The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh

A woman returns to Vienna after a year in New York with her new husband, and her life is turned upside down by a series of encounters with a new lover, an old lover with whom she had a sadomasochistic affair (her "strange vice" is violent sex), and a razor wielding killer. A twisting and suspenseful giallo with an excellent score and plenty of blood, plus the lovely Ed Fenech in all her naked glory. The ending is pretty preposterous and doesn't make much sense, but that's par for the course.

Lots to like here, and a further indication that Martino's early back catalogue is worth checking out. This is a stylish little oddity, perhaps not quite as well crafted as some of, for example, Bava's work, but this is worthy nonetheless. There is plenty of character in the cast, and it's easy to see why Miss Fenech was so popular back in the day. Crimson blood arcs split the screen and gratuitous nudity provides relief from some of the wacky plots at the root of the film. Worth seeing.

A solid giallo, but not much more. The character relationships are all a bit thin, particularly given how much time the film spends on them, and the visuals are a step below the better giallos, but it still works out compellingly enough. I like the conclusion, but not so much the way it's executed.

There are some really nice shots, and while the kills might be somewhat below par, Martino delivers suspense in spades and teases us effectively about who might be behind the murders.

Decent giallo with all the requisite plot twists, black gloves, and naked Edwige Fenech. The bloodshed is a bit less visceral than usual, and there's more attention to the increasingly blurred lines between feverish memories and reality. Despite that, it's never difficult to follow.

A nice giallo with a confusing plot. Lots of boobs and slashers lurking in the dark. Fav scene: shower killing and the camera turning as the killer escapes.

I didn't expect much from this film given its relative lack of recognition. But it turned out to be one of the better giallos I've seen. The pacing was spot-on, the characters felt like human beings, the story kept me involved, and the plot kept me guessing. There were a few too many twists for my liking, but the eventual outcome remained satisfying. A very solid entry into a little-appreciated genre.

Worth watching for the garden scene alone. Kind of drags towards the end. Edwige Fenech is really good in this and I've liked the three movies I've seen from her so far.

it's a lot of different elements that are great separately, I just don't think the sum of its parts is greater than those parts individually. but they're still some great fucking parts. and Fenech is a goddess.

O Estranho Vício da Senhora Wardh estreava há 50 anos na Itália. Tem que mostrar esse filme para as meninas desde criança para ensinar simbolicamente como funciona o patriarcado e a cumplicidade masculina na vida de uma mulher. Box Versátil Giallo Volume 1.

As with many giallos, I feel rather indifferent towards this. There was some neat cinematography- a cut from one kissing montage to another in a different location, a POV shot of falling out of a tub, etc. As is to be expected, lots of nudity from all females involved, which I guess is neat. The plot is meh & renders almost all characters unlikeable by the end, so I didn't care much for them. Overall, just another okay watch for me. I never get tired of seeing the 70's in living color, though.

I found this pretty badh.

Excellent giallo with a twist i never saw coming.

One of the best Gialli. Stylishly shot and skillfully directed by Martino - e.g. the garden scene rivals Argento, Fenech is stunningly beautiful, Rassimov is delightfully sleazy and Hilton has the right balance of a romantic lead with possibly a dark side. Music is haunting and Vienna locations add their own flavor. However, this re-watch made it clear that it loses steam after location shifts to Spain, and the reveal is not on par with other aspects, even if it's a plausible one in the genre.

Great soundtrack by Nora Orlandi.