Thriller: A Cruel Picture DVD Review

Young Madeleine (Christina Lindberg), is raped in the park by an old vagrant and the trauma leaves her mute. Now she is in her early twenties, a very introverted young woman working on her doting parent’s farm. She's sent for regular counseling sessions in the nearby town, when one day she misses the bus and accepts a lift from smooth talking Tony (Heinz Hopf), who takes her back to his apartment and spikes her drink. He keeps her there for several weeks, pumping heroin into her until she's heavily addicted and tells her she will die without her daily fix. Now dependant on the drug, and Tony for her supply, Madeleine is forced into prostitution. She attacks her first client, ripping his face with her nails. Tony punishes her by piercing her eyeball with a knife. She gives in and begins a daily routine of servicing both male and female clients. When she hears of the death of her heartbroken parents, she sets about preparing herself for revenge by taking shooting, driving and Karate lessons.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture is a fascinating 70's rape revenge movie, but unlike many others in the genre it’s also a very classy film. the beautiful Christina Lindberg, silent throughout the whole film, portrays wonderfully the transformation of Madeleine from a shy, doe-eyed farm girl to an eye-patch wearing killing machine. The film is notorious for it's hardcore sex scenes, but the explicit penetration shots, combined with jarring music, emphasise Madeleine's suffering and constant abuse. The infamous eyeball scene, rumoured to be shot with a real corpse, is stomach churning in it's realism. The fight scenes are all shot in slow motion, which add a surreal quality to the film, this combined with some gorgeous outdoor shots of Sweden in autumn make for a visually stimulating experience. A true cult classic.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture. 1974

Directed by Bo Arne Vibenius