There’s something about watching The Sweet Body of Deborah that gives me a strange sense of deja vu. The film’s credits include names like Carrol Baker, Jean Sorel, George Hilton, Ernesto Gastaldi, Lucio Martino, and Nora Orlandi. But this Giallo from 1968 appears in the canon years before these combinations of actors and filmmakers would work together again in films like So Sweet… So Perverse, Perversion Story, A Quiet Place to Kill, and The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardth.

Trying to understand the full impact of this film genre 50 years after its heyday is problematic. Most of us have been introduced to the Giallo film after falling down the rabbit hole of American slashers, Italian zombie films, and the major works of Dario Argento (i.e. Suspiria and Deep Red). We don’t really watch these films in chronological release order but rather in a combination of popular ranking and home video availability. As a result, it’s initially difficult to understand who set the trends and who copied them.

During my third time through this film I started noting how many characteristics it shared with Umberto Lenzi’s So Sweet… So Perverse. Not only do both films share some of the cast and crew, but the stories are so similar that both films feature a suspenseful “mortal confrontation with a switchblade” scene where the result is obscured by furniture and darkness. This made me start to think differently about how much influence these directors had over their films compared to the writers and producers.

Ok, great! Everyone borrows from everyone else. What a shocker! So how’s the film?

Actually, it’s pretty damned entertaining once you eschew all the historical baggage I just brought up. The production values are a step up from the films that preceded it, and out of all the male counterparts to Carrol Baker I like Jean Sorel the best. The pacing is a bit slow but the film is brilliantly photographed with stunning exterior shots in Geneva and Nice, and Nora Orlandi’s dreamy jazzy soundtrack is a fantastic accompaniment. The film also contains some odd fashion decisions and let’s not forget about the most cringeworthy game of twister ever filmed!

Considering the almost complete lack of murders, the film does well on the Giallo Score wracking up 60 points. Director Romolo Guerrieri has another Giallo (The Double, also with Jean Sorel) attached to his name, which helped this film break through the 50s. It’s also one of the first films of the proto period that I remember getting a point for “taunting”.

Of all the sexy thriller Gialli from the late 1960s this one might be my favorite, with Lenzi’s A Quiet Place to Kill coming in at a close second. But regardless of my preference, The Sweet Body of Deborah is a must-see for any serious fan of the genre. The narrative and visual trends explored in this film would be replicated many times over as the Giallo continued to evolve.