MovieChat Forums > La bestia uccide a sangue freddo (1972) Discussion > Somebody explain it to me...

Somebody explain it to me...

posted 15 years ago by tbs1982
5 replies | jump to latest

...because IMDB just isn't doing it. Just how many different cuts and titles are there for this movie? Here's how I understand it, but if I miss something, please let me know:

USA
Originally released as "Asylum Erotica",
heavily edited for American distribution,
removing mostly sex or nudity and some
violence scenes, with a final runtime of 89 mins.

Re-released on Region 1 dvd as "Slaughter Hotel"
with the original Italian cut of the movie
with a final runtime of 97 mins (although the dvd
art lists it as 95 mins).

ITALY
Originally released as "La Bestia uccide a sangue freddo"
(or translated as "Cold Blooded Beast" or "The Beast
Kills In Cold Blood"). Original runtime 97 mins.

FRANCE
Originally released as "Les Insatisfaites poupées
érotiques du docteur Hitchcock" (or translated as
"Dissatisfied Erotic Headstocks Of Doctor Hitchcock"
...which doesn't make any sense at all...blame Babelfish).
Unknown runtime.

Released on home video as "La Clinique des ténèbres"
(or translated as "The Private Clinic Of Darkness").
Unknown runtime.

Re-released on dvd as "La Clinique sanglante"
(or translated as "The Bloody Private Clinic").
Unknown runtime.

GREECE
Originally released as "Dipsa gia sarka kai aima".
Heavily edited for violence with a final runtime of 86 mins.

WEST GERMANY
Originally released as "Das Schloß der blauen Vögel"
(or translated as "The Lock Of The Blue Birds"
...again, blame Babelfish).
Supposedly an "uncut" version of the movie, but with
the same final runtime as the American dvd re-release
and the original Italian release: 97 mins.

Released on home video as "Der Triebmörder"
(or translated as "The Impulse Murderer").
Unknown runtime.

BELGIUM
Originally released as "Les Insatiables poupées érotiques"
(or translated as "Insatiable Erotic Headstocks"...
again, blame Babelfish). Unknown runtime.

According to IMDB about the multiple versions of the film:

- Original uncut European version was edited for an "R" rating for its U.S. release.

-The 2004 DVD R1 release finds the movie running longer than any other copy but suffers from a minute of faulty audio (over a murder sequence) and two scenes featuring Rosalba Neri have been presented in their tamer 'clothed' takes, while the rest of the film's racy scenes are taken from the 'unclothed' variants. This DVD also includes some soft core inserts. The old US Gorgon video tapes have the unclothed Neri footage missing from the DVD. The new R2 DVD is missing the greenhouse seduction.

And that's about as much as I can dig up on it. If anybody can help make this anymore comprehensive, feel free to chime in.

[–] Squonkamatic 15 years ago

Looks pretty complete so far, there has also been:

- British PAL format DVD of the ASYLUM EROTICA print running 86 minutes 25fps PAL, fullscreen and Cert.18 though I have not seen it for myself. Copies are available on Amazon.UK's site starting at about $8 US. Since the complete Beast In Cold Blood prints are running 95 minutes at NTSC there is no way it could possibly be an uncut print, and at the price indicated is more likely a recording of the old NTSC VHS tapes of the same name, which also had an 86 minute runtime.

The IMDb makes reference to a 97 minute UK DVD but does not indicate what its titling was. Amazon.UK says this runs 86 minutes and a commenter there states that it's the cut version, so who knows without shelling out the ducats. I'm good with what I have already on this film.

- North American no-name Region 0 pressing of ASYLUM EROTICA that is most likely just a retail bootleg NTSC rip of the British disc, also fullscreen and running 86 minutes (that is, if in fact the British DVD runs Amazon.UK's 86 minutes: if not this is just a capture record of the North American tape, which does run the stated 86 minutes also identified by Amazon.com). I have not seen it for myself even though supposedly sealed copies are also for sale on Amazon.com starting at the respectable price of $1.61 US.

- Japan Trash Mountain Video NTSC format DVD (interestingly, a Region 0 and not the usual Japan Region 2 NTSC) with what appears to be the identical print on the Italian Raro/Nocturna Region 0 PAL pressing, Italian language audio with Japanese subtitles only running about 90 minutes on the nose with the title SLAUGHTER HOTEL. Has optically censored pubic shots however so it's a somewhat comical affair.

Noted Italian horror historian Robert Monell has assured me that there was a US theatrical release (drive-in and grindhouse circuit) under the title SLAUGHTER HOTEL and that ASYLUM EROTICA is an English language re-release that was further trimmed, then trimmed again for home video in the 80s. The Gorgon Video SLAUGHTER HOTEL prints -- which I still prefer as the best English version of the film -- do have a video edit title card however which has created some confusion as to which name came first. IMDb also speaks of a release called THE COLD BLOODED BEAST but I have never encountered the film with that English title.

Good work, keep it up. This is a hard movie to keep track of, and I'm fairly certain there are probably other home video releases from places like South America which haven't been described yet.

[–] thecultofhorror 14 years ago

I just rented it from netflix and it was an 85 minute version. There were some suprisingly hardcore female solo scenes, not flattering ones, some mild love scenes the kills were very artsy and yet the violence was off camera. There were some clever edits interwoven around the bodies of the victims, which was the strongest part of the film. If I wasnt a fan of italian cinema I would not have liked it. There are better giallo's in the genre.

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[–] Squonkamatic 13 years ago

Yeah but there's only one Slaughter Hotel! It also sounds like you saw the 85 minute "Asylum Erotica" print, the Shriek Show DVD runs over 95 minutes. I think the movie just struck paydirt with some viewers who are likely not even interested in Giallo as a specific genre. It was also one of the few genuinely graphic Italian horror films that was somewhat easy to see during the home video era. It's only with the DVD age that the more arftul & obscure Giallo films have become available in respectable home viewing forms. But I remember this being on video shelves in high school, they even kept it in the adults only room with Cannibal Holocaust after realizing what it was.

[–] kampenhans-1 12 years ago

There's a German DVD with the double title Der Triebmörder/Das Schloß der blauen Vögel (translates in English as Killer Instinct/Castle of the Blue Birds) on the box cover. The onscreen titles are in English and the movie title is...The Cold-Blooded Beast!
So this title does exist. It's the uncut 97-minute print in German language, but some scenes are in English apparently because these cut scenes were not dubbed in German.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20450) a year ago

This entire thread was quite an interesting read on this under appreciated but very interesting film.