Daniela Giordano Movies

This cut-rate Italian giallo effort stars Daniela Giordano as Margaret, a recently paroled ex-reprobate who takes up residence in a broken-down mansion where she is soon terrorized by both the house's creepy owner and the red-hooded minions of a Satanic death cult, whose leader abducts young women for ghastly sacrificial rituals. This scenario serves as a vehicle for numerous violent images -- mysteriously appearing patches of blood, perverse S&M tableaux, and graphic impalements with a ceremonial spear, to name but a few -- some of which which may be the product of Margaret's own disturbed mind. Thoroughly weird and sadistic, this sleazy film aspires to the venerable standard of works by Mario Bava and Dario Argento but falls considerably short of the mark. Even the presence of Raf Vallone -- wasted in an undemanding role that amounts to suave window-dressing -- fails to enhance the proceedings. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of Akira Kurosawa's classic tale Rashomon comes this wild sex farce from Italy's master of the macabre, Mario Bava. Last night was a wild one for Tina (Daniela Giordano) and Gianni (Brett Halsey), but for the life of her, the confused woman can't quite recall how she ended up in bed with her handsome and mysterious date. Did the seemingly pleasant date lead to a night of passion-fueled consensual sex between Gianni and Tina, or did Gianni deliberately force himself on Tina in a horrific act of rape? Both the scratches on Gianni's forehead and Tina's torn dress seem to point to some mishap that may have occurred over the course of their date, but matters are infinitely complicated when Tina's overly protective mother and her nosey concierge chime in with two entirely different takes on the evening's events. Only when viewers witness the story from all four unique vantage points will they begin to understand the events that truly unfolded over the course of Tina and Gianni's lost evening together. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Five Man Army can best be described as a marked-down Magnificent Seven. Peter Graves, James Daly, Bud Spencer, Testuro Tamba and Nino Castelnuovo play the quintet of the title. Caught in the middle of the 1914 Mexican Revolution, the five men pool their individual skills in hopes of incapacitating the enemy. With Mission: Impossible star Graves in the lead, it's only natural that the plan involves the "impossible" task of relieving a nasty general of a large gold shipment. Set in Mexico but filmed in Italy, this spaghetti western was bankrolled by MGM, the same folks who brought you the popular The Dirty Dozen and who were undoubtedly hoping that lightning would strike twice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood's John Ireland tops the cast of the Italian spaghetti western The Challenge of the McKennas. The hero is a former priest, who feels he has lost the calling. Enmeshed in a range war, the priest sees the light again and tries to quell the hostilities. Most of the deadly sins are trotted out, and several commandments broken, but good triumphs over evil and the Lord works in mysterious ways. Placing this film head-and-shoulders over most of its genre are the three-dimensional performances of the actors and a solid screenplay. Challenge of the McKennas is also known as Badlands Drifter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The thin plot of this film takes place during the Napoleonic invasion of Germany and is a backdrop for displaying several nude females. Susanne (Terry Torday) is the hostess of a well-known house of ill repute on the Lahn River. Susanne travels to Italy to deliver a message to Count Enrico (Jeffrey Hunter), an amorous lover under the spell of Napoleon's sister. She sets him up with a bride and manages to uncover some military secrets in the court of the amorous emperor. Folk songs were written about this actual historical hostess who dazzled young students with her legendary beauty. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide