The Eroticist (1972, Review)

aka The Senator Likes Women

Director: Lucio Fulci

Cast: Lando Buzzanca, Lionel Stander, Laura Antonelli, Renzo Palmer, Agostina Belli

Severin Films / Colour / 1.85:1 / 16×9 / 109 mins / Not Rated / Reg 0 (ALL) (NTSC) / Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 / English Subtitles / Purchase: Severin Films<

Senator Puppis has problems: He is running for president. His candidacy is backed by the Church, the Military and the Mafia. And lastly, he frequently goes into a trace-like state and gropes women’s asses. His life is already full of underhandedness and backstabbing, now there is a picture of him groping a female foreign diplomat. Could blackmail be added to the list?

Puppis turns to his friend Father Lucion for help with his, uh, hands on approach to diplomacy. Lucion hooks him up with Father Scirer who will surely cure him of his illness. Sure enough, the Senator feels much better after talking with and being psychoanalyzed by the Father. He soon has a very lucid dream and afterwards feels released from his demons. He leaves the care of Father Scirer to return to Rome. But is he cured? Is there more to his “dream”?

After his release, he soon discovers that he isn’t cured, but he’s worse! He wants to hump every hot chick he sees. Not only that, but he is being hounded by power hungry Church officials, the Mafioso, high ranking Military officials and a nun from Father Scirer’s monastery who wants to sex him up! Will he be blackmailed and made a laughing stock? Will he be turned into a Saint? Will there be a coup? But most importantly, will he be getting any sexy nun ass?

We all know Fulci as the Italian horror master with a great sense of atmosphere. What most don’t know is that he also has a fantastic sense of humor. The Eroticist is hilarious, cheeky fun (literally!) and naughtiness abounds in this political sex satire. I got a lot of the humor but I’ll bet some of it is lost in translation as well. There were times where I felt there was a joke just made and I didn’t get it. But who cares?

There is enough raunchy fun, debauchery and nudity even if you only get half of the jokes. The women (especially the nun that falls for the Senator) are sexy, the acting is great and the guy who plays Senator Puppis is genius. The direction and cinematography still has the Fulci touch and translates well to the comedy genre. Weird, who would have thought?

Greg Baty

Greg is a lifelong genre film fan who digs boobs, blood and beer. He also enjoys old school punk rock, comic books and spending time with his beautiful wife Ellen and his cats Sydney and Alabama. Greg is the webmaster, Editor in Chief and Head Writer for Cinesploitation.

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