The Whip and the Body (1963)

My take: An interesting spin on the classic ghost story. Worth watching, especially if you like Italian horror.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

I’m starting to see why people like Italian horror movies. After having watched Castle of Blood and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, a pattern is becoming evident. Those Italians pushed some boundaries. I don’t know how they got past the censors with some of these films. The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and Castle of Blood both had elements of necrophilia. Now, with The Whip and the Body, we are getting a sadomasochistic love story. This isn’t something you see everyday.

The Whip and the Body (La frusta e il corpo in the original Italian) stars Christopher Lee as Kurt, an estranged son returned home. He claims to be back to congratulate his brother on his recent marriage. But he has actually returned to reclaim his title, claim his right to inherit his father’s property, and to steal away his brother’s bride, Nevenka.

He manages to get away with the latter in a graphic beach scene between Kurt and Nevenka that involves some whipping and the implication of some very hot sex.  The next morning, a servant finds Nevenka unconscious on the beach, and Kurt is found dead in his room, stabbed.

Nevenka awakes from her unconscious state but slowly begins to believe she is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. She sees him in the shadows of her room, finds footprints leading from the window, and feels the sting of his whip.

I liked this movie for the same reasons I liked The Horrible Dr. Hichcock. The story was unique and contained subject matter than you rarely see in films from this era. Adding sadomasochism to the plot managed to make a basic ghost story feel fresh and interesting.

I’d recommend this movie to fans of Italian horror, Christopher Lee and haunted castle movies.

I ordered a DVD via Amazon, but you can also find the movie online. I could not find a trailer on YouTube in English, but here is one in the original Italian: