Review by Gary Tooze

NOTE: This November 2020 Code Red Blu-ray is the exact same disc and package as sold in 2017 with a different cover!

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A killer is slashing up unfaithful women and leaves compromising photos next to their bodies. Inspector Capuana, played by an excellent and emotional Farley Granger - who also has a nice moustache, takes the lead in the hunt for the killer but something makes the killer getting closer and closer to him! Why? What? How? And... who is it?

The Slasher is the Sex Maniac isn't the most original giallo ever made. Actually the total opposite. It feels quite cheap and is packed with nudity and sleaze, and less gore and violence. The American cut, they say, had inserts of hardcore. I don't know if that's true, but it would fit the cheap style and flat cinematography.

An unusually good script punctuates this tale about a depraved avenger of morality snuffing out licentious Italian housewives married to men of stature. The newly transferred police inspector finds small town life of little difference from the manic city in Roberto Montero's sex and breasts obsessed giallo thriller. The minimalist political pandering is a welcome change of pace -- supplanted by a storyline demonstrative of immorality; and it's brought to you by a director who dabbled in movies with sexual themes, and ended his career doing porn pictures. One helluva punch at the end, too. SO SWEET is so recommended.

Excerpt from CollassCinema located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The single-layered Code Red Blu-ray of So Sweet So Dead looks decent in 1080P. The source is imperfect with a few inconsistencies and speckles but the visuals improve as the film runs along. The transfer seems adept and there are sequences of rich colors and the grain texture is appreciated. It has a few inconsistencies but is a shade better than I expected.  I noticed no egregious noise or digitization. It is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This Blu-ray gave me an imperfect but watchable viewing in regards to the HD picture quality.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Code Red use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1969 kbps (246-bit) in the, mostly, DUBBED English language. The sync mismatches weren't overwhelming and it's something we learn to accept in this genre. There may have been some volume fluctuations - but no fatal errors and the effects had depth as did the score by Giorgio Gaslini (La Notte, Deep Red, Night of the Devils) that suits the film perfectly. There are no subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

Extras :

Only a trailer and some other Code Red BD film trailers.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
So Sweet So Dead is at the more gruesome end of the Giallo spectrum. It's a typical storyline - knives, hidden assailant, nudity, depravity.... it is unmistakably part of the genre. It has favorites; Farley Granger (Amuck!), Sylva Koscina (Deadlier Than the Male), Annabella Incontrera (Black Belly of the Tarantula). The bare-bones Code Red Blu-ray seems the only way to see this effort in 1080P and it's a presentation that Giallo aficionados and enthusiasts will embrace. Ideally it would have an option for the Italian track but this remains the best way to see the film at present. 

Gary Tooze

November 4th, 2017

October 13th, 2020

 

 

NOTE: This November 2020 Code Red Blu-ray is the exact same disc and package as sold in 2017 with a different cover!