Country: ITALY 2 (Giallo - Horror - Sci-Fi)

It's curious how the first official Italian Horror ('I Vampiri', 1956) started life as a bet of the filmmaker Riccardo Freda who wagered with two Italian producers that he could shoot a film in only two weeks. Well, he won since 'I Vampiri' was finished in just 12 days. Actually, Freda left the set after ten days due to a dispute with the producers, and the movie was completed (and probably modified) in two days by Mario Bava, who worked here as director of photography and creator of the special effects.
The result is a fascinating and atmospheric horror movie, inspired by the case of the bloody countess Elizabeth Báthory, which melts the classic gothic elements, with some elements of giallo and science-fiction. Not a real masterpiece but an important and pretty innovative work, that should be seen and remembered not only for being the milestone of the horror genre in Italy but also for its qualities, especially the incredible set design by Beni Montresor and the stunning black and white cinematography by Bava. Not to mention the great performance by the beautiful Gianna Maria Canale, perfect in the role of the cold-hearted evil duchess, obsessed with eternal youth. One negative point is surely the corny ending imposed by the producers, who also censored some dark and gothic parts of the Freda's screenplay. Damn! By the way, I love this flick.

Second film, after 'I Vampiri' 1956, began by Freda and completed by Bava once Freda walked off the set, mostly due to his disinterest in directing horror films.
I'd kill to watch this one!

Perhaps Bava's most personal, intense and original film. In spite of a very low budget and limited available means - substantially, an overcrowed car and a road - this is a pearl in his filmography.
Dirty, amoral, crude and nihilistic 1974 crime movie, which never fails to involve and surprise, especially considering that it takes place almost entirely inside a moving small car, where a young woman, a man and his sick child are held hostage by a trio of sadistic psychopathic criminals hard to forget (Dottore/ Doc, Bisturi/Blade and Trentadue/Thirtytwo, played respectively by Maurice Poli, Don Backy and George Eastman).
'Cani arrabbiati' is an electrifying and claustrophobic 90 minute ride to Hell, told in real time and soaked in unpredictability, psychological violence, black humour, surreal dialogue, fast pace and increasing tension.

A classic giallo rich in innovative and highly experimental ideas, either for the technical aspect or for the development of plot. The murder scenes, characterized by acrobatic camera movements and memorable close-ups, are truly well-done. The plot is very intricate, but flowing and exciting, and psychologically well thought out. Truly suspenseful and fascinating. Tenebre is one of the most violent and bloody Dario's films: razors, daggers, axes and even paper as murder weapons, used against a dozen victims. Nevertheless, the murders take place in the daylight, or anyway in very bright places, in an unusual Rome, aseptic and almost futuristic. Plus, irony is often present in the dialogues and in several situations.
Definitely one of the best works directed by Dario Argento, assisted by Lamberto Bava and Michele Soavi, who also have a cameo in the film.

Oneiric and psychedelic Fulci's thriller. I love the way he managed to mix in the same film hyperrealism and nightmarish atmosphere, elegance and roughness, moralism and corruption, high society and hippie world. Not the greatest work from the maestro but still a fine giallo, made even more precious by an interesting Morricone's score and some good special effects by Rambaldi.

Besides being one of Fulci's finest moments, this is also one of the best gialli ever made in Italy. An atypical thriller, located in the warm and sunny rural lands of Southern Italy, which shows how ignorance and superstition can lead to ridiculous prejudices and nonsense acts of violence.
A very impressive, realistic and often provocative film, that leaves you holding your breath till the end. An interesting plot, a gorgeous soundtrack (by Riz Ortolani), some intense scenes and cult actors (Bolkan, Milian, Bouchet, etc.), make this movie a true must see, not only for Fulci fans. See the uncut version, possibly!

Enigmatic supernatural thriller based on classic giallo.
Not as involving or suspenseful as other Fulci's works, it differentiates from the rest of his filmography for the almost complete absence of gore. This movie is definitely more oneiric and parapsychological rather than violent and bloody. Plot flows quite slowly and tension explodes just near the end.
Anyway, it's a very good thriller. Elegant and refined, with beautiful shots and particular attention to small details. Lucio considered "Sette Note" one of his best and favorite films.
Its strong points, besides direction: an intriguing mysterious story, a genial macabre ending (in spite of its predictability), a grim atmosphere, partly due to effective cinematography , sound effects and music score by Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera. Memorable is the carillon theme ("7 Note", recycled by Tarantino for Kill Bill-vol.1).

The first work in the Fulci 'Trilogia della Morte' (which also includes 'The Beyond' and 'The House by the Cemetery') is surely the most extreme and disturbing among the three.
A tale of curse and living dead, with Catholic connotations, which takes its inspiration from Lovecraft, Poe and Romero. A cool mix of dark, foggy and claustrophobic atmospheres with some crude, sometimes disgusting, gory effects, that leave no space for imagination: we have drilled heads, brains ripped out, eyes crying blood, bowels vomited out, maggot storms, people buried alive... A feast for the eyes for gore fans!
The story is quite incoherent and without a logic, but it takes a back seat to the creepy, delirious and visionary atmosphere. The amazing cinematography and scenery with some gothic elements, the rough but effective special effects and the gruesome make-up, plus the suggestive score by Fabio Frizzi, make this movie one of the best Italian horror cults. Keep in mind that everything was made with a really small budget.

A masterpiece of visionary Horror from the poet of gore Lucio Fulci, and in my opinion the best chapter of the trilogy.
Once again, the story is not one of the most original (witchcraft, gates of hell, ghosts, zombies) and numerous are the references to other authors (Henry James, Lovecraft, Artaud and Argento), but Fulci can astutely mix these elements and bring them to the screen with a personal and original style, creativity and technique.
As often in his movies, the script is not perfect and not much linear, but it doesn't matter since the director prefers to surprise with imagination, macabre atmosphere, surreal images, voices and whispers, extreme close-ups and spectacular splatter effects. This time, we have the "pleasure" of watching a man tortured and crucified to the wall, bodies dissolved in acid, an exploding head, a killer dog, flesh-eating tarantulas... However, the gross and extreme gore effects combine with the refinement and accuracy of cinematography, sound and direction. The whole is crowned by a magnificent and apocalyptic ending.

Ultra gory low-budget movie directed and acted by Lucio Fulci. In spite of its many faults (embarrassing acting, rough splatter effects, almost inexistent plot, ample use of footage from his previous works, and so on...), I really enjoyed this crazy and bizarre film.
Fulci plays himself, or rather a horror director who after many years of making bloody and violent films begins to suffer from terrible hallucinations. He decides to contact a psychiatrist who, unfortunately, reveals to be a psychopathic killer.
As Fulci himself stated, the movie was born as a joke and thanks to it, he could finally show his strong dislike for Psychoanalysis and reply with sarcasm and black humor to those theories which accuse horror movies of being a dangerous inspiration for murders and rapes.

nice psychedelic 70's thriller by Luciano Ercoli

Another funny and stylish thriller by Ercoli. A little cult for fans of Italian Giallo, rich in humour, sensuality and suspense.

A paltry budget didn't stop this from being one of the highest peaks of Italian horror cinema. Pupi Avati offered us an unique piece of work, rather different from the average giallo and considered a cult for its insane storyline and the morbid, delirious and sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere. The foggy and suggestive locations, placed along the canals and the lagoons of the Po delta, contribute for sure to the success of the film.
'La casa dalle finestre che ridono' is a tasteful, creepy and hypnotic gothic-thriller, where the horror is showed in a vaguer form, less definite and therefore more terrifying. There is not much violence, just some twists and some genuinely eerie scenes. The tension slowly increases until it explodes in the astonishing ending.
The whole is supported by an original, well-constructed screenplay and a dry direction. Some flaws don't diminish the value of this weird gem at all. On the contrary, they make it even more entertaining.
Possibly my favorite 70's "giallo" behind 'Profondo rosso' and 'Non si sevizia un paperino'.

After his masterpiece "La casa dalle finestre che ridono" ("The House of the Laughing Windows", 1976), Pupi Avati directed another fascinating horror movie - "Zeder" (1983) - a sort of "Pet Sematary" located in the 80's northern Italy. Now, I don't know if Stephen King was inspired by this movie, but there are some incredible similarities between the two works.
However... far from being as great as the other Avati's film, "Zeder" appears a bit dated and has several plot holes, but it's still good. Involving, mysterious, with some creepy scenes, oppressive atmospheres and suggestive and original locations.

A splendid supernatural fairy-tale, rich in eerie and gothic atmosphere, with some genuinely creepy moments, fascinating characters and beautiful landscapes. After many years since "La casa dalle finestre che ridono" (1976) and "Zeder" (1983), Pupi Avati finally returns to the horror genre in 1996 with a unique and magical story of esotericism, religion, evil and death that's based on local believes and legends.
Rather slow but visually stunning and perfectly directed, "L'arcano incantatore" is a fine example that horror cinema can often be a very subtle art-form... Not a film for fans of Saw XIV or Halloween XXII, I guess.

One of Sergio Martino's finest efforts. An original, suspenseful and sexy adaptation of Poe's The Black Cat, filled with the typical ingredients of a 70's giallo.

Joe D'Amato makes his horror debut with this great homage to Gothic fiction (Poe and Le Fanu in primis). He gives us a creepy mixture of mystery and eroticism, filled with some well-made graphic violence and oneiric atmosphere. It's a bit slow and confusing at times, but remains extremely intriguing and stylish.

"Come vedi sono tornata... E sono tornata per te!"

Amazing spaghetti thriller with noir intentions, directed by Tonino 'My name is Nobody' Valerii. Although the plot is terribly confusing, the whole is highly convincing and captivating. Now, 'Mio caro assassino' is not a masterpiece but can easily be considered one of the most worthwhile efforts in the history of Italian Giallo, due to the stylish and solid direction, the clever script, the beautifully grim score composed by Morricone and directed by Nicolai, some suggestive murder scenes (the first one is one of my personal favorites ever!), the memorable opening sequence and the elegant ending inspired by Agatha Christie's books.
Unluckily, this is the only Valerii's contribution to the Giallo genre.

I absolutely need to see this!! also have to find 'Le orme', 1975 horror/sci-fi still directed by Bazzoni and starring Bolkan and Kinski.

Considering that "La doppia ora" is Giuseppe Capotondi's directorial debut, the film was a surprising revelation for me. It's not easy to find a modern giallo so good nowadays and I enjoyed it MUCH more than other acclaimed recent Italian thrillers such as Tornatore's "La sconosciuta" or Molaioli's "La ragazza del lago". This work has the advantage of an excellent cast (Timi and Rappoport are amazing together), an innovative and fresh direction and a solid, involving screenplay mixing contemporary noir, psychological drama, giallo, a bit of romance and some elements of horror. I know it may sound like a mess, but I assure it works very well.