After a Texas Chainsaw style title card proclaiming the film is based on fact, a brutal confessional session (with a director cameo), and some synchronized nun activities, we are introduced to Sister Gertrude ( Anita Ekberg ) the head nurse at a church-run hospital for the elderly. Gertrude apparently has had a long respected career in the establishment, but lately, she has started to become erratic and unreliable. She recently survived a successful surgery to remove a tumor, and while the doctors claim she is as cured as possible, she continues believing herself sick to the point of mania. Her relationships within the hospital begin to strain, as she butts heads with the lead doctor ( Massimo Serato ), demands to receive treatments for her perceived disorders, and her quality of work declines. It soon becomes unbearable when her bout of hypochondria begins to evolve itself into cruel actions towards the elderly patients and staff, and she develops a healthy morphine addiction. At one point, Gertrude destroys an old ladies dentures by stomping them into dust in front of her, and later she sneaks out at night engaging in anonymous sex with a man in a bar. Desperate, she contacts the Mother Superior ( Alida Valli ) and asks for help but only receives the advice that “nuns are meant to suffer”. The only person who seems sympathetic to her plight is her roommate ( Paola Morra ), who seems to like to watch her sleep and hates clothes. When patients start dying off in mysterious ways, everybody, including herself begins to suspect Gertrude may have something to do with it. Bodies start to pile, and she is left with visions of the murders --but is wounded Sister Gertrude truly the lunatic running around killing old people? I mean she is crazy ( and the old lady she de-toothed shortly after suffered a heart attack and died-- so yea ). But is there another more secretive crazy nun running around, or has she just tapped some kind of murderous autopilot?

As the introduction notes, the story is supposedly based on the true story of a Belgium sister who ran around a retirement home for a while killing patients and jacking their shit. From what I can tell (and I'm nowhere near an expert here), there was a nun/nurse named Cecile Bombeek who was said to have committed similar acts and had been arrested the year before the movie’s release. Cecile (also known as Sister Godfrida) had also changed drastically after having a successful brain tumor removed, went on to kill an unknown (>30) amount of people and dealt with a morphine addiction. There was also reported rumors of sordid affairs with other staff, but actual sources for the accounts seem a little scarce , mostly coming back to an article published in Time Magazine on March 13, 1978 titled CRIME: The Nun’s Story.

The film was originally denounced as a Section 2 “ Video Nasty ” by self-appointed UK brain-cop Mary Whitehouse . It's not as visually brutal as some on the list, so I'm guessing that this had more to do with the subject matter (Whitehouse was definitely the religious type of nutbag). Killer Nun differs from the majority of its nunsploitation peers by taking place during the (modern) 70s as opposed to using the medieval era setting. Also, there is a noticeable lack of the Women in Prison cliches and/or supernatural elements that a lot of the subgenre employs. The film could easily be classified as a giallo mystery instead and puts stock in that style of an atmosphere. It's a story of psychological horror and intends to keep the viewer in doubt as to the killer's identity. As solely a giallo flick though, it would fall a little flat without featuring the truly creative kills that would rank it high within the genre. The story is heavily built around mental stability and makes several allusions to the slow but definite loss that comes with age. The references to fleeting mental states, among other things, hint at deeper meanings but never go for the critique of faith nearly as much as other sleazy nun flicks. It's not really a scary movie (unless you think about getting old too long), but mostly a fun, silly but fucked up ride. The film still takes itself very seriously at all times but moves the grim story at an engaging pace. Common nunsploitation and giallo cliches pop up throughout Killer Nun, but the blend is one of a kind. It's possible that those looking for true examples of either may be disappointed, but in its failure, it is much more memorable than some of the more cookie cutter entries. It never really hits the terror or erotic notes it reaches for, but I find myself rooting for Sister Gertrude every time, crazy murderer or not

Most of the film is shot beautifully. The director Giulio Berruti creates almost stand-still shots worthy of paint at times, before breaking them apart for mean-spirited entertainment and contractual T and A. The film is made from shades of white and bright lighting, but it manages to hold to a consistent definition in its picture. It uses the bleached palate to create near optical illusion from hallways and rooms filled with draped sheets. The editing keeps the integrity of the shots, for the most part, and keeps the film moving at somewhat energetic speed. It brings with it a pretty snazzy soundtrack that moves from light church inspired tunes to Outer Limits-esque laser synth and even starts nearing catchy hippy jams. Like giallo films, it uses mostly the obstructed or odd angles on the kills to keep things mysterious, and in doing so creates a dream-like feel for the violence. Despite its comparatively restrained nature, it still features a few awesomely gruesome moments, including a large needle being shoved into a closed eye. Possibly because of their sparsity, the gore effects look adequately realistic and avoid the extremely bright red blood of similar films. Voice dub on the English versions I have seen leaves little to be desired but might be magnified by the quality of acting.

Killer Nun (aka Suor Omicidi) is blasphemous sleaze all the way, and as a bonus, it's fucking beautiful. It's not quite the blend of the giallo and nunsploitation you’d think you could get, but it's a great watch just the same. It makes an enjoyable slight break from the norm during a woman of the cloth themed movie night, while still checking all the boxes. I don't truly know why nuns make for great trashy movies, they just do. I'm sure there are some who would disagree, even passionately. If you are in fact one of these people-- write to let me know (in detail), because for whatever reason, knowing someone takes offense has a little something to do with my enjoyment. Just be warned I may not wear pants when I read it. People are strange.

1h 25min | 1979

Director: Giulio Berruti

Writers: Giulio Berruti, Enzo Gallo, Alberto Tarallo





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