DVD Review: IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH (1970)

FILM:

IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH tells strange tale of villa on the outskirts of Switzerland. Occupied by three peculiar family members, the villa is taken hostage by a felon, who claims he saw a body buried outside the villa many years ago. The felon uses this ploy to blackmail the owners, and as the mystifying past of the villa is peeled off, the folds of the inhabitants begin to reveal their flesh.

IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH is a very, very bizarre giallo to say the least. It straddles between numerous genres and refuses to stay still in any of them. It has a natural thriller story that constantly dabbles in giallo and sex territory, but soon branches off into themes of incest and Nazism. Although such ideas seem radically opposite, they are absurdly thrown together in ITFOTF.

The film has a very psychedelic tone to it. Some of the giallo-esque murders done early on have such a bizarre and eccentric style that they actually become somewhat creative. Their composed with some thought and actually had me interested when such sequences came into play.

The flashback sequences are done with colors filters that actually work very well. Numerous colors bleed over the flashback sequences to inject a very dreamlike atmosphere in those particular spots.

The storyline begins with a lot of potential and many creative possibilities, but spirals down into a very dull fashion very early on. The film tends to drag about mid-way through and lose a lot of its steam near the end, but is able to manage a competent twist that makes in the final third somewhat watchable.

IN THE FOLD OF THE FLESH is a watchable giallo at best. It’s nowhere near the best the Italians have produced, but does a make for an interesting, if somewhat weak, viewing experience. Recommended for giallo/Italian horror collectors only.
6.5/10

VIDEO: The video quality is extremely well done. Considering the film’s date and background, the print is very watchable with some vibrant colors coming through every now and then. Some scratches and marks are apparent, but considering the material, this is expected.
7/10

AUDIO: The Audio does its job fine. The film is very quiet and slow, and the audio definitely reflects this. At a regular audio level the sound came through with no hisses or crackles. 6/10

EXTRAS: A trailer is all we are given in this release. 2/10

OVERALL: IN THE FOLDS OF THE FLESH is nothing to write home about. It’s very basic in almost every sense and never tries to push any of its lucid elements to the edge. As it stands is a small and strange film that combines some very strange ingredients to create a film you’d really think would never be produced. It’s not intense, sadistic, or extreme. It’s just bizarre.
6/10