Nasty #3/72
Directed by Giulio Berruti
“From the secret files of the Vatican!” Exclaims the tagline of Deadly Habits aka Killer Nun. That tagline is likely the number one reason Killer Nun made it onto this list. And can we pause for a second to recognize just how shameful it is that Deadly Habits isn’t the default name for this thing? That’s a 5-star pun and it’s receiving 2-star treatment! Simply shameful…
In the most cinematic video nasty on my list so far, vintage cinema bombshell Anita Ekberg plays sister Gertrude, the head nun in a mental hospital who became addicted to morphine after a brain surgery to remove a tumor (or something like that). Her morphine addiction leads to what I can only think to refer to as a mild psychopathy. Erratic behavior, momentary blackouts, and lesbianism. Okay that last one actually seems pretty rad. Lesbian nuns. Nice.
She spirals, but her lesbian nun friend consoles and helps her. Just until she gives the new doctor a blowjob and we discover she wasn’t really a lesbian, but the killer all along! (Spoiling old movies is a deadly habit of mine).
Killer Nun is a trademark nunsploitation, nefariously bundled in folk-horror garb. It gave me much of the same feeling something like The Wicker Man or The Blood on Satan’s Claw would. Though, those are closer to masterpieces than this silly nun film, I feel that they share many tonal similarities.
Loads of fun, and while I’d rather watch Ken Russell’s The Devils for my fucked up nunnery, I wouldn’t kick this thing outta bed.
6/10
Stay Nasty!
-Rat
Spook du jour 