In the Folds of the Flesh is one of the more obscure films in the Severin library; and one of the wildest. I mean how many films do you know combine incest, Nazis, and childhood trauma?
FILM- We start out with a decapitated head, and a governess frantically trying to bury something under a statue. Coincidentally a criminal escaped from the big house, and is caught just a few feet from the grounds of this incident; only to be carted back off to prison. Flash forward 13 years. The governess and her two children (who happen to be brother-sister lovers) are still living in the same house of the events from years past. The sister has some odd hangups (such as obsessively wearing a wig and having kaleidoscope visions of murdering someone with a sword); while the son has found happiness with his pet vultures and paintings. One day, their cousin decides to visit, asking his friend to return for him in the morning. The trio are none too thrilled to see him, and once he overstays his welcome, they butcher him; melting the remains in caustics. Of course the loyal friend returns, only to intrude on the family. This oaf is eventually decapitated, which sends the sister bat nuts... again. They soon realize their troublesome cousin had a letter which he was about to mail to a mysterious person, "Derek". To avoid suspicion, they mail the letter. Of course their troubles are far from over, because the convict from 13 years ago has just gotten out. He holds the family hostage, believing he saw the governess disposing of her husband (who supposedly vanished on his boat). His plan is to blackmail them with this knowledge, but things go sour for him too. Suddenly "Derek" shows up, and everything unravels in a complicated and fantastic conclusion!
This oddity really reminds me of the D'Amato film Beyond the Darkness. You've got the crazies, the acidic corpse disposals, the odd guardian figure, ect. When I first saw the DVD, I would have bet this was a Giallo. I was kinda wrong, it's actually a thriller-ish crime film (with some Giallo elements, but more of a crime film). It's super hard to describe the actual genre this falls under, because you know the killers; so a stylish whodunit it is not. What we get instead is a super sleazy thrill ride! Prepare for countless decapitations. There's enough severed heads to please a Guillotine executioner. This spectacle is not overdone, and is always fun to watch. One of the best things about this flick is that in 13 years, only 2 characters age at all. Not even the severed head from the first scene ages (well technically rots, but you get the picture)! It's really disorienting, because the mother looks more like a sister. The criminal is one of the best parts of the movie. He looks like Ron Jeremy, and is a vile dirt-bag; who happens to be rocking some Sharpie tattoos. He abuses the family for days, yet they do nothing to stop him. There are numerous swords, guns, and blunt objects on the walls; yet no one even tried to use them on him. In defense, I must say the way he is offed is very creative, and worth the wait (it even opens a bizarre subplot involving Nazi's)! Overall I fell In the Folds of the Flesh tried to be more exploitative than it actually is, but the obscurity and quality of the movie is worth it. If you like the Italian films like Beyond the Darkness and Island of Death, I recommend you grab this one fast! 8/10.
PICTURE/ AUDIO- For the obscurity of this title, Severin did a damn good job. It's not spotless by any means, and the print damage is pretty bad in some places. Again, I can't complain about a few spots when I haven't even heard of the film. The colors and firmness are spot on, and everything except for a few spots are grade A. 8/10
The audio is a mixed bag; but again I can't complain. Some mild volume fading, but overall the English dub sounds great. I'm actually surprised a film this obscure even has an English track; props for that! 7/10.
EXTRAS- Severin included the trailer; that's it. But that's all I really want on films like this. I know it's hard to do featuretts and commentaries, so the trailer keeps me content. 6/10.
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