: Some positive mentions on Letterboxd credit the film with a "dreamlike atmosphere" and a "fantastic score" that elevates it above standard smut.
Whether you view it as a trashy piece of Italian exploitation or a haunting psychological drama, Bestialità
is the ceiling. It is the north star. It asks us to imagine a world where we do not ask how humanely we can kill an animal, but whether we have the right to kill her at all. It challenges the very notion of ownership over a conscious mind. Bestiality -Bestialita- - Peter Skerl 1976 -Vhs...
Bestialità did not escape the notice of Italian authorities. When the film premiered in November 1976, it caused an immediate scandal.
While its theatrical release was notable, "Bestialità" achieved a new level of notoriety in the VHS era. For collectors of obscure and shocking cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, finding a grainy, bootleg copy of the film on video was a holy grail, elevating it to a legendary status among fans of "video nasty" and cult Italian horror. : Some positive mentions on Letterboxd credit the
According to historical records on Italian Wikipedia , Bestialità was originally conceived as the first installment of a thematic trilogy. However, severe financial issues and subsequent legal troubles halted production on the follow-up projects.
If you are watching the Peter Skerl film, expect an arty, somewhat pretentious 70s Italian drama about a failing marriage, rather than a horror or shock-sploitation film. It asks us to imagine a world where
The story centers on Jeanine, a young woman who was severely traumatized as a child after witnessing her mother engage in sexual acts with the family's Doberman. In a fit of rage, her father chained the dog to the house and set it on fire. Dog Lay Afternoon (1976) - IMDb November 16, 1976 (Italy) Bestialità (1976) - IMDb
Critics of the time were divided, with some finding it tedious while others praised its raw, unflinching atmosphere.
On the island, they cross paths with an adult Jeanine (Leonora Fani). Deeply traumatized by her childhood, she lives reclusively in the ruins of her old family castle alongside a new Doberman.