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Oasis of Fear AKA Un Posto ideale per uccidere AKA An Ideal Place to Kill AKA Dirty Pictures AKA Deadly Trap AKA Meurtre par intérim (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Shameless Screen Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Rick Chrzon (20th May 2025). |
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The Film
 From cult maestro Umberto Lenzi — the notorious architect of Italian shock cinema behind depravity classics like ‘Cannibal Ferox’ and ‘Almost Human’ - comes the long-neglected, provocative home-invasion thriller OASIS OF FEAR, where Lenzi expertly balances explicit shocks with genuine suspense. Cool, calculated, and chic. "A steamy, boundary-pushing story!" reveals Ornella Muti, the ever-mesmerising Italian screen icon (Princess Aura in Flash Gordon) in a revelatory new interview exclusive to this release. "Lenzi captures how rapidly society was changing, the freedom and the danger that came with it." Sizzling with magnetic performances, OASIS OF FEAR stars the luminous young Muti and dashing cult favourite Ray Lovelock as free-spirited hippies funding their Italian adventure by selling provocative photos of themselves. When the police shut down their operation, they seek refuge in a secluded villa owned by Barbara (Irene Papas, ‘Zorba the Greek’), a wealthy widow whose sophisticated charm hides sinister intentions. What begins as a flirtatious ménage-à-trois spirals into a claustrophobic psychological power game — where tensions, hidden motives, and shifting loyalties lead to blackmail, threats, and ultimately, murder. Set against the sun-drenched backdrop of 1970s Italy, OASIS OF FEAR captures the reckless freedom and growing darkness of an era on the edge - think: the horror of the Manson murders (as reimagined by Tarantino in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, but stripped of comedic relief). Also known, very appropriately, as ‘AN IDEAL PLACE TO KILL’ and ‘DIRTY PICTURES’, this Full 1080P HD presentation — newly restored in 2K from the original negatives — finally revives the lush cinematography and infectiously catchy pop soundtrack of this rarely seen gem. One of Lenzi’s most daring and stylish works, OASIS OF FEAR stands as a quintessential piece of provocative 1970s Italian exploitation cinema!
Video
Lenzi's unusual giallo has an unloveable, selfish, self-centred young couple selling pornographic magazines to make money to fund their travels and when they sell out of their stash of mags they take mucky pics of themselves doing the wild thing and sell those instead. It's hard to believe that porno mags would've had such currency in 1971; the original idea was to have them selling drugs which would've been more believable. It's a stylish, well-made film although it wouldn't get made today as leading lady Ornella Muti was a mere fifteen when she entered production (in February 1971) turning sixteen around the time it wrapped, which makes her nude scenes somewhat uncomfortable (a mixture of her and a double, ditto established actress Irene Papas). I guess back then the world was much less concerned by these things. It's a stylish, well made, well played film But fairly predictable. Whatever one makes of the film itself, it's been beautifully restored in 2K from the Techniscope 2-perf negative. Normal 35mm film is 4-perf(orations) and has twice the amount of film area per image. This 2-perf transfer still looks very strong with plentiful detail, closeups are striking, colours (especially reds) are strong with a mild yellow bias; flesh-tones range from ruddy to pale according to complexion and are realistically presented. Grain is constantly part of the texture and is well handled by the encode; not a speck on the print, pristine. Black levels and shadow detail are satisfying with supportive contrast. This is not to say there isn't some softness (in general, softer in opticals and transitions), but that's par for the course for a film in this format and vintage. A strong transfer ('A-'). The film is presented in its integral version which adds some unique footage from the both English and Italian versions so a couple of moments here and there have subtitles for Italian dialogue that was never recorded in English. 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 2.39:1 / 89:43
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English (Italian soundtrack), English HoH (English soundtrack) Both soundtracks sound about the same in terms of their dynamics. Basic, low range mono tracks that get the job done professionally and well for the film and the era in which it was made. Dialogue is loud and clear as is the score which is filled with it's sung theme tune in instrumental version as well as sung by different artists in differing styles (the opening is star Ray Lovelock). Sound effects land well, but the main aim of the track is to ensure dialogue clarity. There's some mild analogue hiss but it's not much. The film is mostly shot in English and it's that track that has Papas' real voice. Both versions of the subtitles are excellent (overall 'B').
Extras
"The Porn Smugglers" 2019 featurette featuring a 2007 interview with Umberto Lenzi (23:47) "Postcards from the Set: Ornella Muti on the Filming of Oasis of Fear" 2025 interview (21:15) Both are presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with uncompressed Italian LPCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 24-bit) with optional Italian subtitles. Lenzi kicks off by stating that Oasis of Fear was a film that went from good to bad during production. He started out wanting to make a film like Easy Rider (1969) about two drug dealers smuggling from Denmark to Italy but producer Carlo Ponti didn't like the drug angle and so it became porn smugglers instead and Lenzi feels that this change ruined the film and it became a series of compromises. He talks about how he found Muti, liked working with her and the complications involving the nudity as he says she was 17.5 and under age (she was 15 when the film started) so they used a double for the shots of breasts etc (you don't see her face in the same shot). We also hear about how Ponti wanted Carrol Baker but because Lenzi had already done some films recently with her he didn't want to "be a valet for a Hollywood actress" so Muti it was. When another actress dropped out they cast Irene Papas but she wouldn't do nudity so more doubles had to be used. He feels that the film has some good points like the cinematography, excellent sets and locations, he likes the ending and the dark tone; it's popular with fans. Ray Lovelock was a favourite and Lenzi made several more films with him. We also hear about some of his other films. Muti talks about Oasis of Fear being her third or fourth film, about being young (she says 16), that porno mags were hard to come by at the time (hence their use in the plot), about her fine working relationship with Lenzi at a time when she was a greenhorn in the business (he was calm and sweet), working with Papas and Lovelock. She lost touch with Lovelock but kept in touch with Papas and worked together again on Chronicle of a Death Foretold. She had a very tight contract which governed what was and wasn't shown in the nude scenes. Most amusing is her stories of rehearsing the scene in the sex shop, which was real, and because she was underage they covered up things shoe shouldn't see with white discs. But, when shooting for real, off they came and it kept throwing her off because she was very young and hadn't seen such things! Legacy Trailer (4:09) Vintage trailer presented in 1080p24 2.39:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 1.0 (48kHz, 192Kbps )with no subtitle options. The Wilson Brothers Trivia Subtitle Track Leisurely information trivia track, that's worth switching on. It's filled with plenty of fascinating trivia although it's not constant. That said, I wouldn't describe Umberto Lenzi as an auteur; he was more of a commercial director who would flit from genre to genre according to the whims of the market rather than an auteur in the vein of Dario Argento, who focussed much more on a specific genre. Startup Trailers (4:21): - Almost Human (0:58) - All the Colours of the Dark (1:12) - Cannibal Ferox (1:09) - The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1:00) A cadre of newly created promos in 1080p24 in both 2.39:1 and 1.85:1 with uncompressed English LPCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 24-bit) Comes with: - A reversible cover with choice of artworks. - A card outer sleeve. What is says in the tin. The outer sleeve has the new key art, the sleeve two vintage artworks, one in .english and one in Italian.
Packaging
Clear slimline BD Amaray Keepcase.
Overall
Umberto Lenzi's uneven giallo gets a nice special edition in Shameless Screen Entertainment's "Shameless Restored Edition" range. The main problem I have always had with the film is that the leading characters are so unlikeable it's hard to become invested in their journey. But, the film has always looked and sounded great with attractive cinematography, splendid locations and a great funky score. Shameless's new BD is a fine presentation - string image and sound - easily on a par with the US Mondo Macabro 2020 disc. The extras are decent, unique and hold their own against the earlier disc so true fans will want this one as well ('B+').
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