A boy is kidnapped in a small Italian village. A six million lira ransom is demanded, but the child‘s murdered body is soon discovered in a shallow grave. A local ne’er-do-well is implicated in the slaying, but all is not as it seems. (When is it ever?!)

Italian horror films aren’t known for having tight, plausible plots. (Those which are considered to actually possess plots.) For the most part, the Mediterranean giallo lives or dies by direction. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of the late Lucio Fulci. In my humble opinion, ol’ Lucio was a brilliant if wildly uneven director. How uneven? Well, he made this mess, didn’t he?

It would be unfair to say that ‘Duckling’ possess no style or grace. There are some very nice bits to it, but on the whole, it’s just another long, limping murder mystery. Fulci opens the film with a scene of sadism; a child killing a salamander with a sling-shot. The child himself will soon be murdered. In fact the whole film seems to be an unflinching study of moral corruption. (I’m not Michael Medved, from me this is a complement.)

We are privy to a few charming images, mummified monks, creepy voodoo ceremonies, but most of the film consists of bland 70’s cinematography. I almost sensed that Fulci himself thought this to be the case. In isolated places, such as during a police interrogation, the camera work becomes annoyingly pretentious as if to compensate.

Of course Fulci’s films are better known for high gore quotient then for brilliant direction. There is a very grueling scene that bears quite a similarity to the opening of Fulci’s masterpiece, ‘The Beyond’. Unfortunately, the effects are a mixed bag. Fakey plastic skeletons, a drowned dummy, and an absolutely putrid climax involving a torn-up mannequin are just a few of the scenes more likely to elicit chuckles rather that gasps. In a way, the cheesy special effects actually make the film a bit more watchable. For some of us, the topic matter of this film would be unbearable if the murders themselves weren’t so goofy. (And while we’re talking about distasteful matters, I found the sexual conversation between a nude woman and a young boy to be excessive, even for an Italian production.)

It may seem moot to criticize an Italian murder mystery on the point of plot, but as I’ve mentioned before, detective procedurals just bore the crap out of me. However I should mention the film is intended to be more allegorical than narrative. I will offer a small spoiler warning at this point, although I really don’t feel the need to. While there are at least two or three red-herrings, the identity of the killer is made clear by injecting one too many forced “ironic” shots into the proceedings. While functioning as a murder-thriller, the real point behind the film is a scathing indictment of what Fulci saw as the sexual morbidity of Catholicism, as well as the carte blanche society gives to those in positions of authority. (Lest you consider such criticisms cliché, the recent scandals in Boston prove that many still aren‘t paying attention.)

Fulci’s condemnation of organized religion may have been bold in 1970’s era Italy, but that really doesn’t make the film any more entertaining. In the end, ‘Duckling’ possesses a few interesting motifs and set pieces, but not much else. Dragged down by tepid investigation scenes and lousy visual effects, the film just doesn’t display the director’s usual panache.