Directed by: Piero Schivazappa
Actors: Philippe Leroy – Dagmar Lassander – Lorenza Guerrieri
Language: Italian (English Subtitle)
Country: Italy
Also known as: Femina ridens, Brazil Os Profissionais do Sadismo, Le duo de la mort, Gioco d’amore, gioco di morte, The Frightened Woman, The Laughing Woman
Description: Beautiful PR woman Maria finds herself trapped in the home of the sinister and troubled Dr Sayer, where she is subjected to a series of increasingly bizarre, terrifying and degradating sex games. Sayer admits that he has murdered several women after the same ordeal, always killing them at the point of orgasm. But all is not what it seems, and this is revealed to be the fantasy of a troubled man. Sayer finds salvation in Maria and falls for her, only for her to turn the tables on him and ultimately reveal that she too is not what she seems.
Review: This is an excellent and little known erotic S&M thriller. Lot’s of great late-60’s bizarro imagery, several fun plot twists and turns that keep the pace going through to the climax. It’s easy to see why Radley Metzger took one look at this and decided to distribute it.