Warning SPOILERS!!! Excellent giallo film full of full-frontal nudity, extreme scenes of violence and a corkscrew mystery. In other words, everything we expect from a film in this genre.
Enrico Rosseni (Fabio Testi; CONTRABAND - 1980) a teacher at London's St. Hilda's Catholic Girls School, is having an early morning illicit tryst with eighteen year-old student Elizabeth Seccles (Christine Galbo; LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE - 1974) on a rowboat in a park, when it is interrupted when Elizabeth sees a topless young woman running in fear and the the quick reflection of a knife in the early morning sun, as the killer stabs the young woman between her legs. Enrico thinks it is all in Elizabeth's head, as he saw nothing. Elizabeth is sure of what she saw, but when Enrico refuses to believe her, she leaves on her bicycle and peddles her ass back to her dorm building (with Enrico following her and smiling in his car). Once at his home, Enrico hears on the radio that a young girl was found murdered in the park, but before he can hear any more, his wife Herta (Karin Baal; DEAD EYES OF LONDON - 1961), changes the station. Telling his wife nothing, Enrico drives to the park and is shocked to discover that the murdered girl is Hilda, a student who was a member of his gymnastics team. When he arrives at the school late (telling Herta, who is also a teacher at the school, that his car broke down), Enrico is surprised to see that Police Inspector Barth (Joachim Fuchsberger; SCHOOL OF FEAR - 1969) is waiting in his office to talk to him. Since Hilda was a member of his gymnastics team, the Inspector asks him if there was any trouble in the young girl's life. Enrico says he cannot think of anything, even though Herta looks at him suspiciously and someone is spying on him through an opening in his office door. Enrico then meets Elizabeth and tells her not to say anything to anyone about their affair. Later that day, Herta throws a newspaper at Enrico, the front page showing a photo of him standing on a bridge at the park when he went there earlier to check on the dead girl. Herta now knows that he didn't have car trouble, but how much does she really know?
Enrico has a talk with his gymnastics team, where one student, Janet Bryant (Pilar Castel; BARON BLOOD - 1972), tells him Hilda was troubled, but she doesn't know why. The Inspector, after seeing Enrico's photo in the newspaper, questions him again, only this time he is more assertive, telling Enrico that he is hiding something and, eventually, he will find out what it is. Enrico says nothing and the Inspector leaves his office. We know Enrico couldn't possibly be the killer, because he has an airtight alibi (that he can't tell anyone), so just who is the killer? The Inspector then questions Hilda's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Erickson, asking them if Hilda had a boyfriend. Mrs. Erickson (Maria Monti; NIGHT OF THE DEVILS - 1972) says no, her daughter would have told her and Mr. Erickson (Giancarlo Badessi; CALIGULA - 1979) wants to know if his daughter was raped. When Mrs, Erickson leaves his office in tears, the Inspector tells Mr. Erickson yes, Hilda was viciously raped, with a knife between her legs. The students go to the school's church to confess their sins, as we see someone's POV, spying on them as they confess to Father Webber (Marco Mariani; YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM... - 1972) and Father Herbert (Antonio Anelli; BYLETH - 1972).
Elizabeth sneaks away on her bicycle to meet Enrico at their new love nest, where we notice that she is being followed by someone in a car. When she gets to the love nest (an apartment Enrico rented just for the two of them), Enrico gets a hang-up phone call, which he says must be a wrong number since no one knows they are there. When he gets home, Herta accuses him of sleeping with Hilda, which he flatly denies. They are then paid another visit by the Inspector, who shows Enrico a pen that was found next to Hilda's dead body. When Herta leaves the room, Enrico confesses that the pen is his and tells him about his affair with Elizabeth and what she saw at the park, begging the Inspector not to tell anyone what he just told him, especially his wife.
The killer then strikes again. Janet gets a phone call from the killer who pretends to be Mr. Erickson and asks her to return a book to him that Hilda had. Janet grabs the book and goes outside her dorm building, where the black-gloved killer grabs her (Janet drops her adorable white kitten, who meows at the killer) and throws Janet in the trunk of his car. The next time we see Janet, her feet are tied together, her hands tied behind her back and her mouth is taped, as the killer drags her by her feet through the park, ripping off her blouse (exposing her breasts) and panties (exposing her you-know-what) and then shoving his big knife up her hooch, killing her. Elizabeth wakes up from a vivid nightmare and remembers something important she saw when Hilda was killed. She calls Enrico and tells him to come over (enraging a sleeping Herta) and when he does, she tells Enrico what she saw (a conversation we are not privy to). The next morning, when she finds out what happened to Janet, Elizabeth has a talk with teacher Prof. Bascombe (Günther Stoll; THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY - 1971), who then calls a faculty meeting. Elizabeth tells them that the man who killed Hilda had a beard and wore a long black habit, like a priest. When the school's headmaster, Mr. Leach (Rainer Penkert), asks Elizabeth what she was doing in the park so early in the morning, she replies she was with a boy, which relieves Enrico, who is at the meeting (so is Herta). Mr. Leach then says the boy may have seen something, too, but Elizabeth says no, he didn't even believe her (a not-so-subtle dig at Enrico). Teacher Joseph Kane (John Gayford) asks Elizabeth if she saw the priest's face and she says no (both Father Herbert and Father Webber are at the meeting). After the faculty meeting is over, Enrico thanks Elizabeth for keeping his name out of it and we discover Mr. Leach knows about their affair, telling Enrico he will tell no one else, but he should be more "careful" (Believe me, all these trivial details are important). I know what you are thinking: So who is Solange and what role does she play here? Be patient...
We are then in the girl's shower (lots of gratuitous full-frontal nudity) and someone is peeping on them through a hole in the wall. Elizabeth is in her love nest taking a bath, when she hears someone entering the apartment. Thinking it is Enrico, she invites him to join her. It is not Enrico at all, but the killer, who drowns Elizabeth in the bathtub and makes a hasty retreat (all of it from the killer's POV). Enrico can hide his affair no longer, as the Inspector arrests him and makes Enrico give him a sample of his hair. The school faculty and the newspapers label Enrico a "sex maniac" (Joseph Kane says to the Inspector, "I never did like that Italian!"). Herta wants to talk to the Inspector, but he tells her, at this moment, he is too busy to talk to her, as he is questioning all the male members of the school (He doesn't believe that Enrico is the killer, even though he arrested him to make the public calm down). When Mr. Leach tells the Inspector what Elizabeth told the faculty about the killer being bearded and wearing a long black habit, he gets down and dirty with everyone, including the priests at the school. When Elizabeth's autopsy reveals that she was still a virgin, the Inspector tells Herta, which takes her by surprise (it takes us all by surprise!). The Inspector releases Enrico from custody and he tells Herta that he must find out who killed Elizabeth, Herta vowing to help her husband.
The Inspector, acting on a tip, interrupts a class Herta is giving and asks the girls if they ever saw a priest with a beard. One of the girls, Susan (the prolific Carla Mancini; THE HANGING WOMAN - 1973), tells the Inspector that she saw Hilda and Janet with a bearded priest, but she does not know his name. When the Inspector leaves, Herta grills the students even more, reporting what she learned to her husband. This leads Enrico to a black photographer (actor unknown), who tells him that all the dead girls were customers of his, wanting him to take nude photos of them (as the photographer is talking to Enrico, a completely nude young girl, who is white as a ghost, is waiting for him to take her photo!). The photographer also tells him that he didn't want the girls to end up like "Solange". Enrico asks the photographer who Solange is and he replies that she was "some young chick who disappeared" after he took some nude photos of her. This leads Enrico on a troubling journey on discovering who Solange really is and why her disappearance is related to the three current murders. As in all good giallo films, we discover Solange was involved in something very seedy and she is the daughter of someone very close to Enrico. But who could it be? Is it the peeper, who likes to spy on the girls taking showers? Could the peeper be someone that Enrico is very close to? Or could the person be both the killer and the peeper? And is Solange still alive? I'm afraid I won't say who the killer is or any other pertinent plot points, besides telling you that it leads Enrico on a journey full of dead dogs and even more murders, the killer's name being revealed in this review. The clues are there, so start deducing!
This Italy/West Germany co-production was the first of director/co-screenwriter Massimo Dallamano's (THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY - 1970; THE NIGHT CHILD - 1975) intended "schoolgirls in peril" trilogy, his second film in the trilogy being WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS? (a.k.a. THE COED MURDERS - 1974). Unfortunately, Dallamano was unable to direct the third and final chapter of his trilogy, as he died in a car accident in Rome in 1976. The film was eventually made, after his screenplay was reworked (he gets a co-screenwriter credit), as (RED) RINGS OF FEAR (1978), directed by Alberto Negrin. Fabio Testi also appears in that film, only this time he was upgraded to Inspector. This film has a very complex plot (based, in part, on Edgar Wallace's "The Clue Of The New Pin"), but it is never boring, thanks to a cast of pros (Joachim Fuchsberger appeared in many of West Germany's Edgar Wallace mystery films of the '60s as a law official) and Dallamano's tight direction. Some critics complain that the film is too long (at 103 minutes), but the screenplay, by Dallamano and Bruno Di Geronimo (FLAVIA THE HERETIC - 1974), details Enrico's long journey on discovering the truth and the toll it takes on everyone's lives, time needed to peel back the layers of the story and uncovering the truth. And Dallamano delivers a great giallo film that contains all the ingredients we demand from this genre, namely an unknown black-gloved killer, plenty of eye-opening female nudity, lots of sex and violence and a crackling good mystery. Dallamano was a talent who died way too soon. I wonder how many good films he would have made if he didn't pass on at the age of 59. Also helping this film are Aristide Massaccesi's (a.k.a. "Joe D'Amato") dream-like photography, shot just before he would direct his first film, DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER (1973) and Ennio Morriconi's (SPASMO - 1974) haunting music score, filled with a female chorus harmoniously chanting. Once you hear it, you will never forget it, just like the film itself.
Filmed as COSA AVETE FATTO A SOLANGE? (a literal translation of the review title), this film received a U.S. theatrical release under the review title and as THE SCHOOL THAT COULDN'T SCREAM by Hallmark Releasing, who also released it as TERROR IN THE WOODS, BLOOD RELATIONS and the unbelievable title THE RAH RAH GIRLS! I can find no legitimate U.S. VHS releases on this film under any title during the 80s & 90s, just from gray market sellers such as Sinister Cinema and CineFear. This review is based on the uncut, anamorphic widescreen DVD released by Media Blasters/Shriek Show in 2002. It looks and sounds terrific for a DVD released early in the New Millennium, but it is low on extras, just some trailers and an art gallery of posters and lobbycards for this film. The DVD does come with a nice booklet (remember them? Be aware that Arrow Video has released a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack of this film that is heavy on exclusive extras. Arrow is also releasing a combo pack of Dallamano's second film in the trilogy (At the time of this review, it is due to drop in August 2018), which I have pre-ordered (look for a review shortly). If I love this disc (which I know I will), I will purchase Arrow's release of this film, so look for an amendment to this review describing the extras. Look for Joe D'Amato in a quick cameo as a C.I.D. officer. Also starring Claudia Butenuth, Vittorio Fanfoni (EYEBALL - 1975), Giovanna Di Bernardo, Antony Vernon, Emilia Wolkowicz (THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER - 1963) and Camille Keaton (TRAGIC CEREMONY - 1972; I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE - 1978) as Solange. The edited theatrical version was Rated R, but this uncut version is Not Rated.
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Reviews with images
I Won't Tell You What They Did To Solange, But It Was Horrible!
"What Have You Done To Solange?" is one of the greatest entries in the Italian Giallo genre. It has everything that a giallo should have including a suspenseful, intricately woven plot: A black-gloved killer is stabbing to death beautiful girls at a Catholic high school in London. How are the deaths connected? Most importantly, who is the mysterious Solange and what happened to her? If you like movies centered around vigilante justice or revenge, you will enjoy this feature from director Massimo Dallamano (who also directed the sequel, "What Have They Done to Your Daughters?") "What Have You Done to Solange" has a great cast of actors that includes Italian hunk Fabio Testi who is the star of numerous crime dramas and Italian Spaghetti Westerns (Lucio Fulci`s "Four of the Apocalypse"); Testi is a teacher at the high school and is the number one suspect. He is having an affair with one of his pupils, Christina Galbo. (Galbo is one of my favorite euro babes. She is the star of such Spanish horror fare as "The House That Screamed" and "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie;" she also starred in the Italian giallo, "The Killer Must Kill Again.") A young, child-like Camille Keaton (niece of Buster Crabbe) is Solange; she later became the star of the notorious "I Spit On Your Grave." A haunting score is provided by Ennio Morricone who has provided the scores for over 400 movies in his long, illustrious career. (Read the collectable booklet that is inside the DVD case.). Despite the beautiful scenery, the film is dark and depressing. The ending is tragic and will stay with you long after the movie is over. It reminded me of the ending for "Watch Me When I Kill," another giallo favorite of mine involving revenge. If you enjoy gialli that take place at a private girls' school, you will also want to see Narcisco Ibanez Serrador's uncut masterpiece of "The House That Screamed" (not the Elvira version) and Antonio Margheriti's "Naked You Die." Shriek Show, as always, has done a wonderful job of restoring "What Have You Done To Solange?" My only regret is that it doesn't contain the original Italian audio with English subtitles. The Amazon listing is wrong. At the price of $24.95, you think it would have. Shriek Show's release of "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin" had the Italian audio with English subtitles. "What Have You Done To Solange" is highly recommended for anyone who loves Italian gialli. In my opinion, it ranks up there with Dario Argento's "Deep Red," Emilio Miraglia's "The Red Queen Kills 7 Times," and Sergio Martino's "Torso."
Top reviews from other countries
Norberto Fedele
Cult assoluto del thrilling italiano in un'edizione da non perdere
Reviewed in Italy on July 27, 2020