dont torture a duckling ( lucio fulci italy 1972 ) . definitely a prime candidate for the most insane movie title ever conceive and that quite an achievement in giallo land . originally and the film be title even more absurdly and don not torture donald duck and literally translate from it italian title . a small donald duck figure feature briefly a a toy and but hardly enough to render a title like this and but and apparently and it be change in fear of legal ramification by disney . i rail quite a bit against fulci earlier lizard in a woman skin ( 1971 ) and but here all the right ingredient be present . a surprisingly effective mystery and a good cast and imaginatively shot against an unusual rural setting . everything just click . i think it justly hail a one of the director most accomplished achievement . the story be set against the backdrop of a small mountain side town in sicily and where someone be kill young teenage boy . among the suspect and the most obvious one be a young woman and maciara ( florinda balkan ) and a self proclaim witch who be see suspiciously unearth the skeleton of a baby and stick pin into way effigy . guiseppe and the village idiot be under suspicion a well and since he make a feeble attempt to profit from the disappearance of one of the boy and walk right into their trap . by the time a quick witted newshound ( tomas milian ) arrive from milan to cover the murder and he immediately begin to question the authority assumption and when he meet two other potential suspect represent don alberto and the local priest ( marc porel ) with a high mind attitude and and patrizia ( barbara bouchet ) and a bored young woman from the city with a troubled past of drug offense and who also fancy have sexual relation with the young boy in town . talk about your prime red herring . fulci nicely contrast modernity and tradition with the newly construct elevated highway meander through the sicilian hill and past old town where life be still firmly root in tradition and superstition . one could debate about the film political stance a the north versus the south and or a commentary on small town virtue society convention in general that be all too often dangerously close to tip over into moral disintegration and chaos and ultimately self justice by the populace . the film have often be lambast because of it anti catholic tone and but it hardly an important element here and except for obvious plot relate reason and which would be give away too much . it actually rather tame compare to a film like joël seria dont deliver u from evil ( 1971 ) . probably and the film rather unflattering portrayal of small town sicilian value ( when another boy be kill and the local populace be depict a a retarded lynch mob ) might be cause for some offense in sicily and but consider sicily problematic relation with the rest of italy hardly problematic for other italian and i would think . the film vanquish into obscurity far too quickly to have much impact anyway . when talk fulci and the amount of gore be usually a prime subject for discussion . although eye gouge scene be lack and the film do contain two very graphic scene . in the gross out finale and the killer fall of a cliff and smash his face along the rock on the way down with gruesome result ( albeit and not very realistic ) . and the chain whip sequence with florinda balkan in the graveyard show fulci penchant for sadistic violence and typically and he not hold back at graphically show what most film maker would merely hint at . surely and one of the most horrifying scene in fulci repertoire . above all and this be a taut and well write and effective little mystery and nicely lensed by fulci and with an impressive cast of genre regular like barbara bouchet and marc porel ( not very convincing a a priest ) and tomas milian and florinda balkan ( mouth foamingly crazy a the town witch ) . camera obscura positive .