The film is perhaps most famous for a scene in which Mrs. Hammond opens the door to a room filled with dogs that are apparently being experimented on. The dogs are cut open with their hearts and guts still pulsating. The scene was so graphic and realistic that several crew members were forced to testify in court to disprove the accusation that real dogs were used in the film. [5] Carlo Rambaldi, a special effects artist, saved Fulci from a two-year prison sentence by presenting the fake dog props in court to a seemingly unconvinced judiciary. [5] This was the first time in film history that an effects artist had to prove his work was not real in a court of law. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Lucio Fulci made better giallos than Dario Argento. I'm sorry, but this early classic is truly stunning. From the opening scene in the train, to the final twist at the end, it will leave your arm hairs standing at attention. Hazel J, Stone M, Grace S, Tsukruk VT. Nanoscale design of snake skin for reptation locomotions via friction anisotropy. Journal of Biomechanics. 1999; 32(5):477-484 Set in London, the film follows Carol Hammond (Bolkan), the daughter of a respected politician, who experiences a series of vivid, psychedelic nightmares consisting of debauched sex orgies and LSD use. In the dream, she commits a graphic murder of a neighbour whose life she is envious of (Strindberg) and awakes to a real-life criminal investigation into the murder of her neighbour.

On the surface, Fulci’s pathologizing of his female protagonist is nothing groundbreaking; gialli remain notorious for putting women through the ringer, fetishizing the female form along with the violence so often perpetrated against it. However, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin is notable in how it subverts these themes while also indulging in them; it’s self-aware of men’s fear of autonomous female desire and imbues the male characters’ limited perspectives of Carol with irony. Maybe it’s because of this that Fulci’s film still holds up so well over 50 years after its release, operating under the genre’s twisty whodunnit structure to reflect different levels of queer shame and angst. Carol Hammond is the daughter of a wealthy lawyer and politician named Edmund Brighton. Her husband Frank is a lawyer working for Brighton's practice. They all live together in a large apartment with Joan, Frank's teenage daughter from a previous marriage. Carol has been visiting a psychoanalyst because of a string of disturbing dreams she's been having featuring her decadent neighbour, Julia Durer. Julia's frequent, late-night parties infuriate and yet excite Carol, evoking images of wild sex-and-drug orgies.Leitch DB, Catania KC. Structure, innervation and response properties of integumentary sensory organs in crocodilians. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2012; 215:4217-4230 Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is part giallo whodunit, part striking, hallucinatory nightmare. Only one of these parts in successful. Stuart-Fox D, Moussalli A. Selection for social signalling drives the evolution of chameleon colour change. PLoS Biology. 2008; 6(1):e25

Reiserer RS, Schuet WG. Chapter 7: The origin and evolution of the rattlesnake rattle: Misdirection, clarification, theory, and progress. In: Schuett GW, Feldner MJ, Smith CF, Reiserer RS, editors. Rattlesnakes of Arizona. Vol. 2. Rodeo, New Mexico: ECO Publishing; 2016. pp. 245-276 I think I one of the reasons I'm not so familiar with Italian giallo is that I'm not very much a horror fan. I don't know if "Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is average for the genre, but I really liked that it was chiefly a psychological murder mystery with suspense elements. Had it been out and out horror, i'm not sure it would have made such a strong impression. I think perhaps I'll tread lightly in seeking other giallo films. Lillywhite HB, Maderson PF. Skin structure and permeability. In: Gans C, Pugh FH, editors. Biology of the Reptilia, Physiology C. Vol. 12. London: Academic Press; 1982. pp. 397-433 The following day, it's revealed that Julia Durer has indeed been murdered. Inspector Corvin from Scotland Yard arrives to take charge of the investigation. The room and condition of the dead body are identical to their depiction in the dream sequence. To make matters even more incriminating, there is a discarded fur coat near the body. Learning of the murder, Carol insists that she see the scene of the crime and when she enters Julia's apartment and sees the body, she faints. Chen IH, Yang W, Meyers MA. Alligator osteoderms: Mechanical behavior and hierarchical structure. Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications. 2014; 35:441-448

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A Lizard in a Woman's Skin is a psychological thriller directed by Lucio Fulci and released in 1971. The movie follows the story of Carol Hammond, a wealthy young woman living in London, whose dreams become filled with images of her neighbor, Julia Durer, being brutally murdered. As it turns out, Julia is in fact murdered and Carol becomes the prime suspect in the investigation.