Zanna Bianca

Fulci's 'White Fang' is a struggle both in terms of its plot and audience participation, the horror maestro bringing his sadistic brand of storytelling to bare upon an overlong tale of an Inuit boy who befriends a wild wolf.

Picturesque but regularly brutal, Rey is a standout as the immoral priest, Brit expat Steiner plays his usual brand of cool, calm and ultimately sadistic villain and Italian siren Lisi features in the supporting role of a nun whose travelled to the gold fever town of Dawson to offer medical services. Also good to see the big Bavarian Raimund Heimstorf as Nero's faithful companion and French-American Carole Andre playing his somewhat tainted love interest.

The savage dog fight between White Fang and Battaglia's prize hound Satan is uncomfortable to watch even if it's perhaps not entirely what it seems, but the bear vs dog fight that soon follows is just plain barbaric.

Fulci's White Fang '73 (followed by 'Challenge' a year later) is little more than a violent spaghetti western set in the Yukon and despite some vague allusions to a positive new frontier theme, it's dark, sombre tone and bloody body count proves you can take the boy out of horror, but not horror out of the boy.