Reviews
Murderock - Uccide a passo di danza (1984)
Sumptuous visuals lend weight to thin story
One of Lucio Fulci's "gentler" films, MURDER ROCK is not very popular among gore fans (largely because of the lack of eye gougings and disembowellments), but it has much to recommend. The story deals with a maniac who is killing the girls at a dance school in New York -- together, a cop and a psychiatrist track the maniac down. Keith Emerson contributes a dated, but enjoyable, soundtrack, and cinematographer Giuseppe Pinori makes fine use of half-lighting, a la Mario Bava's SEI DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO. Fulci cameos as an agent. Recommended for Italian horror buffs. *** out of ****
Lo squartatore di New York (1982)
Fulci's most extreme work.
Though reviled by even some of the most ardent Fulci supporters, LO SQUARTATORE DI NEW YORK is actually one of the Italian maestro's best works. The film belongs to the Italian "giallo" genre, a brand of thriller which emphasizes flashy murder scenes over pedantic police investigations, and in some ways it is the giallo to end all gialli. Certain scenes are so mean spirited and graphic that it is difficult to watch, but of course this is precisely what Fulci has in mind. The emphasis on gore and sleaze creates an image of New York as a Hell on Earth that makes TAXI DRIVER look positively staid, and Fulci uses the story to make some harsh comments on American life. Specifically, the American ideal of being the best in a given pursuit is what fuels the murderer's rage. Those critics who believe Fulci to be an ardent Catholic, who feels that women who behave sexily deserve to be murdered, have had a field day with this film. Yet, these critics have failed to properly understand the film. Fulci is not an ardent Catholic (as NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO proves), nor is he condemning the women in his films. Rather, this is a film that paints a bleak portrait of human behavior. There are no sympathetic characters, and an air of hopelessness dominates the proceedings. The issue of mysoginy has no bearing in a film like this -- instead of being anti-woman, this film is anti-humanity. Sure, it is not a pleasant premise on which to base a film, but then, who says that films have to be pleasant? A fine, well-crafted thriller, with good acting, beautiful widescreen photography, and a terrific score by Francesco Di Masi. ***1/2 out of ****
...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà (1981)
A gore film with genuine style
Lucio Fulci made many films in the nearly forty years that he worked as a director, but none is better known than L'ALDILA. The question is, is it his best film? No, it isn't. It lacks the savage emotional charge of NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO, as well as the kinetic energy of ZOMBI 2. But, it is one of the cornerstones of Italian popular cinema, so it seems approriate that it should be receiving so much attention. Fulci's intent in this film is to capture the feeling of a nightmare, and he accomplishes this with seeming facility. The widescreen vistas of Sergio Salvati, backed up by the eerie chant-filled music of Fabio Frizzi, create an ambience of dread and despair that is rare in contemporary horror cinema. The gore effects of Gianetto De Rossi, though achieved on a low budget, retain their shock impact. A literal triumph of style over substance, and living, bleeding proof that Lucio Fulci was not the hack he is soemtimes painted to be. **** out of ****
Gatto nero (1981)
Killer kitty flick not one of Fulci's triumphs
After establishing himself internationally with a series of critically reviled, yet commercially lucrative gore films (ZOMBI 2, L'ALDILA, PAURA NELLA CITTA DEI MORTI VIVENTI), Lucio Fulci decided to try for a more subtle English-style gothic film. The results were uneven, but hardly as disastrous as Fulci made it out to be. Brilliant Irish actor Patrick Magee has one of his very last roles as Robert Miles, a medium whose unusual (to say the least) master-servant relationship with his pet cat fuels the story. Little of Poe's orgininal story remains (the titles proudly announce that it is "freely adapted" from Poe), and the revisions are not always satisfactory, but Fulci and cinematographer Sergio Salvati ably create an atmosphere of dankness and dread, an ambience well supported by Magee's melancholy presence and Pino Donaggio's wonderful music. Not a classic, but a must for Fulci afficianados, and preferable to the contemporary "teen" horrors of SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER -- at least this film, for all its faults, is the work of a real artist who loves the genre. **1/2 out of ****
Zombi 2 (1979)
A rousing horror classic.
Commonly dismissed as a cheap Italian imitation of George Romero's DAWN OF ThE DEAD (released by Dario Argento in Italy as ZOMBIES), Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE has since taken on a life of its own. True, the film was designed by producer Fabrizio De Angeliis to be an imitation, but Fulci's dedication resulted in something quite different. Whereas Romero's film is a satirical commentary on American society, Fulci's film is a bona fide horror film. Its aims might be lower, but the sheer visceral impact cannot be denied. Ably aided by some of his best collaborators (cinematographer Sergio Salvati, composer Fabio Frizzi, editor Vincenzo Tomassi, and FX artist Gianetto De Rossi), Fulci transforms the sketchy script into a nightmarish vision of terror and mutilation. Though most of the cast is fairly nondescript, British actor Richard Johnson (who presumably accepted the film in order to travel to sunny Santa Domingo) gives a tremendous performance as a half-crazed scientist who tries desperately to understand the zombie epidemic. No apologies need to be made for this film -- it's a great horror shocker, pure and simple. **** out of ****
Quante volte... quella notte (1971)
Mario Bava's delightful 60s update of RASHOMON
Mario Bava is best known for his dark, morid horror films, but he also worked outside of the genre on many different occasions. One such occasion yielded QUANTE VOLTE. . . QUELLA NOTTE, a delightful sex comedy patterned after Akira Kurosawa's 1950 classic RASHOMON. The story tells of a date gone awry, and the different perspectives on what in fact led to the man (Brett Halsey) having scratches on his forehead and the girl (Daniela Giordano)'s brand new dress being torn. Those viewers only familiar with Bava's horror films need to seek out this little known gem -- it reveals a more playful side of Il Maestro, and is an entertaining and endearing film in its own right. *** out of ****
Non si sevizia un paperino (1972)
An emotionally shattering mastrpiece
Italian director Lucio Fulci is a controversial figure. Ever since attaining fame (or is that infamy?) with his graphically violent zombie films (commencing with the stylish ZOMBI 2, 1979), he has been known as "godfather of gore" by adoring fans. Yet, the general public has dismissed him as a hack whose only talent rested in his flair for filming gory set pieces. These critics have obviously never seen NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO. Released in 1972, this film proved to be unpopular in Italy, owing to its anti-Catholic point of view, and there is some indication that the controversy surrounding the film spoiled Fulci's then-burgeoning career. The story is a simple one: a series of child murders in a rural Italian village attracts national attention. As the police attempt to locate the culprit, a reporter (Tomas Milian) seeks to beat them to the punch. The killer is eventually unmasked in a (literally) bone-crunching finale. NON SI SEVIZIA. . . is a violent film. In spots, it is also gory. Yet, it is much more than a schlock horror film. It is an emotionally charged indictment of the hypocrisy of religion, and a gripping thriller worthy of the best of Argento or Bava. It is also the single best film of its maker, the sadly neglected Lucio Fulci. Fulci also recognized this film to be his best, and it comes highly recommended from the viewer. **** out of ****.
Ecologia del delitto (1971)
A delightfully sick black comedy
Apart from being one of the goriest films ever to garner an R rating, REAZIONE A CATENA is also something of a record holder when it comes to alternate titles. At least one of these alternate titles is insulting in its implications. In the mid 1970s, Bava's film was re-titled LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT PART 2 for certain US drive in markets. Not only was the Bava film made before Wes Craven's 1972 shocker LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, but such retitlings imply that this film is yet another Italian rip-off of an American hit. Such is not the case. In fact, REAZIONE A CATENA is one of Bava's most groundbreaking films, and one that has been copied endlessly by filmmakers of lesser talent. A firm believer in minimalist plotting, Bava here pits thirteen amoral characters against one another, as they grasp for a piece of desirable property. Rather than ask the viewer to sympathize with their plight, Bava derives great pleasure from encouraging us to sit back and rock with macabre laughter as they all meet well-deserved demises. Made in response to the trend towards graphic gore in thrillers -- a trend exemplified by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci -- the film's tongue-in-cheek excesses leave one in little doubt about Bava's feelings on graphic violence in the cinema. Bava once again makes expert use of fluid camera movements, the cast is superb (Leopoldo Trieste is a delight as an unbalanced entomologist), and Stelvio Cipriani contributes a great score. One of Bava's best. . . and watch out for that ending! ***1/2 out of ****
La frusta e il corpo (1963)
Mario Bava's greatest masterpiece
Mario Bava made many wonderful films in his long career. Not all of these are limited to the horror films for which he is famous, and even some which are commonly regarded as "horror" are not so simple as they may appear. LA FRUSTA E IL CORPO is one such case. This is a film which appears in most horror film reference guides, but it is more than a horror film. It is a deeply affecting love story, a story about psychological cruelty and sadism, and a pro-Feminist diatribe that demands greater appreciation. Christopher Lee gives one of his finest performances as sadistic Kurt Menliff, who derives pleasure from whipping his lover, played by Daliah Lavi. When Lee is murdered, his spectre continues to haunt Lavi, inflicting her with nightly beatings and driving her more and more insane. Few directors made better use of the cinematic medium than Mario Bava, and his technique is at its peak in this film. The expressionist use of color, the seductively mobile camerawork, and painterly compositional style combine to create a film of lyrical beauty. The subject matter is bold (especially by the standards of 1963), but Bava does not hold back -- yet there is nothing distasteful or exploitative about the film. As with his other films, Bava's intelligence manifests itself by finding exactly the right way of approaching (and dramatizing) the psycho-sexual dimensions of the scenario. An incredible film, recommended even for non-horror fans. **** out of ****
La sindrome di Stendhal (1996)
A disturbing portrait of the psychological effects of cruelty.
Though reviled by many critics and so called "Argentophiles," LA SINDROME DI STENDHAL is easily one of Argento's most memorable works. Continuing with the current trend of attacking Argento's recent films, his audience (detractors and pundits alike) managed to completely miss the point of this disturbing film. Whereas many of Argento's other films leaven the tension by either introducing broad strokes of quirky humor or by focusing in on flashy technical tricks (like the color schemes of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO, or the crow-attack in OPERA), SINDROME offers a more somber and introspective view of Argento's favored themes. Though flawed -- the film needs some material depicting Anna as a normal young girl, before her inevitable breakdown -- LA SINDROME DI STENDHAL is one of the few truly memorably thrillers of the 1990s, and a tribute to the genius of its creator, Dario Argento. My rating: ***1/2 out of ****
Eye of the Devil (1966)
Uneven but effective chiller.
Historically speaking this film serves as an invaluable precursor to Anthony Shaffer's ingenious THE WICKER MAN, starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. Taken on its own, however, EYE OF THE DEVIL is an effective but wildly uneven film.
The story deals with a wealthy French nobleman (David Niven) who is called back to his ancestral castle when the crops fail. Due to his erratic behavior regarding this summons, wife Deborah Kerr becomes increasingly worried about Niven's safety. Against his orders, Kerr takes her children to his ancestral castle, where she witnesses many strange and eerie religious rites. The question then becomes, will Kerr be able to rescue Niven from a ritual sacrifice, and -- indeed -- does he wish to be saved?
Owing to its erratic production history, it's not surprising that EYE OF THE DEVIL is a bit rough around the edges. The story is obtuse, and the characters under-developed, but director J. Lee Thompson employs an intriguingly arty approach that keeps one alert throughout. Thompson makes excellent use of Ernest Haller's mobil camerawork, most notably in a memorable race-against-the-clock climax. Additionally, the score is excellent, and the cast is well above average for this sort of thing. In the lead roles, Kerr and Niven are effective and restrained, but it is the supporting cast that really impresses: Donald Pleasence, his head shave completely bald, as a sinsiter cleric; David Hemmings as a seemingly evil youth; and especially Sharon Tate as Hemmings' enchantingly sensual/wicked sister.
In the end, EYE OF THE DEVIL cannot be considered a great film. It is, however, an above average diabolical thriller, and as such can be recommended to horror fans. My rating: *** out of ****
6 donne per l'assassino (1964)
Beautiful models meet violent death as police attempt to find culprit.
One of the most chillingly sadistic gialli of all times, this 1964 masterpiece has lost none of its power. Director Mario Bava, the king of Italian horror, cleared the path for Dario Argento and others with this film, though it was not his first effort in the field. In 1962, Bava delivered what was probably the first Italian thriller, La ragazza che sapeva troppo. But whereas La ragazza was a relatively straight-forward murder mystery, this film ignores plot and character in favor of concentrating on the link between cinema and spectacle. The story deals with a series of gruesome murders which are plaguing the chic Haute Couture fashion salon: one by one, the lovely models are horribly murdered by a mad man who appears to be operating with no real motive. The police write the killer off as a sex maniac, but the truth of the matter is that the salon is a veritable hot bed of sex, drugs, and sordid dealings. A diary, loaded with information about these indiscretions, is making the rounds between the various models, and the killer is obsessed with tracking it down before his/her indiscretions are revealed. Though structured as a murder mystery--the German co-producers no doubt wanted Bava to deliver an Edgar Wallace-style thriller--the director takes the film off into unexpected, visionary directions. Even more so than Argento or Fulci, Bava seems fascinated by images of violent death. Yet whereas former med student Fulci insisted on dousing his corpses with blood and gore, former painter Bava keeps the bloodshed to a minimum, instead concentrating on the violent death throes which are shot in a eerily beautiful manner. The very first slasher film, though that label belittles Bava's achievement somewhat. Unlike later hack-em-up directors, Bava is very conscious of the links between the viewer and the cinematic process. By encouraging the viewer to identify with the killer's pleasure-i.e., we think the killings are beautiful in the same way that he no doubt does-Bava makes a very powerful statement on the power of the image. The characters are flat and one-dimensional, because they need to be. There are no heros, only victems. The police are depicted as arrogant and ineffectual, in contrast to most films of this era, Bava does not encourage the viewer to identify with anyone beyond the killer. Within the microcosmic environment of the fashion salon, Bava makes some telling comments on society, as well. Visionary filmmaking at its best.
An under-estimated classic. My rating ***** out of *****.
Review by Troy Howarth