| Author | Message | ||
     Giancarlo (Giancarlo) Username: Giancarlo Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 85.116.228.5 |
Allow me once, please, to strike a lance in favour of my Country. What are, or could be, the best (usual) ten Italian Horror movies from the golden era? There are not too many indeed to fill the 10 slots up unless M.Bava and Argento are included in the "best" list but I'll have to let them off to avoid the obvious. You'll notice neither Fulci nor L.Bava. My fault but I don't like quite anything from any of the two. So here are the, sometimes not so great, 10 champions, in not necessarily meritocratic order: 1) The Horrible Dr Hichcock (the necrophiliac theme had censorship mutilating it so the ending's still open to conjecturing. I'd have "The Spectre" as its very atmospheric sequel) 2) The Devil's Commandment (for mere historical interest, as it was shot in 1957) 3) Castle of Blood 4) The Long Hair of Death 5) Nightmare Castle (E. Morricone's soundtrack and 30 minutes missing from strong scissoring!) 6) The Mill of the Stone Women 7) Cannibal Holocaust (I'm double minded about this but has quasi-mythological fame) 8) An Angel for Satan 9) Night of the Devils ( a reworking of "The Wurdulak", an Italo-Spanish effort) 10) Crypt of the Vampire (a literary rendering of the "Carmilla" story and an Italo-Spanish coproduction too). My memory has gone dry about the theme but I don't think there is much more worth mentioning. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.49.198 |
Sorry Giancarlo, aside from Bava, Argento, Fulci and the rest of that gang of more well-known directors, I'm not very familiar with Italian horror cinema. I did like Mill of the Stone Women and Castle of Blood, but there are quite a few on your list that I don't think I've seen. I'm sure Lord P. (or maybe Zed) will be along to offer his expert insight eventually... | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.29.115.123 |
Oh, Black Sabbath definitely. It's a very fine film, especially the segment called A Drop of Water. I'm sure Ramsey will agree. (Hahaha, fooled you all. You thought I knew what I was talking about there, didn't you? But no, Zed showed me this at his house last week.) | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.237.21 |
I'd like to find and (finally!) see La lama nel Corpo (1966). It doesn't exist on dvd, unfortunately. Do you know this one, Giancarlo? http://www.fantafilm.net/Schede/1961f/66-58.htm It was actually shown in a little cinema over here back ik 1967, but they wouldn't let me in because I was too young, so I had to content myself with the stills. I've been haunted by this fim for more than forty years. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
OK, off the top of my head, here's an Italian top ten of movies I could watch again and again and again: Black Sabbath Horrible Secret of Dr Hichcock What Have You Done to Solange? The Devil’s Nightmare Torso (the last third) Profondo Rosso Cannibal Holocaust The Beyond The House by the Cemetery Tenebrae | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
JLP - is the recent Shameless DVD release of Torso uncut? | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Yes it is! And wonderfully sleazy and suspenseful it is too! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
There's another DVD I shall be bbuying, then. I just picked up the director's cut of Profondo Rosso for £2.99. And a box set of Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned for a fiver. Happy days. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.139.29.40 |
Where's the sale Zed ? | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
Play.com. They always have bargains on there. | ||
| Giancarlo (Giancarlo) Username: Giancarlo Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 85.116.228.5 |
Hubert, I saw "La Lama nel Corpo" when I was a tender baby with respect to giallos and horror. I don't remember having been greatly impressed by it, waiting for the murdering scenes was tenser than the scenes themselves, probably bodwlerized by censorship, as it was usual at those times. I've been checking with DVD online retailers. Though some flaunt the movie in their catalogues, it's perennially declared to be out of stock. Nothing is said about future availability so I wonder why they are keeping it in their lists! | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Giancarlo, do you know where I can find a copy of Madeleine, Anatomia di un Incubo? (Ideally with English subtitles?) | ||
| Giancarlo (Giancarlo) Username: Giancarlo Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 85.116.228.5 |
Kate! Hubert! For "Madeleine"" and "Lama nel Corpo" (Murder Clinic), try searching www.cinema-de-bizarre.com It should be an US retailer as the DVD are US $ priced. It seems both titles are in stock. I hope so, the titles seem to be there for shopping, at least! | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Oh well done, Giancarlo! Grazie molto!  | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
Oooo - "The Murder Clinic"! (JLP composes himself) Take 2: Ah yes, The Murder Clinic" - a film I have wanted to see since the age of nine. It would be rather good if we could obtain that for our DVD collection. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
John, have a look at Giancarlo's link and let me know what DVDs you want so I can order them all at once. | ||
| Giancarlo (Giancarlo) Username: Giancarlo Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 85.116.228.5 |
Alas, Kate, it seems "Madeleine" has no English subtitles, though! | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
Ah well. We'll make our own translation, then.  | ||
| Ramsey Campbell (Ramsey) Username: Ramsey Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 87.202.179.182 |
Just off the cuff: Black Sunday and I Vampiri Suspiria Inferno The Beyond Black Sabbath The Horrible Secret of Dr Hitchcock (would that it were available on DVD!) | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 81.152.74.159 |
The Horrible Secret of Dr Hitchcock (would that it were available on DVD!) We have it! Can't remember where Lord P got it from but perhaps he'll be kind enough to say. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
The company concerned is sadly no longer  | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 207.6.255.47 |
The distributor is in Florida (centre of all ultra-cheap and marginally dodgy business dealings, including Presidential election results). I've just clicked Giancarlo's link (much to our future debt-load, probably) and found the following: Gracious; what's not to love about any of that? | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.237.21 |
I've just sent them a message to check whether La Lama nel Corpo (aka The Murder Clinic aka Les Nuits de lEpouvante etc.) actually exists on dvd, but I don't think it does. According to some searchers it was scheduled to be released sometime in April this year, and it didn't happen. Crazily enough the film's soundtrack is readily available. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Limiting myself to one movie by one director only, or they'd be all Argento & Bava, here's my Top 10 Italian horror films: 1. 'Tenebrae' (1982) by Dario Argento 2. 'Mask Of The Demon' (1960) by Mario Bava 3. 'Salo Or The 120 Days Of Sodom' (1975) by Pier Palo Pasolini 4. 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1979) by Ruggero Deodato 5. 'The Beyond' (1981) by Lucio Fulci 6. 'What Have You Done To Solange?' (1972) by Massimo Dallamano 7. 'Hitch Hike' (1977) by Pasquale Festa Campanile 8. 'The Church' (1989) by Michele Soavi 9. 'The Case Of The Bloody Iris' (1972) by Giuliano Carnimeo 10. 'A Blade In The Dark' (1983) by Lamberto Bava But there are loads of acknowledged classics I have yet to see with Riccardo Freda's 'I Vampiri' (1956) top of the list. | ||
| Giancarlo (Giancarlo) Username: Giancarlo Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 85.116.228.5 |
The curse of the "best 10" strikes again! I'm referring to my own list: I am aware now I have left P. Avati's titles out, namely ZEDER and THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS. His HIDEOUT did not succeed to be very good despite the good acting and a creepy idea. Probably he should have kept the story on Italian soil. Removing it to the US flattened the sensing of local atmosphere. Was his movie L'ARCANO INCANTATORE distributed outside of Italy? If so, I don't know what its English title could be. It's a dark fable set in 17th century with ghosts and witchcraft. It's a minor but alluring effort, typical Avati. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.237.21 |
I can attest that a great many Italian titles were shown here in Ostend (and probably the rest of Belgium too) in the sixties and seventies, either in the Corso or Metro. Sadly these places were torn down in the mid-eighties. The Metro especially was renowned for horror films. If one wanted to see a new Hammer, that's where it would be shown. I used to go and peek at the film posters and stills all the time. | ||
| Ian Alexander Martin (Iam) Username: Iam Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 207.6.255.47 |
In London's King Cross, Scala was the cinema to see these things at apparently. It's still standing, but I think it's a café now.  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
ZEDER and THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS are two of my personal favourite Italian horrors, Giancarlo. Wonderful films. I've never been able to track down a copy of L'ARCANO INCANTATORE. |