Monster, The (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Luigi ZampaRelease Date(s)
1977 (October 20, 2026)Studio(s)
Cineriz/Rizzoli Film (Radiance Films)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
Luigi Zampa’s Il mostro (The Monster) is a creepy, but comedically playful film. Bottom feeding journalist Valerio Bargozzi (Johnny Dorelli) works in the basement of his publisher’s office. He’s the “agony aunt” answering letters for the paper’s advice column. He’s so low on the totem pole, his office is situated right outside of the bathroom. In his spare time, he writes crime novels, verbally spats with a surly wife that he’s actively separating from and takes his son out to the movies and sporting events. He’s also a very terrible person. In every way. He’s nasty to everyone, has no redeeming qualities and, as we quickly find, is a huge opportunist. One day, while going through his Dear Esmeralda letters he finds one from someone calling themselves “The Monster” stating that a popular kid’s show host is going to die. He calls the cops, lets them know, they log it as a crank call, and he heads to the studio to warn the host just to be safe. But it’s too late—the host is dead and Bargozzi’s life will never be the same. More people start to die, each after a letter and quickly turning his connection to a serial killer into a lucrative deal for the paper, Bargozzi turns out to be a master manipulator climbing the publishing ranks and leaving his office outside the shitter far behind him. The cops smell a rat, his wife still hates him, the publisher’s son loves the numbers these exclusive murder stories are bringing in, and his son is excited that the money coming in will mean he can finally live with his dad and get far away from his mom who spends her nights carousing, and sees the boy as a burden. Bargozzi isn’t the only terrible person in this film—everyone in this film is just awful; his colleagues, the cops, the beautiful singer Dina who finds his notoriety sexy... everyone. Soon, more than a few people in Bargozzi’s orbit are found dead and it’s making more sense that he might not just be a monstrous person—maybe he’s The Monster.
The Monster isn’t one of the best 70s crime thrillers out there, but it’s good, it works and it’s entertaining. It features a top-notch performance from Johnny Dorelli as Bargozzi. Known more for crooning and lighter comedic fare, Dorelli’s solid turn in this film playing one of the world’s biggest assholes, is pure fun. As dark as the film is, there’s an edge of comedy to it on a few fronts, but one I don’t see a lot of commentary on is the word play aspect regarding the subject of the film.
Radiance brings The Monster to Blu-ray with a 2K restoration with digital clean-up framed in 1.85:1 at 1080p. The transfer looks good, the clean-up removes any distractions contained in the source print (scratches, dirt, etc.) showcasing a clean image with nice colors, solid blacks and realistic skin tones. Sound is a solid LPCM mono track in Italian that serves the dialogue and Ennio Morricone’s score well. Extras include a video interview with Italian film expert Richard Dyer (expertly titled Richard Dyer on The Monster) that goes into the many meanings of the title, the cast, its place in giallo and info about the cast and crew. There’s a documentary titled Head Bent Forward that was on an Italian Blu-ray release of the film made up of interviews with actress Sydne Rome (Dina), actors Renato Scarpa (one of Dorelli’s colleagues Livraghi) and Enzo Santaniello (Dorelli’s son Luca) and make-up artist Pierantonio Mecacci. It’s in Italian and an informative watch. Finally, there’s a commentary track by giallo experts Rachael Nisbet and Peter Jilmstad and the film’s trailer. Inside the packaging is a worthwhile linear booklet featuring an essay, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Giallo in Film and Television: A Critical History, and Il Mostro Interviews featuring archival interviews with Luigi Zampa and Johnny Dorelli, selected and presented by Curti.
The Monster is an entertaining Italian thriller with a lot to say. The performances are great across the board, and it’s solidly directed by Zampa. The resolution is a bit of an “eh” which could have been a film ruiner, and it says a lot about how much the overall film works before we get there that the ending doesn’t ruin the whole experience. It doesn’t and that makes The Monster worth recommending.
- Todd Doogan