Split Picks: Sergio Martino's 'The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh' Vs. 'Mountain Of The Cannibal God'

Split Picks' Italian horror series wraps up with a classic Martino giallo and a controversial cannibal film. The finale of Split Picks' Italian horror series has arrived, and it closes out with one of our favorite horror directors: Sergio Martino. Martino is another jack-of-all-trades who has worked across genres and in various roles behind the scenes. But his greatest imprint will always be for his stunning work in horror, and his gialli rank among the best of the genre. Jim Hickcox brings his favorite of Martino's gialli, 1971's The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh, starring Edwige Fenech. The classic, twist-filled film offers the perfect opportunity to explore Martino's signature style. Bennett Glace wanted to stray from gialli and chose arguably Martino's most controversial film, 1978'sThe Mountain of the Cannibal God (a.k.a The Slave of the Cannibal God). It stars Ursula Andress (Dr. No) and Stacey Keach as they search for a missing person in a jungle that local lore says is still home to a lost group of cannibals. The Split Picks crew balance the things that make the film worth watching with its undeniably troublesome aspects. They discuss the odd trend of Italian cannibal films, whether Martino's technical proficiency makes Cannibal God feel more cruel than the rougher found footage approach used in other more famous cannibal films, and what it means when a movie breaks all the acceptable barriers of horror.