Director Sergio Martino was born in Rome on 19 July 1938. Since his family had long been involved in cinema and filmmaking (his grandfather Gennaro Righelli was a well known Italian director in the '30s and '40s, his brother Luciano a writer-producer), it's no surprise that Sergio chose the director's seat as a comfortable spot. Truly a helmsman of numerous genres, Martino's films range from horror thrillers to spaghetti westerns to post apocalyptic rips to cannibal feasts.
One of Martino's first forays into the world of filmmaking was working as a second level assistant director to Mario Bava on 1963's gothic ghost shocker The Whip & the Body.
The end of the decade saw Martino's directoral debut with the 1969 documentary feature Mille peccati... nessuna virtù, while the following year saw his first horror outing with 1970's Blade of the Ripper.
The first of several Martino gialli starring scream queen Edwige Fenech, Blade of the Ripper (aka The Next Victim) finds a black gloved psycho with a razor terrorizing women in Vienna. Has the madman set his sights on poor Julie Wardh (Fenech)? A traditional giallo structure is here given good life by director Martino, including a notably memorable ending.
Similar enjoyable fare continued the following year with the pleasing giallo Case of the Scorpion's Tail. Italian horror regulars George Hilton and Anita Strindberg attempt to follow a cache of shady insurance money...with a mysterious killer always just nearby.
Martino's next work of terror was 1972's beautifully shot All the Colors of the Dark. An atmospheric & weird horror starring dark haired lovely Fenech, All the Colors tells the story of distraught young Jane (Fenech) who finds herself mysteriously drawn to a cult of devil worshippers...and membership may be permanent.
Clearly working well with Fenech, Martino cast her in his next horror, Your Vice is a Locked Door and Only I Have the Key. Abusive writer Oliviero takes his frustrations out on his poor wife by beating and tormenting her. But when a killer begins slashing locals nearby, is the frustrated Oliviero to blame? Also known as Gently Before She Dies and based in part on The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe, Locked Door is a sprightly giallo well worth seeking out.
Potentially Martino's best slash pic, 1973's horror Torso is a real triumph of claustrophobia and suspense. After a loony begins killing local women, lovely student Jane (Suzy Kendall) and a group of college friends decide to get away and spend some time in a remote mountain villa. Only problem is: the killer likes the idea of a vacation too and so he follows the girls to their isolated retreat...with murder on his mind.
A must see from Martino, Torso observes typical giallo conventions but possesses more than its fair share of standout scenes including a great nailbiting limbs-a-hackin' sequence with Kendall and the psycho.
The latter half of the '70s saw the director involved with cannibals, fishmen and alligators. James Bond babe Ursula Andress led the cast in Martino's Mountain of the Cannibal God in 1978, while fellow 007 babe Barbara Bach starred in a pair of creature features including Screamers as well as The Great Alligator (both 1979).
Although the early '80s saw Martino working on a variety of comedies, the director wasn't done with horror just yet. In 1982, he completed the supernatural thriller Scorpion with Two Tails. The following year saw the boisterous 2019: After the Fall of New York, a post apocalyptic actioner clearly geared to cash in on Carpenter's classic Escape from New York.
The remainder of the '80s and early '90s saw Martino steadily involved with television, where he continues to work to the present day. A chameleon director of real flex and versatility, Martino's strengths lie in his ability to work in almost any genre (horror, thriller, western, sci fi) and infuse any project with real energy.
Sometimes Credited As: Julian Barry / Martin Dolman / Serge Martin / Christian Plummer / George Raminto
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
* Graffiante desiderio (1993) ... aka Craving Desire (USA: dubbed version)
* Spiando Marina (1992) (as George Raminto) ... aka Foxy Lady ... aka The Smile of the Fox (USA)
* Australiana a Roma, Un' (1987) (TV)
* Vendetta dal futuro (1986) (as Martin Dolman) ... aka Atomic Cyborg ... aka Fists of Steel (UK: video title) ... aka Hands of Steel ... aka Mani di pietra (Italy: alternative title) ... aka Return of the Terminator (Malaysia: English title)
* Mezzo destro, mezzo sinistro (1985) ... aka Due calciatori senza pallone (Italy: alternative title)
* Allenatore nel pallone, L' (1984)
* Dopo la caduta di New York (1983) (as Martin Dolman) ... aka 2019 après la chute de New York (France) ... aka 2019: After the Fall of New York (USA) ... aka After the Fall of New York (USA) ... aka The Fall of New York (Philippines: English title)
* Cornetti alla crema (1981) ... aka Cream Horn (USA) ... aka Custard Croissants
* Spaghetti a mezzanotte (1981)
* Fiume del grande caimano, Il (1979) ... aka Alligators ... aka Big Alligator River ... aka Great Alligator River (Australia: video title) ... aka The Big Caimano River ... aka The Great Alligator
* Isola degli uomini pesce, L' (1979) ... aka The Island of the Fishmen (literal English title) (Philippines: English title) ... aka Island of Fishmen (Australia: poster title) ... aka Island of Mutations ... aka Screamers (USA) ... aka Something Waits in the Dark (USA) ... aka The Fish Men
* Montagna del dio cannibale, La (1978) ... aka Mountain of the Cannibals (Philippines: English title) ... aka Primitive Desires (UK) ... aka Prisoner of the Cannibal God (UK) ... aka Slave of the Cannibal God (USA: censored version) ... aka The Mountain of the Cannibal God (International: English title)
* Mannaja (1977) ... aka A Man Called Blade (USA)
* Città gioca d'azzardo, La (1975) ... aka Gambling City (UK) ... aka The Cheaters
* Morte sospetta di una minorenne (1975) ... aka Suspected Death of a Minor (USA)
* Polizia accusa: il servizio segreto uccide, La (1975) ... aka Chopper Squad ... aka Silent Action (USA)
* Cugini carnali (1974) ... aka High School Girl (USA) ... aka Hot and Bothered (USA) ... aka Loving Cousins (USA) ... aka Sexy Relation ... aka The Visitor (UK)
* Corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale, I (1973) ... aka Bodies Bear Traces of Carnal Violence ... aka Carnal Violence (Europe: English title) ... aka Torso (USA)
* Milano trema - la polizia vuole giustizia (1973) ... aka Violent Professionals (USA: video title)
* Tuo vizio è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave, Il (1972) ... aka Excite Me ... aka Eye of the Black Cat ... aka Gently Before She Dies ... aka Your Vice Is a Closed Room and Only I Have the Key
* Tutti i colori del buio (1972) ... aka All the Colors of the Dark ... aka Day of the Maniac ... aka Demons of the Dead ... aka They're Coming to Get You ... aka Todos los colores de la oscuridad (Spain)
* Coda dello scorpione, La (1971) ... aka Case of the Scorpion's Tail ... aka Cola del escorpión, La (Spain) ... aka Scorpion's Tail ... aka Tail of the Scorpion
* Strano vizio della Signora Wardh, Lo (1971)... aka Blade of the Ripper (USA) ... aka Next! ... aka Perversa señora Ward, La (Spain) ... aka Strano vizio della Signora Wardh, Lo (Italy) ... aka The Next Victim! ... aka The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
* Arizona si scatenò... e li fece fuori tutti (1970) ... aka Arizona (USA) ... aka Arizona Colt Returns (USA) ... aka Arizona Lets Fly and Kill Everybody (USA) ... aka Arizona vuelve (Spain) ... aka If You Gotta Shoot Someone... Bang! Bang! (USA)
* Mille peccati... nessuna virtù (1969) ... aka Mondo Sex (UK)
- ALL COLORS OF THE DARK TRAILER
- TORSO UNRATED TRAILER
- L'ALLENATORE NEL PALLONE 2 (da Gennaio 2008 nei cinema)
