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A Lizard in a Woman's Skin will screen from a digital restoration.

Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a sensuous and psychedelic giallo fever dream. Its plot follows Carol Hammond, an upper-class woman who has recurring dreams in which she has drug-fuelled sexual encounters with her neighbour Julia. After one of these dreams becomes unexpectedly violent, Carol finds out the next day that Julia has in fact been murdered in reality, too. Incriminating evidence at the scene leads the police to suspect that Carol is behind the killing and though she insists that she is innocent, she is still plagued by the vividness of the violence in her dream.

Less bloodthirsty than many of Fulci's other works, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is not without its shocks. A nightmarish sequence involving prosthetic dogs gained infamy when the special effects artist behind the scene was called before court to clear Fulci's name over erroneous cruelty charges. However, the director's aim is more cerebral – he weaves together reality and hallucinations, nightmares and dreams, to evocatively illustrate the crumbling psyche of the protagonist.

This new digital restoration wonderfully flaunts the director's vibrant use of colour, while also restoring many of the censorious cuts that have been made to the film over the years. The film features a truly luminous score provided by the legendary Ennio Morricone, enhancing the dangerous eroticism of Carol's journey. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is an early triumph from Fulci and remains as singular as its captivating title.

Alternative title: Schizoid

R18+