later, the now adult Christian returns to inherit the family home with his fiancee Helene, his attorney Paul and Paul's wife Brigitte. Christian fears that his father may still be alive, and that he may inherit his father's insanity along with his house. The room of mirrors continues to haunt Christian in adulthood, reflecting and amplifying his own sexual obsessions. Strange events occur that lead Christian to believe his father may still be actually living in the house.

Cast

(as John Charlie Johns) as Christian Coreau * Mara Maryl as Brigitte Benoit *

as Helene Coreau *

(as Alan Collins) as Paul Benoit

Production

According to Gastaldi, ''Libido'' was filmed in only 18 days on a bet. He based the screenplay on a story idea conceived by his wife Mara Maryl, who also had a co-starring role in the film. Gastaldi reused some footage from this film in his later 1982 horror film ''Notturno con grida''.Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide to Italian Sex and Horror Movies. Stray Cat Publishing Ltd. p. 66 The film's plot borrowed from both '' Les Diaboliques'' and

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

's ''

The Pit and the Pendulum "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual ''The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843''. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of ...

'', according to critic Adrian Luther Smith, who continued: "Despite the inevitable constraints of the budget, "Libido" looks refreshingly sharp due to impressive B&W photography (by Romolo Garroni) and some great locations."

References

{{Reflist 1960s Italian-language films