The Sister of Ursula (1978) User Reviews (24)

Sleazy Giallo

[Prof-Hieronymos-Grost · 6/10 · 19 July 2007]

Two Austrian sisters Dagmar and Ursula Beyne go on holiday along the Amalfi coast in Italy, in the hope of finding their mother, who deserted them when they were young, they have recently inherited some money after the death of their father and want to share some of it with their mother. Ursula is quite a fragile girl though and on medication ever since the loss of her father. She also is somewhat telepathic and can foresee bad events in an instant. They book into a local hotel where Ursula's visions continue, she tells Dagmar her sister to stay clear of Filippo, a man who hangs out in the hotel bar as she says he will cause her death. Filippo is a heroin addict whose lover "Stella Shining" is the night club singer at the hotel, but that relationship is soon in trouble and Filippo makes his move on Dagmar. Meanwhile a masked and leather gloved man hires a local hooker, he wants to be a voyeur while she makes love to another man, she agrees and he hides behind the curtains in her room to watch the proceedings. When the deed is done the stranger savagely kills the hooker. Ursula wakes from her sleep with a scream, as she has felt that something bad has happened, she pleads with Dagmar that they should leave this place before its too late, but they disagree and stay. A young amorous teenage couple are turned away from the hotel and make their bed in a deserted part of the hotel, mid coitus they are interrupted by the killer, who slashes the boys throat before doing heinous acts on the girl. The shocking murders continue in abundance as the frantic search for the killer continues……..

Well what can I say about this little seen Giallo, it is positively the filthiest Giallo I have ever seen, the film is positively verging on hardcore porn, its full of sleazy sex, there is plenty of full frontal nudity, beautiful women in varying degrees of degradation, oral sex, masturbation, including one scene where a gold chain is used, so that the the girl can feel closer to man who gave the gift, lesbian sex, arse licking, I mean this hotel is so full of deviants, that I'm thinking of booking a room myself, not least the killer who uses a large dildo to kill his prey…I'm not kidding. The film itself was made at the end of the end of the great Giallo era and as such was trying to keep the genre fresh by making it more titillating and it that respect it succeeds in bucket loads, but the film is not without its more esteemed merits, Vittorio Bernini's cinematography is excellent and captures the wonderful and stunning vistas of the area perfectly, the hotel and its surrounding buildings were well chosen and give a real feel for the area and add immensely to the atmosphere. The killer's face is never seen, we only see his eyes captured in a beam of light before he kills, it's a cliché but it works really well when accompanied by the sinister score associated with the killer. All in all a much better film that its IMDb rating would suggest and an intriguing entry in the genre, certainly not for everyone though and a caution should be taken by anyone with a sensitive nature. What also intrigues me is that there is supposed to be a mythical hardcore version of this film and if this isn't it, the real one must be off the scale for sleaze.

The Amalfi Coast Is Film's Best Boast, OR Cleave It To Beaver

[ferbs54 · 6/10 · 16 December 2009]

Hey, aspiring filmmakers, here's a tip: If you want to give your picture an automatic 2 stars right out of the gate, shoot it on Italy's Amalfi Coast, a district so incredibly gorgeous that it makes any film look good! Case in point: the sleazy giallo "The Sister of Ursula" (1978), an otherwise tawdry, far-fetched affair whose stunning backdrop (the area between Positano and Amalfi, and nearby Ravello) is its main selling point. In the film, the two Austrian sisters of the title--randy, normal Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario) and fey, unpleasant Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi)--come to a luxurious hotel after the recent death of their father, but at an unfortunate time. It seems that a local whackjob has taken to killing nubile ladies using an enormous, phallus-shaped...oh, I guess I'd better not say...on the gals' northern Virginias (shades of 1971's "What Have You Done To Solange?"). Many suspects abound, including the hotel's handsome manager (Vanni Materassi) and the resident smack-addicted stud (played by giallo vet Marc Porel, a real-life addict himself). The film features copious amounts of male and female full-frontal nudity; tepid, simulated sex scenes (straight couples, lesbians, female masturbation); and even a surprising glimpse of pudendum. As far as violence is concerned, the dastardly deeds are blessedly done offscreen, with only the gory aftermaths on display. The picture also gives us a lush, catchy theme song in Mimi Uva's "Eyes," stylish direction from Enzo Milioni, and very decent acting by the four leads, but the killer's motivation and demise ultimately seem forced and unsatisfying, somehow. In all, a great-looking mixed bag, nicely presented on this Severin Films DVD, with excellent subtitling and a fascinating, 30-minute interview with Milioni himself.

Very Sleazy Giallo With Highs and Lows

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 6/10 · 24 February 2011]

LA SORELLA DI URSULA (aka. "The Sister of Ursula" / "Curse of Ursula") of 1978 is an incredibly sleazy Giallo that is primarily recommendable for its perverted sleaze, beautiful settings and beautiful female cast members. Directed by the rather un-known Enzo Milioni, the film is certainly not a particularly memorable, suspenseful or convoluted example for Suspense-cinema's most intriguing genre, but, overall, the genre-typical combination of sleaze and elegance (the focus is on the sleaze-part in this case) makes it interesting enough for my fellow Giallo-enthusiasts to track down.

The beautiful Austrian sisters Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi) and Dagmar Beyne (Stefania D'Amario) come to Amalfi in Southern Italy in search of their mother, who left their late father a long time ago. Upon their arrival, a prostitute is murdered in a highly perverted and gruesome manner. Ursula, who has been traumatized by the death of her beloved father, seems hostile towards others and is sure that somebody is out to kill her as well...

The film is incredibly sleazy, though not particularly brutal for Giallo-standards. It starts out well, but gets a bit repetitive after a while. In its sleaziness, is sometimes compared to GIALLO A VENEZIA (1979), another incredibly sleazy Giallo made after the genre's heyday (which I would call the years 1970-1975), though that film was arguably the most graphically sadistic Giallo of all. LA SORELLA DI URSULA is far more elegant, however. The coastal small-town Amalfi in Campania, Italy is incredibly beautiful, and a wonderful location for any film, especially a Giallo. The hotel in which most of the film takes place is full of incredibly cool set-pieces. The genre-typical score featuring a mysterious female singing voice is beautiful and supports the film's elegance and eerie atmosphere. The murders are nasty, but not particularly brutal, since the killings as such are not that graphic. There are tons of sleaze and gratuitous female nudity, which is very graphic even for softcore-pornography standards. This is very welcome, since the female cast consists entirely of stunning beauties. The most ravishing woman in the film is Barbara Magnolfi, who will be recognized by any fan of Italian Horror for her supporting role in Dario Argento's masterpiece SUSPIRIA (1977), most likely the most famous of all Italian Horror films. She's also a fine actress, and delivers the most convincing performance here. Stefania D'Amorio, who plays her eponymous sister, is also very beautiful, as are the other female cast members. The male cast includes Cult-cinema regular Marc Porel in a shady role.

Overall, LA SORELLA DI URSULA isn't a must-see, and there are numerous Gialli that should be seen before this one. However, it provides sleazy and elegant entertainment, and while it isn't the most suspenseful specimen of the genre, my fellow Giallo-fans should have a good time watching it. Just don't expect anything on a par with Sergio Martino or Dario Argento.

Scenes from the long, slow death of the giallo

[lazarillo · 13 June 2007]

The Italian giallo eventually suffered a lingering, painful death, merging with the inferior American slasher movies in the 1980's and the vastly inferior American "erotic thrillers" in the 1990's (with which today it is virtually indistinguishable). It was clear though that the rot had set in as early as the late 70's with films like "Play Motel" or this one where the sex and nudity that had always been used to season the genre seemed to become its very reason for being. The only thing that separates a film like this from crappy American softcore porn is its almost cheerful political incorrectness, appalling lapses of taste, and a general paucity of silicone breast implants.

Two sisters with a disturbed past check into a seaside hotel where the guests are suddenly being offed by a killer wielding a most unusual murder weapon, a giant dildo! (Amazingly, this was the second Italian film of 1978, after "Red Rings of Fear", to feature the "death-by-dildo" device). I won't spoil the ending by giving away the identity of the killer, but it pretty much spoils itself within the first ten minutes. This one fails utterly as a giallo (or a real movie for that matter), but I guess it kind of succeeds on the level of softcore pornography--the photography is good, the scenery is pretty, and the score is decent. The actresses are also all pretty attractive, especially the one who plays the lounge singer "Stella Shining" (although I don't know that most guys would want to bury their entire face in her backside like one Italian lothario very graphically does here).

I'd recommend this perhaps for giallo completists (and maybe serious porn addicts), but for everyone else. . .uh, probably not.

You just like being shagged, you bitch!

[lastliberal · 5/10 · 15 June 2009]

Looking for some interesting Giallo and found this. Boy was i disappointed.

If you like smooth skin, silicone-less bobbies, and lots of bush, then you will enjoy the show.

The scenery was spectacular, the sets were exquisite, and the music was delightful, but that was it.

The attacks were really few and far between, as was the sex. It was a lot of talking, and I mean a lot.

Well, I got to see the murder weapon at the end, but it wasn't used in that scene.

The Dildo Killer!

[Superwonderscope · 2/10 · 18 July 2001]

Last Gasp of the Giallo genre by the end of the 70's, "Ursula's sister" will be on top of the list of european trash & sleaze fans. But boy this one was tragically bad & boring.

It's an utterly lacklustre attempt to mix sex & violence. From an uninteresting story (two sisters going on vacation by the sea are fighting over their father & mother relationship while a maniac kills young girls with a huge dildo (!!!!) right after they made love), Enzo Milioni's effort has a reminiscence of Jess Franco's early 70's works (The Bare Breasted Countess or Lady dracula) but with no talent shown. I rarely use my fast forward option on my remote but here I found a pure gem. Neverending dialogues by the sea, uneffective editing killing most of the suspense, cars chases at 50m/h that last at least 4 minutes (even with the beautiful sights of the Amalfi coast)are really too much for me.

Bad acting, bad dubbing... only Barbara Magnolfi seems out of this world, her eyes lost as if she didn't actually realize what she was doing. Even handsome Marc Porel at his worst is in this huge pile of crap.

Except the hotel location and the deep blue sea, it seems obvious that the budget was low, so were the expectations of the producers, I guess. But the TV-like cinematography doesn't help at all.

The only different thing are the sex scenes : they're all on the verge of an hardcore movie. Which is strange for an italian thriller of 1978. But besides the excitement for male straight viewers, it doesn't bring anything to this flick. It's not even titillating as the actresses & actors don't seem to believe in what they do. It's pure Sexploitation and totally useless...and not even fun!

On the top of all this nonsense, the score is simply atrocious. Horrible 70's italian muzak : mix of bad funk and Morriconesque women vocalizing surrounded. The murders scenes (no gore at all, by the way -not enough budget) are mixed with a tremendously funny violin that tones down all the thrill you might get. Oh, and there's the song sung by Yvonne Harlow (what a pseudo!) with the worst lipsync in all movie history. Gotta be seen to be believed.

Sexist stuff & simply trash...Just plain boring & insulting for the viewer.

Superwonderscope says 2

The Sister of Urgh! sul Urgh!

[Bezenby · 5/10 · 3 March 2019]

This would make a nice, if potentially wrist-spraining, triple bill with Play Motel and Giallo E Venezia, as it's another sleazy giallo that spends too much time on the rumpy-pumpy and not enough on the stabby-stabby.

On the Amalfi Coast, two sisters check in to a nice coastal hotel run by the seemingly nice Roberto. Dagmar is the more outgoing of the two sisters to say the least, as other sister Ursula is completely off her trolley. She hates the hotel and everyone in it on sight, including Roberto, club singer Stella Shining, and especially young, handsome guy Fillipo.

That night, a mysterious (gloved and hatted) stranger pays a hooker so he can spy on her getting it on with some guy (in one of many nudie scenes that litter this film). Once she gets rid of her customer, she's murdered by the stranger in a rather unique, and some would say symbolic, fashion. But who is the killer this time? We'll have to spend a lot of time with our various hotel staff/customers and their dark secrets before we find out...

(Deep breath) You see Ursula suffers from some trauma after her mother left her impotent father who then killed himself, leaving Dagmar to look after the ungrateful Ursula. Hotel owner Roberto has an open marriage to his wife, who is getting it on with a young girl called Jenny who also lives in the hotel. Fillipo is a lover of Stella Shining but she doesn't like jealous men and he is also a drug addict. It's like that old soap opera Crossroads, with more full frontal nudity.

The killer doesn't like it when the ladies get it on so they're busy going around killing them and to be honest the police didn't seem that bothered about it when I look back on it. What you have here is a giallo with the emphasis on the sleaze, so the film breaks down every fifteen minutes or so for a love scene complete with sexy saxophone soundtrack. Rather close to the bone, some of it too, if you know what I'm saying (winks like Sid James).

When you watch these things its fun trying to figure out who the killer is but it's not hard to guess here. The Amalfi locations add to the atmosphere, but the mystery of the film won't stimulate your brain, however. The bit where Dagmar uses a gold chain to set off the old fanny bomb might stimulate something else mind.

Nice and sleazy does it every time.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 12 January 2019]

After the untimely death of their father, sexy brunette sisters Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario) and Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi) go in search of their estranged mother, with whom they intend to share their inheritance. Checking in at a luxurious hotel on the Amalfi coast proves to be a mistake when a mysterious killer starts to bump off the more promiscuous guests.

When it comes to gialli, I prefer 'em stylish, mean-spirited and gory, but, failing that, nice and sleazy does it every time. The Sister of Ursula doesn't feature all that much gore (although what there is is fairly shocking) and is lacking the visual verve of Argento or Bava, but it more than satisfies in terms of sex, nudity and general seediness.

Within minutes, delicious D'Amario has delivered the first of many full frontal nude scenes, and the bums, boobs and bush continue right through to the finalé, with virtually every woman baring all for the camera at some point. A hooker has sex with a friend for the pleasure of the killer; hotel owner Vanessa (Anna Zinnemann) has lesbian sex with her lover Jenny; cabaret singer Stella shags hotel manager Roberto; a pair of teenagers strip for sex (before being killed); and Dagmar masturbates with a gold chain while her sister sleeps in the bed next to her. While none of this is hardcore, it's still fairly graphic, with shots of both male and female genitals, some near the knuckle rubbing, and oral sex (a well-placed leg or massive '70s bush preventing it from being too explicit).

The killer's weapon of choice also adds to the sleaziness: a large carved wooden dildo is used to kill the women, resulting in a very messy downstairs department for those concerned. Makes a change from an open razor, I suppose!

Storywise, this one isn't anything special, and the killer's identity and motive probably won't come as much of a surprise, but all those attractive women in the altogether and the generally trashy tone made it hard for me to not enjoy myself.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Why do films this awful keep getting DVD treatments?

[happyendingrocks · 2/10 · 13 June 2009]

Locked away in the vaults of every film studio are negatives from some truly quality horror and cult films that have yet to see a proper DVD release. Serious aficionados are forced to track down bootleg copies that are merely transfers from semi-grainy VHS tapes, which do little to preserve the quality or augment these films with supplemental material, or at least a decent digital remaster. With so many gems left undiscovered by a discerning digital audience, it thoroughly amazes me that something like The Sister Of Ursula was deemed worthy of a DVD makeover.

Though billed as a hybrid giallo/erotic thriller, there are few thrills to be had in this plodding mess of a whodunnit, and with only a few unimpressive scenes that feature any sort of horror element, the spaghetti splatter here is closer to Stauffer's lasagna (although such a comparison is actually insulting to Stauffer's, since their lasagna is loaded with taste, while this film has none).

When you strip away any mystery or horror, what this film does offer is loads of soft-core sex scenes that are graphic enough to skirt the boundaries of even the X rating. So, was there no pornography available in Italy in the '70s? I consider this merely because the only audience this film seems aimed at are fans of graphically displayed and unabashedly lewd sex acts, yet since this film doesn't quite go the XXX distance, it seems silly that anyone in that demographic would seek this out instead of opting for a purely pornographic offering.

As far as smut goes, this is certainly well-made smut, we have to give it that. The cinematography and locations are attractive to look at, as are most of the female actresses, who spend the majority of the film in various couplings and states of undress. However, this also works against Ursula, because since this is a relatively polished piece of film making, it doesn't even have the unintentional humor of ineptness that gives many trashy movies such as this cult following appeal. One definite piece of comedic interest, however, is that the main "steamy" music theme that accompanies each of the sex scenes borrows heavily from "Jingle Bells."

Even the murderer's choice of a giant phallus as a weapon isn't too novel, since while reading up on Ursula I learned that there was another Italian film made before this with a killer that employed the same noteworthy instrument of death. It doesn't help that the unit is carved in the shape of a bearded gnome, either. When all is said and done, and the killer is revealed, the particulars of the murders become puzzling: So, apparently the victims just laid there and allowed themselves to be wooden phallused to death?

Nearly all of the on-screen carnage is displayed through after-reveals, none of which reveal much of anything, so this can't really be recommended to fans of the classic '70s Italian slasher movement. And since we've already established that there's no suspense (the killer practically has the word "psychotic" carved on their forehead), fans of classic thrillers won't find a winner here. (It's worth noting that the trailer advertises this piece as an adult character study of sorts, with only one hint of murders taking place in the film, so the giallo aspects in Ursula were apparently considered irrelevant even to the film-makers).

Which leaves a question far more disturbing than this film: why would anyone pay twenty bucks to preserve The Sister Of Ursula in their DVD library? That one, I can't answer. Besides, I got my copy for around seven bucks, and I'm fairly confident I can get at least that much when I sell this piece of crap back.

Sordid and sleazy...but not really up to much

[The_Void · 6/10 · 15 July 2007]

Well, it's safe to say that The Curse of Ursula isn't the greatest Giallo ever made, but there's plenty of sex and sleaze, and the whole thing is at least enjoyable. The Curse of Ursula came rather late on in the Giallo cycle - in fact, it had pretty much dried up by the time this film came along, and as such; it would seem that writer-director Enzo Milioni was extremely keen to put as much sex and nudity into the film as possible to ensure that people would watch it; and while this sort of stuff isn't really what I watch Giallo for, it doesn't go amiss in a film such as this, which has little in the way of a plot. As the title suggests, the film focuses on a woman called Ursula. Along with her sister Dagmar, she finds herself at a hotel, where the sisters are looking for their mother, believing she has a right to some inheritance left by their father. However, a vicious psychopath, who uses a dildo to murder his (female) victims has also taken up residence at the hotel, and begins dispatching of everyone who has sex...

I had heard that this film was particularly sordid, and while I can certainly see why that is said, I have to say I was expecting more from it...though admittedly, I probably do watch a bit too much of this stuff! Sex fuelled Giallo's got more common towards the end of the cycle, which is unfortunate as the style of the earlier films was lost. As well as the sex, this film also features some pretty gruesome death scenes, which is nice but it does seem like director Enzo Milioni (with his first feature) is trying to force the film down the audiences throats a little bit as everything is completely over the top. The plot takes a backseat to the sex and gore, and typically it is a rather dull affair. There isn't much to it after the foundations are laid down, and while the twist ending isn't too bad; I have to say I didn't really care about it. There is some style in the film, the way we only see the killer's eyes, for example, shows some attempt to build atmosphere, but overall; if you're looking for a great Giallo, you really shouldn't track this one down!

Requiem for a beloved, but dying, sub genre

[Coventry · 3/10 · 6 November 2016]

Even if you only occasionally and/or accidentally stumble upon my profile, you must have noticed already that I'm a huge fan of Italian cult cinema from the '60s, '70s and '80s, and more particularly the so-called "giallo" is my absolute favorite sub- genre. Gialli are violent and often perverted whodunit thrillers from Italy that were tremendously popular from the mid-sixties until approximately the mid-seventies. The sub-genre was more or less founded by Mario Bava with his classics "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" and "Blood and Black Lace", released in respectively 1962 and 1964, but the glorious heydays were between 1968 and 1972, with brilliant highlights from a range of multi-talented directors like Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi and Massimo Dallamano. But then, for some mysterious and incomprehensible reason, the giallo-reign abruptly ended in 1975 and, with the exception of one or two titles, no more decent gialli were made in the second half of the decade. There was a brief revival during the '80s, mainly thanks to Mario Bava's son Lamberto and his handful of good contributions ("A Blade in the Dark", "Midnight Killer", "Delirium: Photos of Gioia") but then the giallo passed away for good. It's most interesting to investigate why exactly the gialli of the late '70s stopped being good, and I think Enzo Milioni's "The Sister of Ursula" is the ideal study object

It seems as if newer and aspiring directors mistook the most important trademarks of the giallo and subsequently enlarged them in the most wrongful and distasteful ways! For instance, gialli have always contained sleazy sex footage and the lead actresses often provided gratuitous nudity, but watching "The Sister of Ursula" almost feels like watching hardcore pornography! There are many extended sex sequences; showing - in great detail - foreplay and both male as female genitalia, and that's really not necessary! Also, in older gialli the female victims were occasionally stabbed in the crotch with a sharp knife, which was ultimately perverse and shocking, whilst here in this film all the victims' intimate areas are sodomized with a big wooden dildo! That's right; it doesn't get any more tasteless than that! The plot and main characters of this late giallo are weak and uninteresting, with several minor stories that are interwoven with each other. There's the principal story of the lovely siblings Ursula and Dagmar arriving in sunny Amalfi to look for the mother that abandoned them when they were still children. They reside at a luxurious seaside hotel, where the lurid manager has an affair with the night club singer and his wife is a frustrated lesbian. Ursula becomes more and more asocial and forbids her sister to date the junkie who always hangs around the hotel bar. Oh yes, meanwhile there's also a mad maniac on the loose who loves to savagely destroy vaginas! Many long parts of the film - including the semi porn - are dull and badly acted. The best aspects and, in fact, the sole reasons to consider checking out "The Sister of Ursula" are the breath-taking Amalfi filming locations and the surprisingly exhilarating musical score.

gorgeous

[nick121235 · 8/10 · 25 February 2021]

This is a great movie for the cinematography alone- it features some of the most gorgeous scenes i've ever seen in a film, ever. Hands down. THe locations, the decor, everything! It's just so luxurious and opulent and beautiful. I guess this is what Howarth meant when he wrote that 'giallo often confuses or replaces the plot with the mise en scene itself'; If only the pacing had been a little tighter to create more tension and the dialogue a little less trite this could have been a truly top tier film. It's sad to see what could have been a phenomenal film reduced to merely pretty damn good but at the end of the day it's one I really enjoyed and will surely watch again.

Twisted Sister - Okay Giallo

[ninjaalexs · 6/10 · 9 December 2023]

Sister of Ursula is a bit of an obscurity. It's not a nunsploitation film as the title suggests. It's a twisted giallo with typical themes of Freudian Daddy issues, a killer with black gloves and some gorgeous locations in Amalfi.

It really ups the sleaze factor with full frontal nudity every 10 minutes and some sex scenes. It's actually low on violence apart from the aftermath of dead bodies which are well worth seeing for shock value. The soundtrack is very good, not up there with those by Goblin, Morricone or Riz Ortolani, but memorable enough.

It's not as jumbled plot wise as "In The Folds Of Flesh", but it's also not as exciting as most Giallo. Beyond the cinematography which is easily as good as anything from the luminaries like Bava, Argento and Fulci it's difficult to recommend other than to Giallo fans who want something a bit sleazy without going into the extremes of "New York Ripper" or "Malabimba" territory.

The film was released uncut 18 by Shameless/Argent Films in the UK for DVD and features a nice print.

Pointless and boring

[martyrittenhouse · 2/10 · 22 June 2022]

Nothing to see here except marginally sexy sex scenes between marginally sexy people. The only thing exceptional is the massively annoying quality of the score.

More exploitation than anything, really.

[TokyoGyaru · 2/10 · 10 April 2022]

I've watched a lot of giallo films, but this is the most exploitative I've seen yet. You want full-body nudity within the first four minutes? You've got it (though the actress is very thin and almost unhealthy looking)! Do you want nudity so gratuitous that they foist it on you more than once when we should be feeling concerned for a woman clearly distressed and having an episode? Here ya go! Do you want tons of female nudity but no equal male nudity? Have some! Do you want a bunch of women who merely serve as vessels for bodily fluids and then victims? Help yourself! This movie is someone getting a bunch of women he deemed attractive to take their clothes off and very poorly simulate coitus under a thin veneer of filmmaking. Also, what fully grown woman sleeps fully nude (and plays with herself) in the same bed as her sister?

It's sexist and stupid, as many giallo are, but at least the others I've see have tension and an actual plot, even the weird ones. This is a loop of a night of murder, the sisters wake up, argue, be rude, endure unattractive, flawed men, rinse, and repeat. Also, the description for the film says promiscuous women were being killed, but how is a 16-year-old girl in love with her boyfriend "promiscuous"? And finally, this movie continues the giallo tradition of having awful, unattractive, abusive or borderline abusive men with women we're supposed to care about, making them even more unpleasant to watch. This is the most softcore adult film masquerading as a thriller that I've ever seen! Oh, and the music is very repetitive! 2 stars for the location.

Sleaze fest

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 22 October 2019]

Quite possibly the worst giallo I've yet seen, THE SISTER OF URSULA is an unusual choice for Shameless Films to release when there are a lot more interesting films out there. It's set in a sleazy, run-down hotel, where a couple of sisters are looking for their missing mother, but the emphasis is not really on this and neither on the usual black-gloved killer just so happening to use a very bizarre murder weapon. Instead the director shoots this like Joe D'Amato, emphasising sex and sleaze at every opportunity. Most of the actresses just do day-to-day stuff in the nude while the camera lingers on, while the regular sex scenes are extremely explicit, go on forever, and border on the pornographic. Don't expect suspense, horror or quality acting here; just mindless titillation.

Doesn't quite know what it wants to be.

[parry_na · 5/10 · 25 August 2018]

I quite enjoyed this rather heavy-handed giallo entry. The direction (courtesy of Enzo Milioni, who also wrote this) veers from beautifully capturing some incredible locations to ham-fistedly inserting close-ups clearly not taken from the scenes they then return to. The score, by Mimi Uva is a mixed bag too - some nice synthesiser sweeps and some less effective moments that occasionally end abruptly as we move to another scene.

In short, you could say 'The Sister of Ursula' doesn't quite know what it wants to be. It is difficult to ignore the distractions of drug-addict Fillipo (Marc Porel, a drug user on both sides of the camera) and some hirsute sexploits, and concentrate on a meandering plot-line with too many characters.

Bad-tempered Ursula is played very well by Barbara Magnolfi. Magnolfi has expressed disappointment with the erotic nature of the finished film, believing it was to be more of a psychological drama. I can only agree really. Ursula's sister is Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario), and the two siblings find plenty of reasons to squabble throughout.

And yet enjoy this I did, with reservations. It's not in the top tier of giallo by any means, but the performances and especially the choice of locations are breath-taking. Equally, there is a certain dream-like atmosphere during much of the latter moments.

Sleazy and dirty giallo - "Giallo a Venezia" is much better.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 6/10 · 13 August 2007]

Barbara Magnolfi plays Ursula,who along with her sister Dagmar checks into a beautiful hotel by the sea in sunny Italy.Soon the guests start to be murdered by an unseen assailant with a dildo.Ursula,being a touch neurotic due to the trauma of her fathers recent death has a bad feeling about the hotel and some of the guests,especially the shady Fillipo,drug addict boyfriend of the hotels resident cabaret star Stella Shining.I must admit that I'm a fan of super sleazy Italian giallos from 70's like "Giallo a Venezia" or "Play Motel",however "La Sorella di Ursula" is the worst of the bunch.The soft-core sex scenes are quite steamy,each one followed by a murder.Still the film is poorly acted and made.Give it a look,only if you are a fan of Italian sleaze.Enzo Millioni went on to direct only two more films after "La Sorella di Ursula" the most notable being "Fuga Dalla Morte"(1989),one of the five films that Lucio Fulci supervised and used the footage from it in "Cat in a Brain".

Filth! Yay!

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 19 February 2020]

After their father's death, two gorgeous sisters - the sensitive Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi, Suspiria, Cut and Run) and promiscuous Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario, Zombie, Nightmare City) decide to escape to the seaside resort town Amalfi. Oh, if they only knew the madness that waited there!

The island is quite literally awash with the wrong guys, the wrong girls, the wrong couples and a killer who tears people apart with the biggest member this side of Incubus. Get ready for a movie that isn't sure if it wants to be sexploitation or giallo but is ready to do everything that it can to entertain you.

Director and writer Enzo Milioni also was behind the Lucio Fulci presented Luna di Sangue. In this movie, he's created a world of pleasure and murder, which at times exists side by side. It seems from the cut I've seen that there may have been even longer - and more explicit - lovemaking scenes.

So who is the killer? Dagmar's new man Filipo (Marc Porel, The Psychic), who just might also be a drug smuggler? The hotel owner (Yvonne Harlow, who claimed to be the great-granddaughter of Jean Harlow)? Perhaps dad isn't quite so dead? Or are the sisters both insane? After all, Dagmar is given to loving herself just feet away from her sister, who hates just about everyone she meets.

According to Milioni, Porel was a drug addict who had earned a bad reputation as an actor. Magnolfi got him hired for the film and he behaved for the entire shoot and ended up getting clean. Sadly, while shooting a commercial in Monaco, he relapsed and overdosed.

Dark psychological obsessions on the bright sunny Amalfi coast

[bbhlthph · 6/10 · 8 April 2010]

The early Italian Giallo (yellow) films first appeared in the 1960's and were erotic thrillers which featured minimal nudity and largely avoided direct horror, but still had arresting and unusual story lines created largely through the complexities of everyday sexual interactions among ordinary people. At this time Hollywood, which had barely escaped from the rigid requirements of the Hayes code, still believed a flash of bare breast guaranteed an erotic film. Later, as North American films matured, the giallos tried to keep a step 'ahead' by an increasing emphasis on nudity and sometimes S & M practices. Eventually, when Hollywood moved to 'slasher' films that showed vastly more nudity as well as greater horror and violence, the giallo films which had remained relatively restrained, began to lose market share; and by the mid 1970's their end was in sight. 'The Sister of Ursula', first released in 1978 is a late film of this genre, I missed its perfunctory first release, and it only became accessible again here after a DVD was released by Severin in 2008. Its director, Enzio Milioni, probably sensing that his opportunity for creating many more films would be very small if 'Ursula' was not a major popular success, clearly decided to stir in everything he could to increase its viewer appeal. This did not work - I gather he only completed two more major films after making 'Ursula', even though the murders were plentiful, the work of a serial killer who used a most unusual murder weapon (No spoilers here - see the other reviews), and there were enough extended nude scenes, some portrayed in near porn style, to satisfy even today's jaded hotel viewers or late night cable TV audiences. I felt these interrupted the story to a point which eventually became very irritating, and overall most viewers have rated this film as inferior to many of the earlier Giallos. But whilst 'Ursula' is a violent story, the actual violence - unlike the eye candy - is not shown, only its consequences. To my mind this brings it much closer to being family entertainment, and ultimately it is still quite an enjoyable thriller with a psychologically interesting story line.

Film Noir is a genre which is certainly not everybody's choice, and 'Ursula' has more sleaze with less satirical bite than many of the earlier giallos. But although it has too many plot holes and is clearly not a great film, 'Ursula' does have a number of other features going for it. It has easily read sub-titles which I find far preferable to the more usual very bad dubbing, and both the characterisation and acting are well above average. It is set in a magnificent period hotel offering a flamboyant art nouveau decor that is a joy to see; as well as interesting classical architecture and plenty of the requisite old stone walls or cellars. I wish a few more film makers would take the trouble to identify locations as good as this before they decide to start shooting. The lighting and the camera work also both earn high commendation. The story takes place on the lovely Amalfi coast of Italy, not far from Capri; and the Mediterranean scenery (for which I am a complete sucker as can be seen from some of my other reviews here) is intensely evocative. I had already reconciled myself to the thought that I would probably never travel in this area again, but after watching 'Ursula' I am already weighing the possibility of changing my mind. What more can an old man want or expect from a movie than this?

stunning vistas

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 14 October 2023]

People do not seem to like this one although they all seem certainly to like the Italian Amalfi coast and the stunning vistas and the pretty villages. I have to say that there are plenty of steps, balconies and little streets so lovely. Actually I also like the ladies and the sex which is really well done and I wouldn't have called it as sleazy but of course the dildo killings I would have. The beautiful, Barbara Magnolfi was in Suspiria (1977) the previously year and with The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) but has very little else for some reason. Stefania D' Amario who plays the sister in this film was also with, Zombie (1979), Nightmare City (1980) and Identification of a Woman (1982). Whether it is down to Vittorio Bernini as the cinematography or as the director Enzo Milioni who also did the story and the screenplay, it looks wonderful, all the time.

Sister of Ursula

[doctorsmoothlove · 6/10 · 17 August 2011]

Several of my friends and I have set out to discover good little-known horror films using DVD rental services. This long, mostly fruitless task has resulted in many nights of tedium but occasionally we'll discover something worthwhile, which, for us, is euphoria not unlike that experienced by treasure hunters. We've made great discoveries like Alucarda, The Legacy, and Blue Sunshine after enduring substantial mediocrity. I personally find it revelatory when I find a film I can enjoy in some capacity even if it isn't a fully satisfying experience.

The Sister of Ursula is such a movie. While it is intended to be a giallo, there are only obligatory inclusions of genre tropes. The film's unique focal points aren't on plot or artful deaths, but we see plenty of the victims and their surroundings before they die. Director Enzo Milioni knows he had no story, so he uses the running time as an excuse to photograph Italy's beautiful Amalfi Coast and its nubile inhabitants.

There's enough nudity categorize the film as soft-core pornography, though most of it isn't exploitative. Ursula's sister Dagmar, for example, is seen wearing a golden necklace to impress a young man at the hotel where the two are staying. After she goes back to her room, we see her masturbating with the necklace, which he complemented. This scene would normally have no relevance, but in the absence of plot, it works nicely as a piece of erotic art. There's a refreshing frankness to much of the movie's nudity that even the classic giallos usually lack.

Unfortunately, some plot is needed to tie up the more tasteful sexy parts. It's a boring cycle that repeats too frequently. As follows: a woman is shown to be naked for whatever reason (if a man is with her, he is stabbed), a masked marauder knocks her out and we see he is holding a phallic object, and then the slain woman is seen bleeding from her vagina. The amusement in these scenes wears off quickly, and they are hardly innovative. Another film from 1978 called Red Rings of Fear or Virgin Killer has the same death-by-sex toy gimmick.

We easily realize Ursula is probably the killer before we're told she is, and we are given an explanation that adds a layer of intrigue to the film. Apparently Ursula's and Dagmar's father disappeared before we met them and Ursula is convinced his spirit tells her to kill sexually active women. So, the film could exist in a hyper-masculine alternative reality where male domination is so severe as to interfere with women's self-identities. Ursula is integrated entirely into this world, and sees its continuation as endearing to the memory of her father. That's why she kills her victims with her phallic sex toy; it's the ultimate expression of male superiority. Father would be proud.

Plenty of contemporary directors should consider remaking this film, and I think Catherine Breillat would be ideally suited to its sensibilities. Then the story could drop the giallo disguise the original is forced to wear.

Recommended

This is an average giallo picture that is a must see for fans of the genre

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 15 May 2023]

The Sister of Ursula (1978) is an Italian giallo picture that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows two sisters whose father recently passed away and leaves them a fortune. They head to the Amalfi coast looking for their mom. They check into the wrong hotel where a serial killer lurks killing female guests. One of the sisters has visions of something being off but the other sister doesn't believe her until the evidence around them is impossible to ignore. Can the sisters work together to overcome the killer?

This movie is written and directed by Enzo Milioni (Luna di sangue) and stars Barbara Magnolfi (Suspiria), Stefania D'Amario (Zombie), Yvonne Harlow (La commessa) and Marc Porel (Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes).

This is one of those giallo pictures that couldn't decide if it wanted to be a slasher or soft porno...so it's both. The cinematography to capture the beautiful Amalfi coast was excellent. In classic giallo fashion this is more about the chase than the actual kills and the horror elements would be a camera following a lady, the camera flashes to the killer's eyes and/ormurder weapon and then a corpse. Almost every victim is a nude woman and the facial expressions of the victims as they were getting killed cracked me up. The sex scenes were solid with strategic camera angles and hilarious background music. There's limited gore but solid character development and a fun killer unveil at the end.

Overall, this is an average giallo picture that is a must see for fans of the genre. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

A shocking ending.

[ttreakle · 9/10 · 21 November 2023]

Well what do we have here. Another hidden gem. Despite all the nudity (which isn't a bad thing) this movie supplied us with a twist ending that I didn't see coming. The characters and acting was very good. The direction was solid and I loved the story. Ursula and Dagmar are great characters in this slasher/horror film. While away on vacation after their father's death they are in fear of a killer who kills women who have lots of sex. So simple but a tremendous treat for all. I wish the movie was a little longer however the running time is sufficient. I definitely recommend this one.

Timothy Treakle.