An Italian Hallowe'en

So All Hallow's Eve is one week away, and perhaps you're hosting a party of some sort, as is half the population of 18-34 year olds. And perhaps I can maybe point you in the right directions so you're not playing Evil Dead 2 for the hundred billionth fucking time... Perhaps...



Last year I was touting the good ‘ol Dario Argento. Not the most original of suggestions but the guy still gets over looked in some circles. So, in keeping with the Italian angle, these guys did know their horror, how about Mario Bava, “Maestro of the Macabre”? Like Argento, he does have his big ups and his decent share of big downs. So to cut to the cream of the crop, check out Blood and Black Lace. Like Argento’s Suspira, it’s one of the originators of the whole slasher flick genre. For one, it’ll look great on your TV – the guy’s movies are rather stunning in just their composition, lighting, and so forth. And for two, the guys will dig the numerous hot Italian babes that end up going under the knife at one point or another.

Black Sabbath and Black Sunday are his two other classics. Black Sunday was his first breakthrough film. Even though it was made in 1960, years after the Universal horror classics like Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula and the such, it ranks right up there with them. And Barbara Steele, va-va-va-voom… A great opening scene in this one, and a lot of fun to be had. Black Sabbath – I mean, the name alone… Well, this one’s in color for those of you who shy away from the awesomeness of the B&W, but it still looks great, as does all his early work. It’s a trilogy (It’s aka Three faces of Fear) and hosted by Mr. Boris Karloff himself. It’s the foundation of what he was good at – placing young women in suspenseful situations, watching them scream and cringe and probably die a bloody death. Yes, it’s the foundation of the horror movie itself – and this was another of the modern age of horror’s originators.

Now at most Halloween parties there’s a movie on in the background and a group of people milling around chatting, flirting, getting drunk, maybe all three at once. These Bava movies are good movies to have on in the background because they look great (especially if you have a good TV), have great looking ladies in them, and if you have any film geeks at your party they’ll probably be a bit impressed. But say the subtleties of these movies aren’t really what you’re looking for at your party. You want some fucked up shit – heads rolling, people getting eaten, chainsaws, limbs being lost, etc.

Okay…




To complete the Italian trifecta we must touch on Lucio Fulci. The one that even the critics will point to as being a high water mark was The Beyond. This movie has it all – demons, zombies, dismemberment, eye gouging, hey, this guy’s got the moniker “Godfather of Gore” – but like his Italian brethren he does it with a certain panache (also, he was once a med student, that’s really hilarious once you see a couple of this guy’s movies). He also makes his movies look like a million bucks. Some nice cinematography goes a long way to harshening the blow of getting your intestines ripped out. And that happens in a couple of his movies.

Like Zombie... There really isn’t much more to say – these Fulci movies (along with Gates of Hell – which unfortunately isn’t on dvd) are the cream of the gorehound’s crop. Besides Romero’s Dead movies these are as good as it gets. Great shots, great music, great make-up, top notch, and some would say better than the genre deserves.

Well, that’s the top of the Italian stuff – but after all that I feel like mentioning a guy at the bottom. Now this is for the freaks only – but Umberto Lenzi is the master of the, yes, cannibal movie.





He carved out a little niche for himself and while I’m sure he’d of rather gotten some more chances at the finer things in life – it’s what paid the bills and he could film a scene of some unholy natives chowing down on some poor dude like no other. You want to fuck up some people’s minds at your party – put on the movie that was banned in 31 countries, Cannibal Ferox, or as it’s hilariously subtitled, Make Them Die Slowly. And serve up some bloody marys while your at it – good lord I’ll promise you at least one person will loose their candy. Or perhaps take the insanity down to a 9 and put on Eaten Alive! Now Mr. Lenzi doesn’t really play by the classing it up game that Fulci and Argento do – this man’s out to fuck you up with as much gore, nudity, and gruesomeness as possible, so this shit will definitely offend someone if you have more than 10 people at your party. Not to say that all his movies are like that – you could look at Spasmo that despite it’s American name is pretty tame in comparison with some of his 80’s stuff, and also quite better – can actually be compared with some of his Italian brothers stuff. Except more fucked up.

I'll come back tomorrow, hopefully, to chime in with some of the lesser known American horror movies if you dare not risk the greatness of these fine gentlemen.