Fatal Temptation (1988)

Genres - Drama, Thriller  |   Run Time - 84 min.  |   Countries - Italy  |   MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Robert Firsching

Less an example of the native giallo subgenre than an Italian attempt to imitate the erotic thrillers then popular in America, this film went so far as to use an English-language title and mask its director Enrico Grassi as "Bob J. Ross" even in Italy itself. The frequently nude Loredana Romito stars as Carla, a beautiful woman married to the owner of a luxurious hotel in the country. When her husband is blinded in an accident with a handsome young man on a motorcycle, Carla takes over the daily operations of the hotel and hires the motorcyclist, Alessio, as a handyman. When Carla discovers her blind husband sleeping with his mistress, she takes Alessio to bed and begins to sexually control him, eventually persuading him to push her husband off a cliff to his death. Unfortunately, the hotel maid discovers what has happened and attempts to blackmail Carla, receiving a bullet in the head for her efforts. After disposing of the body, Alessio and Carla engage in the film's central set piece, a blood-smeared sex scene which graphically fuses the lust for flesh and the lust for blood in a way that few American films have dared since the opening scene of Basic Instinct. It's a common enough occurrence in giallo films, however, and shouldn't offend many devotees, particularly coming as it does in the middle of a fairly bloodless endeavor as far as Italian thrillers go. John Armstead co-stars with Ann Margaret Hughes, James Villemaire, and Carmen Manzano. Various prints run 84 and 87 minutes.

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Keywords

extramarital-affair, husband, love-triangle, murder, passion, revenge, temptation