Horror Crush: Lorraine De Selle

It's time for our first inductee of 2025 to the Horror Crush section of this site. And, we are going with one of the most gorgeous women of Italian horror (which is saying A LOT!): Lorraine De Selle!! So, let's get right to it cuz we have a lot to cover this time around!

Lorraine De Selle was born in Milan, Italy on August 13, 1951. She began acting in 1976. 

The first one we are gonna discuss is her second flick, Joe D'Amato's Emanuelle in America (1977). This entry in the series, has Emanuelle (the gorgeous Laura Gemser, of course) investigating a rich pervert who has his own harem of women. It doesn't take her long to discover how far reaching and vile what is happening is, hint: there is a snuff film involved!

It's a bit slow moving and has no real plot. You see the movie is really just an excuse to move from one sex scene to the next, of both the softcore and hardcore variety (the former can be sexy, the later never fucking is in this movie!). There is one truly repugnant scene involving a horse (why?!!), which marks the second time a D'Amato shocker I've seen have one (the other being Caligula: The Untold Story). 

Still, the women are gorgeous and frequently nude. These include, of course, Gemser and De Selle. And, bonus, they have a lesbian tryst, on top of being fully nude! This is definitely one of De Selle's sexiest roles. 

In 1977, she appeared in the Naziploitation flick, Women's Camp 119 from infamous shlock master Bruno Mattei. I've honestly never heard of, much less seen, this one before doing the research for this writeup. I did however see the Naziploitation flick Mattei made the same year and released earlier, SS Girls. And, while I liked that one, it doesn't star Le Selle, so has nothing to do with this. Anyways, any of you guys seen Women's Camp 119? If so what are your thoughts and how was De Selle in it?

A year later, she appeared in Nero Veneziano (Damned in Venice). Another one, I haven't, though this one still has my curiosity peaked, especially since it has starring another Horror Crush inductee in Olga Karlatos! 

Her next foray into horror came in 1980 with Madness. Another movie I am hearing about for the first time that I am definitely adding it to my must watch list. Based solely on the pics below, it looks to be De Selle's sexiest role. Anyone seen and can confirm if that is indeed the case? Let me know in the comments section below.

That all being said, her most famous, or should I say infamous, movioes were soon to follow. For also in 1980 came Ruggero Deodato's rape revenge flick House on the Edge of the Park. This infamous Video Nasty tells the unsavory tale of two scumbags (Last House on the Left's David Hess and Giovanni Radice) who crash a posh party. After they feel humiliated by said rich folk, they proceed to humiliate rape, and kill them. Our party participants soon must take revenge on our two low life party crashers.

Mean-spirited yet excellently acted, this one is intense and savage. So, there is no surprise that it ended up on Britain's Video Nasty list. There is some great acting on display here. But, I mean you have Hess, Radice, and De Selle, so of course, that'll be the case. It's definitely one of Deodato's very best work. 

This was probably one of the first times that I really noticed De Selle's beauty. She looks breathtaking and classy with the way that she is made up.  And, like I said, she gives a great performance. 

It's kind of fascinating that after working with Deodato, she worked with the other master of cannibal movies, Umberto Lenzi, in what is probably his most famous movie and one of the most infamous films ever made (cannibal or otherwise): Cannibal Ferox (released in the US under the superior title Make Them Die Slowly). Also, crazy to think, but not surprsing consider the content in both flicks, that both were in Britain's Video Nasty list. Anyways, De Selle plays one of three friends who go to the Amazon to disprove the existence of cannibal tribes. They run into two scumbag drug dealers (one of them again played by Raddice) who have acquired through their scumbaggery (is that a word? Well it is now if it wasn't before), the wrath of said cannibals. 

It's a bit on the slow side and lacks any of the depth and complexity of Deodato's masterpiece Cannibal Holocaust. And, like that movie and most others in the Italian cannibal subgenre has utterly repellent real violence against animals. Sadly, unlike that DVD and Blu-Ray there is no option to watch it without it, other than fast forwarding (which is what I do whenever I pop in my Blu-Ray of it). But, it is still an enjoyable gorefest with a solid third act. The human splatter is extreme and of the most excellent order including castration, tit hanging, cannibalism (duh!), and more.

This was probably the first time I ever saw De Selle in a movie. And, she looks gorgeous, even in this decidedly non-glamorous role. She also, once again, gives a good performance.

1982, marked the first of two WIP (women in prison) movies that she made for Bruno Mattei under the Black Emaunelle (Laura Gemser) umbrella. In this one, Emanuelle goes undercover in a women's prison to uncover the corruption going on. 

This one is definitely the weaker of the two flicks. It's generic and fairly typical of the subgenre, and the slower moments fail to hold my interest or attention. Still it has a good amount of sleaze with rampant nudity (including, of course, Gemser) and lesbian sex. And, while it is kind of tame in the gore department, the scene where Gemser's Emanuelle is attacked by rats (with glowing red eyes!) is horrifically memorable. As such, fellow sleaze lovers should give it a look.

De Selle plays the prison warden and looks positively delicious. Be that with her uniform, hair up in a bun, and in glasses(!) or with her hair down in lingerie. So, that while there is no nudity from her, she still steals any scene that she is in, particularly when she in her more intimate apparel. 

1983 bought us that second collab with her and Mattei and Gemser as Emanuelle doing the WIP thing. And, yeah this one, Women's Prison Massacre, is definitely the better one. This time around Emanuelle is framed for drug possession by a dirty politician. She ends up in a women's prison (duh). were cruelty abounds. But the shit gets much worse, when four psychos (led by Gemser's hubby the late, great Gabrielle Tinti) heading to their executions, escape and hold the female prison's inhabitants hostage. And, yes, folks this does indeed lead to a women's prison massacre (truth in a title!).

This might just be Mattei's best movie. It's fast paced, nasty, and rousingly exciting. The graphic violence includes bloody squibs, throat slashing, and the nastiest use ever of a razor blade. But, the best gore moment is reserved for a truly gruesome game of Russian roulette. On top of this we also get torture and multiple rape just to stir that pot further. We also, of course, have lots of gorgeous women, nudity, and a sexy scene of teasing of the lesbian variety. A warning to my fellow Gemser fans, she does not partake in the nudity, but by no means should that be held against the movie.

Playing a different warden De Selle still, of course, looks hot as fucking hell. This might be the film that consolidated my crush on her the most. Seriously, I need to go to whatever prison she is warden at! She is one of my favorites, along with Gemser and her two friends that partake in the earlier mentioned Sapphic action, in this flick.

Her final horror movie came in 1984 with Italian, killer animal movie Wild Beasts. PCP gets accidently released into the water that is used by a zoo. The animals escape and driven mad and violent by the drug, begin to attack and kill humans.

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Man, does ever live up to the adjective of its title! The movie truly is wild, and its use of real animals gives the movie a big budget feel. This is on top of a movie that is already really good looking. The scenes were animals cause mayhem  onpeople are awesome. There is some real good gore, too, including a spectacular scene were an elephant crushes a woman's head! The score is also awesome and the climax/ ending rule! Unfortunately there is one repugnant moment were in real, living rats are set on fire. Its a bummer of a moment and hurts the flick, but rest of it is fucking awesome!

De Selle plays one of the protagonists and, of course, looks gorgeous! She has great legs, and her casting earns this one extra points!  

 
From there De Selle worked did some TV work and soon retired from acting after 1989. She would return to the film biz as a producer in 1999 and did that till 2011, Afterwards, she completely left the film world. But, with her extensive work in Italian horror and exploitation, including two notorious classics, and her impossible and exquisite beauty, her name would forever be connected to Euro genre work. And, so it is with much honor and love that we induct this sometimes underrated but amazing and iconic beauty into Horror Crushes!

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RIP for June & July 2012

I been meaning to pay tribute to the recent deaths in the genre, but with Sage Stallone's death last night, I knew I had to, now. They say these things come in three and sadly that seems to be the case, here. It's never easy to write these, and it's never something I look forward to. But, alas it's a part of everyone's life.

Richard Lynch-  Lynch passed away last month on the 19th of a heart attack. I was immediately saddened. Lynch was a great heavy and always owned the screen whenever he was on. While Lynch was in countless movies, its two roles of his that remain my favorites:
  
Invasion USA- One of my all time favorite Chuck Norris movies, Invasion deals with a group of terrorists/ commies invading the US (duh!), and Norris, the resident Florida badass, being the lone man against them. It's fast paced and totally ludicrous. But, then there in lies one of the movie's charms. It racks a ridiculous body count and is righteously violent. But, it's Lynch who really owns the film. His role as the psychopathic leader of the terrorist group ranks as one of action cinema's best villains. The scene where a junkie chick is snorting coke, and then gets her head slammed on to the table, as the pick goes up her nose, and then gets thrown out the window as her criminal boyfriend (played by a young Billy Drago) gets shot in the balls by Lynch (something he does TWICE in the movie!) is brutal and badass. That sets up the movie and, more so, Lynch's character perfectly.

The other role of his I loved is in the enjoyable and underrated Bad Dreams. You'll find my review of that movie here: http://www.gorezone.net/dvdcrypt/reviewstxt/abc/baddreams.html His last role is in the upcoming Rob Zombie movie The Lords of Salem.

Ernest Borgnine- Ernest passed away this month on the 8th at 95 of renal failure. I was a fan of his since I was a little kid. Back then I knew from two things, mostly. The first being the 80s TV show Airwolf, a show that probably doesn't hold up much today but inarguablely had a badass copter, the other being John Carpenter's Escape from New York, where he played Cabbie. It's a cool role in one of my favorite Carpenter films. A badass mix of action and sci-fi, I've discussed the movie before here: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2008/09/top-5-john-carpenter-films.html

 

The Wild Bunch- But way before he worked with Carpenter he starred in my favorite western of all time, this classic by Sam Pekinpah. This story about a group of outlaws who go for one final shoot-out is one of the most important and influential movies in the genre, ever. It's ultra-violent and stylized, gory shoot-outs changed cinema forever. Borgnine gives a great performance, as does the rest of the cast. By the way, if you truly want to experience this movie, get the blu-ray. It's a sight to behold and worship!!

Another role of his that I loved was Mermaid Man on Spongebob Squarepants. This fun parody of DC's Aquaman is one of the most endearing character's on one of the greatest toons ever. And, one of the only human (or sort of human) characters in the series. He was so funny in this!

Sage Stallone- Last night it was revealed that the eldest son of Sylvester Stallone, Sage, had passed away. He was only 36 and may have been dead for three days prior. The cause of death is still under investigation. While, most mainstream audiences best remember him from roles in movies like Rocky V and Daylight, horror fans best know him because of his love of the genre. He started and ran Grindhouse Releasing, which put out pristine and remastered releases of films like Lucio Fulci's masterpiece The Beyond (a movie that was previously only available as the butchered Seven Doors of Death in the US), Ruggero Deodato's controversial, brutal, and never before legally released in the US Cannibal Holocaust, and Umberto Lenzi's dumb but nasty Cannibal Ferox (formerly known as Make Them Die Slowly), as well as many other genre films. He never let his last name get to his head and was a true fan. He was one of us.  

 

May they all RIP and my condolences, thoughts, and prayers go their loved ones.

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