Suspiria (1977) With Goblin Live!

November 7, 2018

Directed by: Dario Argento

Written by: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi

Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

Quote: "This is Pavlo, our general handyman. He's really ugly, isn't he? Don't be afraid to say so. Can't understand you anyway, he speaks only Romanian. You see that gorgeous smile? He's felt very handsome ever since he got those false teeth."

Trivia: Director Dario Argento's original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls no older than twelve years. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to twenty years but did not rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.

The Church (1989)

October 24, 2017

Directed by: Michele Soavi

Written by: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini

Starring: Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana, Feodor Chaliapin Jr. 

Budget: $3,500,000

Quote: "Filthy liar! Here we'll wash your mouth out with soap, here!"

Trivia: Though it was originally conceived as another entry in the popular Demons series, director Michele Soavi insisted that the film stand alone and not be connected with the films Demons (1985) or Demons 2 (1986). In an interview Soavi referred to the Demons films as 'pizza schlock' and wanted La Chiesa to be more sophisticated.

This movie is one of nearly a half dozen movies that are claimed to be the third pseudo-sequel to the Argento/Bava Demons films. However, the director Michele Soavi insisted that this movie is not another Demon movie which he felt was beneath him. He even went so far as to call them "pizza schlock," stating that his movie is a more sophisticated higher art. In many ways he is correct, this movie does not look or feel like a Demon movie. The Demon movies are really fun celebrations of American-influenced Italian gore, that never took themselves too seriously, and have become horror classics. The Church, while not a terrible movie, is yet another forgettable Italian demon flick with a sense of pretentiousness to it. The director's air of superiority is a bit off putting considering the film is no more high brow than any other Italian demon movies. And we don't need movies like this taking themselves too seriously... Alright, I should probably not get so defensive. I love the Demon movies and felt the need to address the bit of trivia I found on the movie. The movie is actually pretty good with an interesting story and some great gore scenes.

Inferno (1980)

October 9, 2018

Directed by: Dario Argento

Written by: Dario Argento

Starring: Leigh McClosky, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi

Budget: $3,000,000

Quote: "There are mysterious parts in that book, but the only true mystery is that our very lives are governed by dead people."

Trivia: Final film of Italian film director Mario Bava [i.e. in any crew capacity, Bava was not a credited director on this movie, he came in to help with the visual effects after the request of Dario Argento, who was a big admirer of Bava. His son, Lombardo Bava was the assistant director].



Inferno is the second film in Dario Argento's Three Mother trilogy. The first is 1977's Suspiria and the last is the much awaited followup, 2007's Mother of Tears. While these films are not sequels in the traditional sense, they do have similar themes, follow similar story structures, and are all based on a mid-nineteenth century book. Most viewers will see that Inferno lacks the originality of Suspiria, which was singularly original upon its release. Simply enough, there existed nothing like it. Inferno, however, does not innovate but instead continues what Suspiria began. And although there was a lot of criticism heaped upon the movie at its release, it is a movie with a lot of surprisingly incredible moments that has aged well with time. Argento continues with his beautiful camera work full of reds and blues. He even contracted Mario Bava, his mentor and the godfather of Italian horror, to help with special effects and camerawork. This would be Bava's last project as he died shortly after its release. Also, Bava's son Lamberto Bava (who would go to make Demons and Demons 2 with Argento) worked on the film. Also, in order to set the movie apart from Suspiria, Argento replaced the rock band Goblin with progressive rocker Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) who combines rock with classic Italian Opera to compose a really interesting and excited score.

The City of the Living Dead (1980)

September 13, 2018

Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Written by: Lucio Fulci, Dardando Sacchetti

Starring: Christopher George, Catriona MacColl, Carlo De Majo

Quote: "Mr. Bell, if those gates are left open, it could mean the end of humanity. We've got to get them shut again. At midnight on Monday, we go into All Saint's Day. The night of the dead begins. If the portholes of hell aren't shut before, no dead body will ever rest in peace. The dead will rise up all over the world and take over the Earth! You must get to Dunwich, Mr. Bell. You must reclose those gates!"

Trivia: The scene where the window opens wide and lots of maggots fly in was filmed with the help of two wind machines and 22 pounds (10 kg) of actual maggots.

This is the first in Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell Trilogy (followed by The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery). I hadn't seen any of them but was lucky that Amazon Prime has this one and Shudder has the rest (I'm sure I'll watch the other two over the next week or two). Holy crap this is a disgusting movie, in the best possible way. It is your classic zombie movie plot but the filmmakers took care to make it as disgusting as possible. Yes, there is the zombie gore the genre is famous for, but Fulci takes it to extremes and adds in worms, maggots, and other details to up the revulsion ante. Also, the film continues the Italian obsession with American horror and Americana. Although it is an Italian film with Italian actors, it is dubbed in English, takes place in America, and many scenes were even shot in America (New York and Georgia). The original title was actually Twilight of the Dead with a movie poster that looked a lot like Dawn of the Dead until a "cease and desist" order was sent out. I absolutely love George Romero's films and American horror and general, it's just odd how taken Italy also was. Neither Spain, Germany, or any other country can boast so many great American-influenced horror gems. Too much jabbering, let's get on with the movie...

Demons 2 (1986)

September 10, 2018

Directed by: Lamberto Bava

Written by: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Franco Ferrini

Starring: David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Carolini Cataldi-Tassoni

Budget: $1,500,000

Tagline: The Ultimate Horror Experience!

Trivia: Bobby Rhodes, who played Tony the pimp in Demons (1985), returns as a completely different character in this sequel. Lino Salemme also reappears, this time as a security guard.



After watching the movie I looked through a few of its reviews on the internet and I am really surprised how mixed people's opinions are on the film. Some people love the film while others absolutely hated it with a passion. I am definitely with the first group, I absolutely loved it! I loved it just as much as the first movie. The movie itself is basically a remake of the first one but in a new setting. We have a zombie-demon invasion, not in a movie theater, but in an building complex. Some people were upset that the movie did not continue the story of the first movie, but for fuck's sake, there was almost no story in the first movie! That was the beauty of it. And therefore, there is almost no story in this one as well.

Nobody loves the original Demons because of its plot. The directors who made the film went out of their way to have as little plot as possible. Hey, let's have a zombie-demon attack at a theater and watch as people try to survive. Now they said, hey let's put that same zombie-demon idea inside a building complex and see what happens.

The New York Ripper (1982)

August 21, 2018

Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Written by: Gianfranco Clerici and Lucio Fulci

Starring: Jack Hedley, Almanta Suska, Howard Ross

Quote: "He used a blade. Stuck it up her joy trail, and slit her wide open. He could have done a slightly better job if he had more time. But overall, it was a good, efficient butchery."

Trivia: Kitty's death by razor blade was originally longer and more gruesome. Why the extra violence was cut is unsure, but images found on the Japanese DVD cover confirm that more gore was filmed.





This is another film that received very negative reviews. Allmovies claimed that director Lucio Fulci tried to appeal "to the lowest common denominator as never before in his career, Fulci showed with this blatant play for the sicko slasher crowd that the days of well-plotted, stylish Italian horror were gone, replaced with the most vicious sort of sexual violence and perversion." I don't disagree with the above review. The movie is vile, crude, and mean-spirited. It lacks the sleek cinematography and beauty of Mario Bava and Dario Argento's Giallo films. But, who the hell says that movies need to be beautiful? Especially when it comes to the slasher genre! Sometimes movies should be disgusting. Sometimes movies should be offensive. Sometimes the world can be a pretty ugly place and this movie is a reflection of fact. The movie is yet another of the historic Video Nasty films banned in the UK. Event today, the 2011 DVD had several minutes censored from it in the UK.

Tenebre (1982)

August 7, 2018

Directed by: Dario Argento
Written by: Dario Argento

Starring:  Anthony Franciosa, Giuliano Gemma, Christian Borromeo

Quote: "The impulse had become irresistible. There was only one answer to the fury that tortured him. And so he committed his first act of murder. He had broken the most deep-rooted taboo, and found not guilt, not anxiety or fear, but freedom. Any humiliation which stood in his way could be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation: Murder."

Trivia: In Germany, the film is still banned after 25 years of its release. The film has never been released uncut in Germany and according to the FSK (the official censorship in Germany), it never will.

I don't know how he does it, but Dario Argento has the uncanny talent of turning horrific scenes into some of the beautiful moments in film. I've only seen a small handful of Argento's films and was excited to watch Tenebre. This film does not disappoint. The film score is done by the incredible horror synth band Goblin and is absolutely amazing. The web of confusion the film creates around the mysterious killer is fascinating. The killings are beautifully disgusting. And the women in the film are ridiculously beautiful. Oh, and it is yet another one of the infamous "Video Nasties" banned in the UK during the 1980s.

Demons (1985)

July 30, 2018

Directed by: Lamberto Bava

Written by: Dardano Sacchetti, Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini

Starring: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny

Budget: $1,800,000

Tagline: Their Evil Becomes an Orgy of Bloodshed

Trivia: The scene where the cocaine is dropped inside the car and where the characters are picking it back up has been quite a subject of controversy; which led to the scene being censored almost all over the world.



I have to say, so far in this horror movie adventure, Demons is one of the best horror movies I have seen yet! It has some of the greatest practical effect deaths and zombie/demon makeup! An absolutely killer soundtrack and score! Great cinematography! No character development and almost no plot to get in the way of the gore. A film project by some of Italy's greatest horror film directors, this film is a truly incredible film in the eccentric way that only Italy could create.