Better known in English as “Torso” rather than the direct translation of “The Bodies Presented Traces of Carnal Violence”, this is a highly influential film that spans the transition of the Italian giallo into the slasher genre. The story takes place around the University of Perugia, where the students are in a state of alarm after a young woman is murdered by a maniac, who brutally strangles then mutilates her. The police are baffled and there are a multitude of potential suspects amongst the odd and sleazy male population of university. As more young women are murdered in a horrific and ritualistic manner, four students, Jane (Suzy Kendall), Daniela (Tina Aumont), Katia (Angela Covello) and Ursula (Carla Brait), decide to head-off to the countryside to a nearby villa, owned by one of the girls’ fathers, until the murderer is apprehended. Thinking themselves safe they lower their guard, but unfortunately the killer has followed them to the villa.

“I Corpi Presentano Tracce di Violenza Carnale” falls into the giallo genre, but it is also very clearly a proto-slasher and carries many of the hallmarks of that later genre, including the reactionary linking of sex and death. It is, however, delivered with much creativity and panache and, as you would expect from a giallo, little regard for normal plot conventions and mechanisms. Director Sergio Martino (who also co-wrote the script with Ernesto Gastaldi) directs with a lurid and graphic boldness, providing plenty of violent but stylish imagery, which is matched by gritty edge-of-the-seat suspense. The final 30 minutes in the villa as Jane engages in a grim game of cat-and-mouse as she seeks to avoid the killer is a bravura master-class in sustained, dialogue-free tension. Martino’s approach is accented by his use of voyeuristic POV shots and by Giancarlo Ferrando's elegant and stylish cinematography. The superb score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis also adds immeasurably to the overall tense ambience. The cast are all fine, although most have little to do, with Suzy Kendall essaying the role of “final girl” with aplomb. A number of genre favourites pop up in the under-cast, including Ernesto Colli as a lecherous scarf seller who may know something about the murder weapon. This is a tremendous giallo that rewards repeat viewings. It is incredibly suspenseful and intense, with the final third of the film, in particular, building up and delivering a highly claustrophobic and tension-filled climax – an excellent giallo and early slasher and one of Sergio Martino’s best films. ( )