Dont Torture A Duckling was Fulcis personal favourite of his own films, but overseas audiences never got the chance to see it during the filmmakers lifetime. In the US, for example, the film wasnt released until 2000, four years after Fulcis death. On the surface, Duckling seems to be a murder mystery, but its really about the blind acceptance of dogma. The action takes place in a small Sicilian town where the residents are still in the grip of medieval superstition. When a series of murders begin, suspicion naturally falls on the outsiders, including a strange woman who claims to be a witch. DTAD is among Fulcis best shot, best acted and most well-written films, but it was greeted with shock upon its release in Italy, with several critics condemning its supposed anti-Catholic point of view. The film was released in the UK uncut on DVD in 2011, so you can judge for yourself.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
