Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale The Black Cat, Sergio Martino’s Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is perhaps one of his best known and respected gialli. Irina (Anita Strindberg) is trapped in an isolated country manor with her abusive husband, the struggling writer Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli) who humiliates her during indulgent drunken orgies. When Oliviero’s niece Floriana (Edwige Fenech) comes to visit, things take a new turn, as Irina confides her fears about Oliviero to the younger woman. Meanwhile, a series of grisly murders taking place in the nearby village point in only one direction…
Madness, murder, sex and sensuality all combine in this popular and cleverly constructed giallo. Edwige Fenech is at her best as the “bad girl” who gets between husband and wife, propelling the plot to ever increasing levels of unpredictability. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this film, making it the perfect way to kick off this year’s festival!
