Don't Torture a Duckling

1972

1h 42m

Mystery & Thriller

List

83%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

77%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

A reporter and a young woman investigate a series of child murders in a remote town.

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

An important segue into the extreme, stylized violence and rampant misogyny with which he would come to be celebrated and damned, Fulci crafts a surprisingly coherent mystery thriller speckled with several gratuitous displays of carnage.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

Austin Trunick

Under the Radar

[Duckling] doesn't hit the surreal heights of later films such as City of the Living Dead or The Beyond, but it's one of the best entries in the director's early filmography.

Oct 18, 2017

Full Review

Michael Coldwell

Starburst

Cruel, beautiful and all the colours in between, Don't Torture a Duckling is a compelling and beguiling work from a greatly underrated filmmaker.

Rated: 9/10

Sep 13, 2017

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

The signature Fulci bit is also a devastating culmination of the film's autopsy of corrupt patriarchy

Feb 5, 2010

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

One of the best giallo films made by Lucio Fulci.

Rated: B

Nov 18, 2008

Full Review

Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 0/5

Jul 17, 2005

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Elvis D

Después de haber dirigido películas de comedia, western y drama, está claro que tras haber dirigido el thriller Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna en una época donde el giallo estaba empezando a ganar popularidad, Lucio Fulci había dado su primer paso en la escalera que lo llevaría a alcanzar su fama como maestro del terror y el cine gore. Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino fue el siguiente escalón para que comenzara a ganar popularidad por medio de giallo y tiempo después en el género de terror a nivel mundial. La película es un thriller bastante atrapante desde que comienza el primer asesinato y aunque no tiene todo el gore que caracteriza el estilo de Fulci, los casos de infanticidios vistos aquí son suficientes para que la trama sea bastante cruda. Al principio la película juega con que la bruja del pueblo es responsable de los infanticidios, pero la película es bastante tramposa con quienes la ven por primera vez. La ambigüedad que deja la película cuando se descubre quién es el asesino es si lo que el maniaco hizo fue porque le pareció lo mejor por el bien de sus propias víctimas o si los rituales vudú de la bruja pudieron haber influido de alguna manera. Realmente se trata de un muy buen thriller lleno de misterio e intriga, siguiendo las reglas de una historia intrigante llena de misterios. Como muchos otros giallos, el título solo es una carnada que sirve para conducir a alguna pista, escena o diálogo que pueda servir como pieza clave para resolver el misterio que ocurre en este tipo de películas. No se puede descartar la banda sonora de Riz Ortolani que logra generar un buen ambiente de intriga y suspenso. Non Si Sevizia Un Paperino es un thriller recomendable para al menos conocer uno de los inicios de Fulci antes de volverse otro icono del terror. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 9/10.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

Full Review

The M

Superb Gallo from horror master Lucio Fulci. May he rest in peace. This movie is a little different from other gallos considering that children are being murdered. the police can't find any suspects in a movie with so many red herrings you almost know who the killer is from the beginning. Great acting, great scenery, and great performances.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

Full Review

marco b

Little boys are being murdered in an isolated Italian village. Not fun for the whole family.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A whodunnit horror film that looks every bit like it was made in the 70s, Don't Torture A Duckling, directed by horror icon Lucio Fulci before he made his mark on the zombie genre, has some interesting ideas, and some remarkable gore effects, but in the end doesn't really amount to much. There's a lot of characters whose names you'll forget, and in the version I watched, which was dubbed rather than subtitled, many of the character's reactions are more laughable than disturbing. Most of the acting is unremarkable, but some scenes are so ridiculously overacted that any seriousness or terror the film was trying to create is immediately nullified. It's commentary on the Catholic Church, and the closed-minded attitudes of people in isolated communities, are the most interesting elements, but both have been done better in other films. If you're a Fulci fan, or are happy to watch any movie that's labelled a horror, then I'd suggest giving it a try. Otherwise, you're missing nothing by giving it a pass.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I went through a giallo fever through the summer of 2019 and I became completely hooked to the genre. I can honestly recommend this film to it's fullest extent. The plot is filled with twists and turns and it grabs the viewer to the screen up until the very final moment. It also touches upon a number of themes in an unexpected and mind-puzzling way such as child abuse, popular trials and private justice, prejudice against those who are different, sexual repression, religious fanaticism, ignorance and close mindedness. What a film!!! I never imagined Italy had produced such a great cinema!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Horrific and gory. Beautiful and sensual.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Lucio Fulci

Director

Florinda Bolkan

Maciara

Barbara Bouchet

Patrizia

Tomas Milian

Andrea Martelli

Irene Papas

Dona Aurelia Avallone

Marc Porel

Don Alberto Avallone

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Synopsis

A reporter and a young woman investigate a series of child murders in a remote town.

Director: Lucio Fulci
Screenwriter: Gianfranco Clerici, Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti
Production Co: Medusa Distribuzione
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 18, 2014
Runtime: 1h 42m

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