Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  budget by luigi nannerini and An-

  (1981), one of the films that earned Lucio Fulci the defi-

  tonino lucidi and were distributed

  nition of “poet of the macabre” from French critics.

  8 Introduction be the talented michele soavi, whose transi-the important thing to many was to disguise

  tion from low- budget (Deliria, 987) to the

  their national identity, in a chameleon- like

  Argento factory (La chiesa) crowned him as

  game that went in the opposite direction than

  the next big thing in the genre.

  the gory excesses of the early decade. once the

  However, it was becoming harder and

  motto was to stand out, to exceed, to

  harder for debuting filmmakers to find financ-

  exaggerate; now, it was to dissimulate.

  ing for their work. some opted for help from

  the state through Article 28 of the 965 Italian

  law on cinema, which had instituted a fund

  The Changing Faces of Italian

  to finance films “of national cultural interest,”

  Gothic

  but the results were little- seen products that

  barely surfaced in theaters (La casa del buon

  the main characteristics and figures of

  ritorno, 986, beppe Cino), not to mention

  Italian Gothic cinema can often be found

  that their “cultural interest” was debatable to

  under a very different light in the films made

  say the least, as with the abysmal La croce dalle

  during the 980s. take the witch, for instance:

  7 pietre (987, marco Antonio Andolfi). but

  the evil seductress, the temptress, the driving

  relying on state support meant that genre proj-

  narrative of the genre since the days of La

  ects (popular products, hence not culturally

  maschera del demonio (960), is in turn se-

  relevant in the common opinion) were mostly

  duced by the present- day commodities and

  cut out. As for Reteitalia’s approximations to

  becomes a benevolent housewife who takes

  the horror genre, the box- office results proved

  care of her wealthy husband in Mia moglie è

  disappointing, while RAI’s investments in

  una strega, an example of comedy feeding

  young filmmakers would “offer study material

  vampirically on the genre’s clichés and depriv-

  to some willing cultural scholar,”3 to quote film

  ing them of their primal essence. on the other

  historian Paolo mereghetti, for their often in-

  hand, La casa 4—Witchcraft (988, Fabrizio

  explicable choices, with obscure and scarcely

  laurenti) or Il bosco 1 (988, Andrea marfori)

  attractive titles that sank to well- deserved

  revisited the seductive witch within a context

  oblivion.

  inspired by sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (98)

  throughout the decade, small companies

  and the new wave of gory American horror

  such as Aristide massaccesi’s Filmirage kept

  films. throughout the decade, the most inter-

  producing low- budget horror pictures aimed

  esting take on the figure of the female sorcer-

  at foreign markets and gave debuting filmmak-

  ess in all its subversive essence was marco bel-

  ers a chance to make their bones. A new gen-

  locchio’s La visione del sabba (988). though

  eration of directors surfaced, namely michele

  not a Gothic horror movie per se—and there-

  soavi, Fabrizio laurenti, Claudio lattanzi and

  fore not included in this volume—it is never-

  Andrea marfori, but there were also young

  theless an intriguing look at sexuality and the

  independent, underground filmmakers who

  battle of the sexes in today’s society by way of

  tried their hand at the horror genre, such

  psychoanalytic symbols and evocative dream

  as Giovanni Arduino and Andrea lioy (My

  sequences set in the 6th century, which reprises

  Lovely Burnt Brother and His Squashed Brain,

  one of the Gothic’s main tropes in an original

  988), and the milanese Fabio salerno, who

  and thought- provoking way. bellocchio uses

  made several interesting super8 and 6mm

  the theme of sorcery to explore the idea of an

  short films characterized by heavy cinephile

  irreducible feminine, in the story of a psychia-

  references, screened at specialized festivals.4

  trist (choreographer/dancer daniel ezralow)

  but, as shown by such works as the Gothic-

  who is called to examine a delusional young

  oriented Streghe (989, Alessandro Capone),

  woman (beatrice dalle): she claims to be a

  Introduction

  9

  350-year-old witch and almost killed a man

  media, although in safer and more glamorous

  who had sexually assaulted her. likewise,

  terms than the run toward sex of the previous

  the film employs the fantastic, by mixing past

  decade(s). bellocchio’s film had what most

  and present, reality and dream, realism and

  Gothic films made during the decade lacked—

  fantasy in the very same shot—and sometimes

  eroticism, either explicit or not. still, the blend-

  with extraordinary visual inventions—to tell

  ing of hardcore porn with Gothic and/or su-

  the protagonist’s escape from the “mediocrity

  pernatural themes had produced a few notable

  of reason,” as one critic called it.

  hybrids in the early 980s, which attempted to

  With its complex, thought- provoking vi-

  include sex scenes within a proper narrative

  sion of woman as an order- shaking element in

  frame, namely Alberto Cavallone’s surreal Blow

  a male- oriented society—a notion in tune with

  Job (Soffio erotico) (980) and mario bianchi’s

  bellocchio’s work of the period: see also his

  La bimba di Satana (983), a remake of Mala-

  “scandalous” 986 film Il diavolo in corpo—La

  bimba (979, Andrea bianchi).5 on the other

  visione del sabba pointed indirectly at the de-

  hand, the Piero Regnoli–scripted Malombra

  piction of woman as an object of desire, which

  (984, bruno Gaburro), a loose adaptation of

  had been relaunched by television and the

  Antonio Fogazzaro’s novel which had inspired

  one of Italy’s proto–Gothic films,

  mario soldati’s Malombra (942),

  sported hardly any Gothic ele-

  ments, and turned out to be a

  glamorous soft- porn tailor- made

  for the voluptuous starlet Paola

  senatore, in the wake of the trend

  of erotic period films spawned by

  tinto brass’ La chiave (983). but,

  as the decade went on, the “adult”

  elements were discarded.

  Classical Gothic was usually

  revisited within the context of

  spoofs (such as Fracchia contro

  Dracula), while the politically

  committed approach to the genre

  that had proven so fruitful in the

  past had virtually
disappeared:

  Anemia was a less than remarkable

  exception. similarly, the attempt at

  exploring an Italian flavor of the

  genre resulted in very few and

  often obscure films, as was the case

  with Giorgio Cavedon’s downbeat

  ghost story Ombre (980), with

  Pupi Avati’s Zeder standing out as

  a startlingly original achievement.

  As proven by the diffusion of

  Marco Bellocchio’s La visione del sabba (1988) reprises one of Gothic and horror films via home

  the Gothic’s main tropes (the seductive witch) for an intriguing

  look at sexuality and the battle of the sexes in today’s society.

  video, the genre had been adopted

  0 Introduction by a different and much younger audience—

  NOTES

  teenagers who purchased popular horror

  comics such as Dylan Dog and watched horror

  1. see Paul Ginsborg, A History of Contemporary Italy.

  Society and Politics 1943–1988 (london: Penguin uK,

  movie marathons on tv. dario Argento un-

  990).

  derstood it well: his 985 giallo, Phenomena,

  2. “the end of the Fiat strike,” Washington Post, oc-

  tober 29, 980.

  and the Dèmoni diptych were aimed at a pub-

  3. see barbara Corsi, Con qualche dollaro in meno. Sto-

  lic who listened to Iron maiden or mötley

  ria economica del cinema italiano (Rome: editori riuniti,

  200), 24–29.

  Crüe, a generation of film buffs who could

  4. “berlusconi a capofitto nel cinema,” La Stampa, July

  savor the cinephile homages and would also

  7, 986.

  5. Gian Guido oliva, “berlusconi: ‘l’87? È andato così,”

  buy the soundtrack albums.

  Corriere della Sera, January 5, 988.

  Postmodernist Gothic evolved from the

  6. Paolo Calcagno, “siamo una major europea,” Cor-

  mélange of references in the films scripted

  riere della Sera, october 28, 988.

  7. P.Ca. [Paolo Calcagno], “Patto berlusconi—Cecchi

  by dardano sacchetti for lucio Fulci, which

  Gori,” Corriere della Sera, march 8, 989.

  stuck to the habit of borrowing themes

  8. maurizio Porro, “berlusconi e Cecchi Gori: la Penta

  Film è in orbita,” Corriere della Sera, october 25, 989.

  and ideas and reworking them in a different

  9. tonino Guerra, quoted in Franca Faldini and Gof-

  way (often, it must be added, with impressive

  fredo Fofi (eds.), Il cinema italiano d’oggi, 1970–1984

  (milan: mondadori, 984), 393.

  results), to the open homage and self-refer-

  10. domenico liggeri, Mani di forbice. La censura cin-

  entiality of Dèmoni and especially soavi’s

  ematografica in Italia (Alessandria: Falsopiano, 997), 83.

  La chiesa, Italy’s most self- conscious and co-

  11. Which explains such paradoxical episodes as a

  deputy prosecutor envisaging the crime of “complicity in

  herent postmodernist horror movie of the

  obscene spectacle” for the members of the rating board

  decade. other, less impressive examples were

  who had classified 9½ Weeks (986, Adrian lyne) with only

  a v.m. 4 rating, allowing it to be broadcast at prime time

  the self- conscious Anemia, which amply dis-

  in december 987 on Canale 5.

  played its makers’ elitist approach, and Fulvio

  12. margheriti returned to the science fiction/horror

  genre with Alien degli abissi (989).

  Wetzl’s feature length debut, Rorret (988),

  13. Paolo mereghetti, “Piccoli film crescono (976–

  about a psycho cinema owner (lou Castel)

  998),” in Alberto barbera (ed.), Cavalcarono insieme. 50

  anni di cinema e televisione in Italia (milan: mondadori

  who screens only horror films and picks his

  electa, 2004), 37.

  female victims among the most impression-

  14. born in 965, salerno made his first short film,

  able in the audience; he then attempts to have

  Spirit, at 4. several more followed: Cadaveri (982), Extra

  sensoria (985), Vampiri (986, presented at Cattolica’s

  them revive traumatic fears in real life. the

  mystfest), Mezzanotte (986, predating Hellraiser), Arpie

  premise partly recalls Fade to Black (980,

  (987) and Oltretomba (987). In 990 salerno directed the

  6mm feature film Notte profonda (990), which cost only

  vernon Zimmerman), Anguish (987, bigas

   million lire, followed by another short, L’altra dimensione

  luna) and of course michael Powell’s Peeping

  (993). He committed suicide in 993, at just 29 years old.

  15. the same cannot be said about other porn films

  Tom (960), and Wetzl is remarkably bold in

  with sparse horrific and supernatural elements, sketchily

  recreating key scenes from no less than three

  inserted between one graphic sex scene and the next. this

  is the case with Orgasmo esotico (982, mario siciliano, as

  Hitchcock films: Psycho (which becomes

  “lee Castle”), in which sonia bennett plays a witch who

  Blood in the Shower, directed by a “Graham

  puts her deadly spell on the other characters, including

  sutherland” but replete with bernard Her-

  marina Hedman (credited as marina lotar), resulting in

  assorted deaths and in Hedman turning up as a zombie to

  rmann’s music score), Strangers on a Train and

  perform one last fellatio. In the circular ending it is

  Dial M for Murder. but the theoretical dis-

  revealed to be a dream … or maybe not? However, sicil-

  iano’s direction is so dire that one never cares about the

  course about cinema seems to have been lifted

  plot, but the sex scenes are even more boring. Nera … calda

  from some not- too-bright film student’s

  … e dolce (987, A.P. spinelli [Alessandro Perrella]) is a

  rip- off of Jonas middleton’s golden age classic Through the

  thesis, and the only thing more awkward than

  Looking Glass (976), starring future porn star Rocco

  the acting is the concept that a movie theater

  siffredi as a malevolent sex phantom who lures the heroine

  (marie-Christine veroda, credited as “Jennifer o’naeale”)

  that specialized in horror films would attract

  into sex escapades, including a particularly unpleasant cli-

  enough spectators to survive in late 980s

  max involving a close encounter with a horse.

  Italy.

  A note on the entries

  this volume lists all the films produced

  dino de laurentiis, who had relocated his

  and released in Italy between 980 and 989

  production company overseas for financial

  that in my view can be defined as “Gothic” (ac-

  reasons, and developed from an original

  cording to the analysis included in my previous

  script by dardano sacchetti, possibly the most

  volume Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957–1969,

  active scriptwriter in the genre during the

  on pag
es 3 to 9, and continued in my 1970–1979

  decade. As for the werewolf movie Monster

  volume), or have prominent Gothic elements

  Dog, a.k.a. Leviatán (985), listed in official

  and themes to them. the entries include

  sources as an out- and-out spanish production

  spoofs, hardcore films or modern- day riffs on

  (but financed by the dutch producer eduard

  classic themes and characters (the ghost story,

  sarlui with his company Continental motion

  the werewolf, the vampire). each entry is listed

  Pictures), it was filmed in spain by genre spe-

  according to its first official screening or the-

  cialist Claudio Fragasso, who also scripted it.

  atrical release date instead of its filming or its

  each entry features a comprehensive

  submission to the rating board. this led to the

  crew and cast list, based on the film’s opening

  exclusion of such titles as lamberto bava’s

  and closing credits. uncredited extras are also

  made- for-tv remake of La maschera del de-

  listed, if noteworthy. Please note that on some

  monio and luigi Cozzi’s The Black Cat (a.k.a.

  occasions the Italian crew and cast members

  De Profundis) which are dated 989 on the

  adopted english pseudonyms: whenever pos-

  Imdb but were in fact screened or released

  sible, I included the participants’ real names

  later: La maschera del demonio premiered in

  after their Anglo- saxon aliases. Also featured

  June 990 at Rome’s Fantafestival, whereas

  are filming locations, running time, screening

  Cozzi’s film was shot over a period of time

  certificate (visa) number, release dates, Italian

  between spring and fall of 989 and is copy-

  box- office grosses, alternate titles; a brief syn-

  righted 990 in the credits. Its video premiere

  opsis; and an essay on the film, often with

  took place even later, in June 99.

  the inclusion of little- known or never- before-

  As with the previous volumes, I did not

  seen data regarding production history and

  include spanish majority co- productions di-

  assorted trivia. As for filming dates, whenever

  rected by spanish filmmakers, such as Estigma

  possible I included the official ones as reported

  (980, José Ramón larraz), which was not

  in the Public Cinematographic Register in

  even released theatrically in Italy. on the

  Rome, but bear in mind that this official source,

  other hand, I opted to include two films that