This thriller by Aldo Lado tells the story of two young women who accidentally meet three young people of the high society. The two men and their female friend lure the unsuspecting girls into a house by the sea, where they start to play a mean game with hem by first irritating them before terrorizing and attack them. Meanwhile, the boyfriend of one of the girls starts searching for them. Needless to say that people die before the film comes to the end.
In the 1970s, Aldo Lado made three very cool thrillers (La Corta Notte Delle Bambole di Vetro, Chi l'ha Visto Morire? and L'Ultimo Treno Della Notte), in all of which the decadence of the high society is a important topic. In Venerdì Nero (this film's Italian title), it's the main topic. The three tormentors seem to be friendly and well educated people at first, but as soon as they are alone with the three girls, they show their real face. They're not evil as such, but the decadent lifestyle has fed their depravity, and so they want to do with the girls whatever they want, always thinking of their sadism as a game. As soon as the first person dies, however, the fun is over even for them.
This is another interesting film by Aldo Lado, and as in his above mentioned films, he delivers some subvert social comment. And even though the ending doesn't convince completely (which was also a bit of a problem in the wonderful Chi l'ha Visto Morire?), Venerdì Nero is a thrilling movie with some really mean moments of sadistic terror (if not gory horror) that is more intelligent than many other rather low budgeted thrillers of the 1990s. Rating: 7 out of 10.
