It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

'Vacanze per un Massacro' (Madness) won't do much to enhance Fernande Di Leo's reputation. A low-budge film, shot in 12 days, from the first frame warns an alert cinema buff that he or she is in for a disappointing 90-odd minutes. And the leading actor ex-Wahol factory sex symbol Joe D'Allesando has neither the weight nor the talent to rescue a very thin script from being bad. 'Madness' is a four-character film. The narrative stripped down to its essentials is follows an escaped sadist from prison who heads straightaway to a cottage where he's buried 800 million lira. He doesn't count on finding a man and his wife and sister-in-law there on 'vacation'. Suddenly, D'Allesandro falls into a love triangle. He forces the sister-law and sister's husband to have sex whilst the wife looks on. And then, D'Allesandro forces himself on the wife. In the end, he leaves a bloody trail of mayhem and murder as he goes off with his booty. D'Allesandro's trade mark is a wild look in his eyes. You know when the film is bad when the sister-in-law shows her bare busom and display a rich, hairy vagina. This display of nudity is a sign that the film has nothing to offer, so why not titillate the film goer by a bit of porno? In fact, the script is so meaningless the wife, husband and sister-in-law show little enthusiasm for the parts they play. Forget about this film.

Written and directed by the magnificent Fernando Di Leo, whose brilliant 'Milieu-Trilogy' ("Milano Calibro 9", "La Mala Ordina", "Il Boss") stands out as the absolute highlight in Italian crime cinema, "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" (aka. "Toy") of 1980 is a delightfully sleazy Thriller that is often unfairly referred to as a mere "Last House on the Left" rip-off. Fact is that Kidnapping and Hostage situations were themes that were immensely popular in Italian 70s and early 80s cinema (the most outstanding example being Mario Bava's masterpiece "Cani Arrabbiati" of 1974), and that, apart from sleaze, violence and a hostage situation, this film hasn't too much in common with Wes Craven's debut shocker. It is interesting to see how Italian genre/exploitation directors liked to utilize everything as widely as possible: Di Leo simply re-employs the brilliant score (by film composer Bruno Nicolai and Progressive Rock band Osanna) to his own greatest masterpiece "Milano Calibro 9".A married couple Sergio (Gianni Macchia) and Liliana (Patrizia Behn) and the wife's nymphomaniac younger sister Paola(Lorraine De Selle), who has an affair with her sister's husband, are spending a week-end at their cottage in the mountains. As fate wants it, the violent criminal and prison-escapee Joe (Joe Dallesandro) is looking for something in exactly the same house. When Sergio has gone hunting and Liliana has gone shopping, Joe enters...The political incorrectness of Italian Exploitation cinema - one has got to love it. A rape-victim complimenting her rapist for his skills as a 'good lover' is quite unimaginable in present-day cinema. "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" is gritty, violent and full of delightful sleaze and nudity. However, it is not as gratuitously sadistic as some other Italian hostage films, such as Aldo Lado's "L'Ultimo Treno Della Notte" ("Night Train Murders", 1975) or Ruggero Deodato's "La Casa Sperduta Nel Parco" ("House on the Edge of the Park", 1980), both of which are rightly labeled "Last House on the Left" rip-offs (as opposed to this film). The performances are pretty good. Especially Joe Dallesandro, the favorite actor of every sleazebag-director of the 70s, is very good in his role of the thug. Sexy Lorraine De Salle (who is best known for playing the lead in Umberto Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox") is very good in the role of the seductive, manipulative bitch, and furthermore she's naked for about half of her screen-time. Gianni Macchia who plays the husband, had appeared in Di Leo's own "La Mala Ordina" ("Manhunt", 1972) before. Patrizia Behn, who plays the wife, is virtually unknown, but beautiful and delivers a good performance in her role as the film's only likable character. One hilarious aspect about "Vacanze Per Un Massacro": All the Sleaze and Violence is taking place underneath a giant portrait poster of John Travolta. Apart from a few extras in the beginning, the film only features four characters.With the exception of the wife, all characters are dirtbags, which may lessen the ability to care for them, but enhances the wonderful grit-factor. The score is obviously great, as it is the same that was used in "Milano Calibro 9". Overall, "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" isn't as good as Di Leo's fantastic Mafia trilogy, but nonetheless highly recommendable to fans of gritty and sleazy Exploitation cinema, and my fellow Di Leo fans in particular. 7.5/10

Paula and Sergio are married and own the small house in the mountains where they only travel to at weekends and Lillian is Paula's sister,who just happens to be having an affair with Sergio.Sergio is going hunting,Paula is going shopping and Lillian is staying home to sunbathe naked.Lillian puts on the radio and we hear a news report a thief and murderer who has escaped from jail and is on the loose after murdering farmer with a pitchfork.The criminal named Joe Brezy has stolen the car and is hiding near the house.He has buried 300million lira in the house(from the previous robbery).Joe takes the three of them hostage whilst he digs for his loot.When he finally gets his loot he plays Paula,Lillian and Sergio against each other telling Paula about the affair her husband and sister are having."Vacanze per Uno Massacre" is a cheaply made thriller highly influenced by rape and revenge sub-genre.Lorrainde de Selle provides lots of full-frontal nudity and the climax is violent and memorable.It's a crying shame that this nasty little tale of sexual tension is so obscure.8 out of 10.

Incredible cinema from fernando di leo (one of his last films) : A deserted place-somewhere out of the city, Joe Dallesandro in best prehistoric "caveman" vein lurks around and attacks one man with a big,fat stone. Another man, he throws the stone on him but he doesnt hit, the man sets up a fight with dallesandro and finally loses his life.. then dallesandro drives the car-.The credits and the music of luis bacalov start... the viever notices, its going to be an amazing "event"... The plot continues when a man with his wife and her horny sister paola (performed by Lorraine de selle) are arriving at a small house for the weekend. Dallesandro not far away from here, first spies around the house and watches through the window that lorraine has an affair with her sister´s man dallesandro sees his chance when de selle is alone at home, making outside a sunbath he hits her, brings her into the house and after she wakes up he wants immediately a coffee(!) After some small talk dallesandro rapes de selle who then afterwhile says that she even enjoyed it an ungood surprise awaits the wife and the man..needless to say. one highlight of the film when dallesandro is forcing de selle and the man to have sex, while the whole time he points his riffle at them and gives comands -quote(to de selle): " and you show what we men like.." later it comes to a ultra pathetic pseudo-romance between dallesandro and de selle´s sister, but still the end of film leads to a pure tragedy... Technically the film is obviously very low budget-nearly amateurish, Dallesandro makes a totally over(and under)acting performance but he´s very entertaining, the actress of de selle´s sister is completely unconvincing (probably she never "acted" before) about de selles role i can say just the very best: most of the film she´s completely naked, so this is doubtless her best role! if you see her in this film and her other flicks as the bruno mattei films for example you note that nothing is too low for this actress-and i dont mean this negative! All in one a film that i like a lot, probably its not for everybodys taste..