Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Twenty' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" in which I will suggest my top picks of the fright flicks from the carefully curated catalogue of macabre movies available via the 'Shudder UK' streaming service - any of which can then be streamed to your television using the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for more frights! :-O
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: Tumblr.com
For my twentieth instalment in this series of posts I'm going to suggest another feature-length movie from Italy, albeit a joint-venture collaborative effort with Rialto Film from West Germany, that was first released in 1972 under the original Italian title of "Cosa avete fatto a Solange?"... although, it is (perhaps) more likely to be known to British audiences as either "What Have You Done To Solange?" or the alternative title of "Who's Next?", which was also used for some later VHS releases. However, much like a lot of Giallo films, there were many alternative titles used for this film... most notably in the United States, where there were (at least) five variations (that I know of) as follows:-
- What Have You Done to Solange? (Original Title)
- Terror in the Woods (Used for the Dubbed Version)
- The Secret of the Green Pins (Alternative Title)
- The Rah Rah Girls (Reissue Title)
- The School That Couldn't Scream (Reissue Title)
Whichever name it goes by, this is one of the best Gialli you are ever likely to see and although it is (arguably) not as good as some of Dario Argento's work (such as that featured earlier in this series) this masterpiece, directed by Massimo Dallamano, does rank right up there alongside the better films of Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and the aforementioned Dario Argento, as one of the true Giallo classics!
Based (rather loosely) on a novel by Edgar Wallace, it was adapted for the big screen via a screenplay written by the director and Bruno Di Geronimo, with a little extra help from the (uncredited) talents of Peter M. Thouet, and features another magnificent film score from Ennio Morricone which really adds to the overall creepiness of the soundtrack. Anyway, it tells the story of Henry 'Enrico' Rossini (Fabio Testi), a married Italian gym teacher at a Catholic private school for girls in London, who is having an affair with one of his students, named Elizabeth Elizabeth Seccles (Christina Galbó). As they enjoy a romantic boat-ride on the River Thames, Elizabeth suddenly yells that she has seen someone with a knife, believing she has witnessed a murder by a man dressed as a priest. Henry first laughs her claims off as hysteria, until the body of another girl, also one of his students is found right at the exact same spot the following day. Thus begins a whole string of brutal murders and, as more girls are killed, the police begin to suspect that Henry is the murderer. In an attempt to clear his name, the gym teacher then turns detective, hoping to uncover the secret of what has been done to Solange...
If you haven't seen the film before, here is a brief taster in the shape of an original trailer for this most excellent Giallo horror mystery thriller, courtesy of 'Arrow Video' and their 'YouTube' channel:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more info to be had from the Wikipedia Page for Massimo Dallamano's Giallo film "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) VIA THIS LINK, which may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much of a fan of this Italian horror mystery thriller as I am, or happen to enjoy Giallo films in general, it probably won't take too much persuading for you to watch this stylish, suspense-laden, murder mystery again! ;-) :-)
Camille Keaton in "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film (like the others from this series of posts) is also available via the 'Shudder' streaming service and can be easily viewed on any Roku device via their dedicated channel (app) for these streaming media players. There are other opportunities for UK Roku users to view "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972), including multiple purchase options from 'Amazon Video' so feel free to simply "Rent" for £2.49 (SD) / £3.49 (HD) or else "Buy & Keep" this movie in either 'SD' quality at £6.99 or 'HD' quality at £7.99 - the choice is entirely yours - but, having said that, I'd suggest taking a look at possible free alternatives before parting with any money, because there may be some free sources available online offering file formats compatible with Roku. However, as my original idea for this month-long blogathon was to suggest thirty-one Hallowe'en / Horror themed movies from the fang-tastic 'Shudder UK', I'm recommending you stream it there! ;-)
If you haven't already added it to your channel selection, you will find "Shudder" listed among the "Film & TV" channels in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. You can easily add it to your Roku player(s) by navigating to the built-in 'Channel Store' (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the home screen on your Roku device) and scrolling through the options until you see the channel icon (pictured above). It's completely FREE-TO-ADD so, once you've located it in the list of channels, just click the "OK" button on your Roku remote to select it and then click "OK" again where it says 'Add channel' to install it on your Roku player(s). Having done that, it's simply a case of launching the channel via the 'Go to channel' option and navigating the on-screen menu to log-in (if you already have an account, but haven't yet done so) or start your free trial (if you are new to the service) and, once you see 'Shudder TV' playing on the screen, just push the "DOWN" arrow on your Roku remote to get to the main menu... from where you can "Search" for "Solange", and then press "OK" on your remote to select and 'Play' this Italian horror mystery thriller which, for the record, runs to 1h 47mins.
LINK TO WATCH 'What Have You Done To Solange?' (1972) VIA 'SHUDDER UK' WEBSITE
The good news for Roku users in the United States is "What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) is also available to stream via the 'Shudder' service in the U.S. Alternatively, those wishing to rent the film can do so via 'Amazon Video' where it is (currently) available for USD $2.99 (SD) or USD $3.99 (HD) for anyone without a subscription to the 'Shudder' service. Sadly the same cannot, however, be said for Canadian streamers... because, at the time of writing, this horror mystery thriller does not appear to be available to stream on Roku in Canada. There is an outside chance that you might be able to stream it using the 7-day free trial offered by 'IndieFlix', if you have not subscribed before, otherwise it will cost a minimum of $4.99 to stream the movie via that particular method. Having said that, there are numerous other streaming sources at your disposal so, as suggested in previous posts from this series, it might be best to check for any free alternatives that are available before you pay to watch this. If you get stuck, please feel free to message me via Twitter: @ukrokuchannels and I'll see if I can sort you out with a link, if need be, because this is one film you really don't want to miss! ;-)
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Italian Poster Collage]
PHOTO CREDIT: House of Freudstein
Meanwhile, for that full cinema experience, here's a few of the other film posters that movie-goers in 1972 (and more recently) would have encountered depending on their location around the world:
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Danish Poster]
Finally, to round-off this twentieth instalment in my month-long blogathon on 'Day Twenty' for this edition of the 'Countdown To Halloween', here's more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example: did you know that despite a prominent co-starring billing, Camille Keaton, who plays the titular character 'Solange', has no dialogue throughout the entire film? Or that the production team decided shooting was to be done exclusively in the English language, despite the accent of the actors, purely & simply because they were mindful of the American aversion to dubbed foreign films? The English looping coincided so well with the actors' lip movements, it is doubtful that cinema-goers in the United States (at that time) even noticed that the movie they were watching was dubbed! :-O
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Belgian Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Horrorpedia
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Danish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Film-Cine
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Italian Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: FilmHorror
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Italian Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Arrow Video - Front Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Contemporary Poster #1]
PHOTO CREDIT: Crichton's World
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Poster - Signed by Camille Keaton]
PHOTO CREDIT: Henry Covert
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Contemporary Poster #2]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Shriek Show DVD - Front Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Spanish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Turkish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: IMDb.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Contemporary Poster #3]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest.com
"What Have You Done To Solange?" (1972) [Dutch VHS - Front Cover]
PHOTO CREDIT: VHSCollector.com
Other interesting tidbits of trivia include the fact that this was the debut feature for Camille Keaton, who went on to star in the original "I Spit On Your Grave" film from 1978. Also, the tenuous link to Edgar Wallace takes on a more significant meaning when you realise that association then connects it to the West German "Krimi" series, a more obscure series than the Italian Gialli, but a clear influence on the latter. Stylistically, this colourful and garish film is much more of a Giallo than a Krimi, but the influence is clearly there and, moreover, the film also features Joachim Fuchsberger & Karin Bal (both of whom were popular actors in the earlier Krimis) in supporting roles for this Giallo film. As one of the European films to receive the widest release stateside, along with the likes of "Torso" and "Bay of Blood", plus Spanish film "La Residencia" and the British film "Assault", this movie would also have been a great influence on the subsequent American / Canadian 'Slasher' genre of film! :-)