REVIEW - The Iguana with a Tongue of Fire (1971)

The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire (aka L'iguana dalla lingua di fuoco aka Die Bestie Mit Dem Feurigen Atem)
Riccardo Freda (I VAMPIRI, CALTIKI THE UNDYING MONSTER) brings us this rather violent/gory giallo whose impact is blunted by a predictable and unremarkable storyline. Luigi Pistilli (THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE, DEATH RIDES A HORSE) stars along with Anton Diffring (FARENHEIT 451, WHERE EAGLES DARE, CIRCUS OF HORRORS) and Dagmar Lassander (THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMON, THE FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICION). The story is pretty much standard giallo, but the killer is never really that much of a mystery. What makes this one stand out is its level of bloodshed and gore. Throats are slit, acid is splashed in women’s faces… It’s like a Fulci-esque wet dream. Performances are ok… The look of the film is pure early 70s. Overall, the film is not bad… it’s just that it’s not that good either. Fun for giallo freaks (like me), but others may find themselves bored and/or confused by all the mucking about.


2.5 out of 5 stars

                                       

~ Thom Carnell