Trauma (1978)

This is not a review of Dario Argento's Trauma, rather an earlier giallo with the Italian name Enigma rosso. The term "schoolgirl giallo" is used to describe this film and two others that make up an unofficial trilogy. All of Italian horror movies have many names and I did not know exactly what film I was watching when I put this tape on. I did not do any research ahead of time and I was surprised to see a scene that I had heard about from other horror fans. A sex scene with the murder weapon being a large rubber penis, the type you can buy at a sex shop. It is repeatedly forced into the unwilling girl's reproductive cavity until she dies. Insertion is not shown, this is not a hardcore film, but we are treated to a shot from the vagina's point of view. The penis is thrust towards the camera in this shot that would be ideal for a 3-D movie. I wondered, could I be perhaps watching the extremely rare shocker, Porno Holocaust?


Trauma from 1978
No, internet research revealed to me that Porno Holocaust is a different film. The search is still on for that one. Trauma is notable though, mainly for the scene I just described and it's voyeuristic shots of showering school girls. It's hard to describe the locker room scene and convey exactly what about it will make must viewers uncomfortable. I assure you, you're going to think the shots are at least a bit fucked up and wrong. Words fail me, see it for yourself.

Shocks aside, the movie is pretty entertaining, with only a few lame moments. An interrogation on board a rollercoaster is laughable. The ending is either brilliant or ridiculous, depending on how much of giallo fan you are. A DVD of Trauma is not available anywhere that I have looked.