Horror Hunks: Ray Lovelock in Autopsy

'It'll take you... apart!'

I had never heard of the 1973 Italian film Autopsy, (Italian title Macchie solari and also known as The Victim and Corpse) but after seeing a promotional image, and seeing one of the male stars had the name Ray Lovelock, and had a nude scene, I thought it was one to check out...

Autopsy is described as an  Italian giallo-horror, and through researching this piece, I learned what giallo means in Italian film making.  Basically, it means mystery, but it also often describes films with convoluted and contrived plots, and mysteries that are basically unsolvable. The former, was certainly the case when I watched.

The story centers on Simona Sana, a pathology med student wrapped up in the mystery.  A wave of solar activity is causing an outbreak of violence and suicide in Rome, bringing dozens of bodies to the morgue where Simona works. She soon becomes obsessed with all the deaths and teams up with a priest to investigate whether the deaths are actual suicides, or murder.

After an especially creepy, walking-cadaver hallucination, Simona is sent home to rest, but of course she cannot.  Actor Ray Lovelock, looking especially hot in a beard, plays Edgar, an artist and photographer with an interest in deviant pornography.  Many of the films more grisly scenes are actually shown through Edgar's still photographs.

Like most horror films, especially giallo's, sex and death are inextricably linked.  This of course leads to a couple of sex scenes between Simona and Edgar.  Even with the hot, (albeit creepy) upon her, Simona can't help but visualize the many dead victims she's been working with.

I don't think I'd be thinking about dead people if I was lucky enough to have a naked Ray Lovelock in my presence.  Lovelock has an incredible face, one you might see on certain gay web sites if they were in existence in the sixties and seventies.

The actor, who died in his sixties in 2017, appears to have been the Italian Brad Pitt in during his time in films.  Unlike Brad, Ray was also a musician, and was also a part of a rock band, which is where he was first discovered for movies.  I've already been checking out a few of Ray's other films, and hope to spotlight more in the future.