Lizard is a Giallo that emphasizes the emotional aspects of deception and murder. From the opening scenes, Carol is haunted by disturbing dreams of claustrophobia and lesbian encounters. The party sequence makes effective use of a split screen effect showing the juxtaposition of Julia's care-free life and Carol's disturbance literally side by side. Learning that the real death of Julia Durer matches in specific detail with the death in Carol's dream exacerbates her anxiety and paranoia. Once Carol is suspected of the murder, she continues to be tormented by stalkers, dissected dogs, bats and pipe organs. 

 

 

All of these set pieces help fill the gap left by the absence of a black gloved killer. And while there's still a mystery to be solved, the identity of the killer and the motive tied to Julia Durer's death is fairly straightforward in retrospect. What makes Lizard entertaining (at least for me) is not the final revelation of the killer but all of the misdirection that Fulci employs to lead the viewer down the wrong path. The phone call made to Edmod Brighton by "Mrs. Smith" at the very beginning of the film is the cornerstone of the mystery, but Fulci purposely directs our attention away from it long enough for us to enjoy the film for its surreal and nightmarish sequences. And very much like Argento's Cat o Nine Tails, Lizard is fun to watch repeatedly after knowing the secret and imagining the off-screen actions of the characters.

 

 

The police in Lizard are very straightforward and apart from Inspector Corvin's annoying habit of whistling at the worst possible times, their investigation is portrayed without any humor. At one point in the film, Frank is suspected of the murder and takes a few actions to prove his innocence, but Inspector Corvin is really in control of the investigation and so there is little need for an amateur detective.

 

 

The film lost a whopping 25 points in the staples section. This is a clear indication the Fulci was trying to create something unique while still operating within the confines of the genre. But more importantly, Lizard shows Fulci's progression within the genre from barely compliant (Perversion Story, score 61) to unconventional (Lizard, score 70) to full-fledged Giallo (Don't Torture a Duckling, score 89). While this progression might indicate that Fulci was succumbing to the trends of popular film making, Duckling is still a very unique Giallo and considered by most to be Fulci's crowning achievement.

 

 

But if Duckling is Fulci's best film, Lizard is not too far behind. Fulci's direction is top notch and since most of the cast seems to speak English, the acting/dubbing is better than average. And let's not forget Morricone's fantastic score that combines melodic, surreal and psychedelic themes into a multi-layered musical tapestry. Lizard is a film that no fan of the genre should go without seeing and the obstacle of obtaining a decent copy has vanished with the DVD release by Shriek Show in the US.