Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)
Page 20
movie, which is just a series of images… . I had stud-
Ashton Smith, who mentioned the “Book of
ied Artaud a lot before he became trendy again in
Eibon” in his stories—Eibon being a fictional
Italy: L’aldilà, like most of those I made, is a homage
sorcerer first mentioned in the short story The
to Artaud’s concept, besides, horror becomes such
Door to Saturn. Even more than in Paura nella
when one is aware of it, which justifies the presence
città dei morti viventi, the story draws from a
of atrocious scenes in my film. The viewer is always
typical Gothic theme—the haunted house—and
aware of the horror of these images, this to reply to
revisits it in a personal way, with a complex lay-
those people who speak of gratuitousness regarding
my movies. There is always a value judgement in my
ering of references and borrowings. In this
films about such horror, since the viewer is always
sense, the main cinematic references are blatant:
terrified, thus always in reaction against the very ex-
Michael Winner’s The Sentinel, Argento’s Sus-
istence of these crimes.6
piria and Inferno, Kubrick’s The Shining (the lat-
ter quoted almost literally with the bell for room
Fulci’s passing mention of Artaud’s work being
36 ringing out of the blue).4
“trendy again in Italy” must not pass unnoticed:
When speaking to his biographer Michele
in June 98 the Ateneo theater in Rome had
Romagnoli, Fulci claimed that he “regularly no-
hosted “Progetto Artaud,” a retrospective on the
ticed afterwards” the “borrowings” from other
author on the 33th anniversary of his death,
films in Sacchetti’s scripts. But in the case of
which featured stage plays, exhibitions and
L’aldilà this can be ruled out. In the past, the di-
screening of the films in which Artaud had
rector had had an argument with Dario Argento
played acting roles, including Carl Theodor
regarding Zombi 2, which the latter labeled as a
Dreyer’s La passion de Joanne d’Arc (928) to
Dawn of the Dead rip- off: Fulci reportedly wrote
Fritz Lang’s Liliom (934). Fulci’s reference to
his colleague a letter in which he listed twelve
Artaud was most likely an attempt on his part
zombie films made in the 930s and 940s, even
to assert the authorial quality of his work by
before Jacques Tourneur’s I Walked with a Zom-
leaning on a respected yet unorthodox cultural
bie. On L’aldilà he was well aware of the similar-
model. The foundations of such a claim were
ities with Argento’s work, with which his own
shaky, since the notion of cruelty in Artaud (in-
had in common not just the presence of actress
tended as “catharsis”) was very different from
Veronica Lazar. According to script supervisor
the one displayed in Fulci’s horror films, and it
Rita Agostini, “while shooting, Lucio made ref-
is unlikely to say the least that the director ever
erences to Inferno, and he didn’t have anything
met him, although he was familiar with his work
good to say about it … undoubtedly L’aldilà
(one of Artaud’s plays, Les Cenci, dealt with the
started from an idea similar to Inferno, but he
story of Beatrice Cenci, which Fulci had filmed
wanted to make a much better film.”
in 969). But it didn’t matter: as a famous line
But in interviews of the period Fulci
from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance says,
referred to other and more illustrious models.
“When the fact becomes legend, print the leg-
When speaking with L’Écran fantastique’s Robert
end.” To Fulci, name- dropping Artaud was not
Schlockoff, he mentioned Jean- Paul Sartre’s
just a smart way to reply to those who still con-
famous 944 existential play Huis clos (a.k.a.
sidered him as a middle- aged hack who ripped
No Exit), which depicts the afterlife as a hotel
off Argento. It was also an intellectual joke at
room, with three characters punished by being
the expense of those critics who barely knew
locked into it together for eternity. But the
who Artaud was, and wouldn’t—or rather,
Italian director name- dropped another, no less
couldn’t—object anything to such a prestigious
prestigious and certainly more surprising source
and specific reference.
66 1981: …E tu vivrai The core of L’aldilà is the notion of the
celluloid, and yet it conveys a surreal fascina-
“haunted house”—or rather, of the “terrible
tion.
house” as labeled by Robin Wood.7 The “Seven
But the most impressive set piece has to be
Doors” hotel is a living, rotting organism whose
the opening scene, which depicts another of
viscera hide unspeakable secrets and forgotten
Fulci’s harrowing looks at the dark core of hu-
horrors. In its last screen appearance, ghastly
manity, the torture, crucifixion and disfigurement
silhouettes show up behind its windows as the
of Zweick.8 As with Florinda Bolkan’s maciara,
only two humans left alive flee from it, certifying
the painter—emaciated, feverishly working on
the victory of the dead over the living—an iconic
his painting, with Fulci’s camera isolating his eyes
Gothic image, and one that certifies Fulci’s visual
shining in the dark in close- up—is a Christ- like
command over the movie, regardless of the low
victim, who undergoes a similar ordeal: the peas-
budget. His camera prowls, spies and dollies all
ants hit him with heavy chains on the face, shoul-
over the place restlessly, never stopping for a
der and chest, ripping his flesh open. Then, in a
moment, a curious and possibly unearthly pres-
barbaric mockery of the crucifixion, they drive
ence itself. But whereas Argento’s palaces of
long nails through his wrists before the final act
horrors are magnificent and multicolored Art
of cruelty—disfiguring him with lime (with a sub-
déco buildings, Fulci’s “terrible house” is a deca-
jective shot of the corrosive material thrown di-
dent and decaying construction, and if Inferno’s
rectly at the camera). For a movie about the hor-
underwater chamber is a fascinating, spellbind-
rors of the beyond, L’aldilà puts immediately clear
ing place where the heroine can swim as an
that human ones are no less atrocious.
explorer in a lost cave beneath the sea, L’aldilà’s
Far from being a pedestrian rendition of
is a half- flooded, filthy dark basement which
the sadistic nastiness that characterized the sex-
plumbers try in vain to repair. Overall, the com-
horror comics of the period, Fulci’s visions of
pariso
n works symbolically as the difference be-
death have a terrible yet poetic quality to them,
tween “A” and “B” cinema, high and low budget,
which makes them even more incisive (albeit a
auteur and exploitation. Moreover, Inferno’s
couple of scenes, namely the spider attack and
palaces are located in the center of the Western
Al Cliver’s demise, look less than perfect due to
world, whereas Fulci’s hotel is in the swamps of
below- par special effects). Zweick’s disfigure-
Louisiana, a sweaty, humid place which looks
ment by lime, with the living flesh melting
like the American counterpart of the Southern
before the unflinching camera’s eye, is not just
Italy landscapes seen in Non si sevizia un pa-
a chilling reminder of human cruelty, but also a
perino and hosts a similarly intolerant and vio-
reflection on the expiration of all things human,
lent population.
destined to corrosion, decay, destruction. For a
The Argento connection is also evident in
director who repeatedly expressed his horror to-
a couple of death scenes, namely those of the
ward time, there is nothing more horrific than
blind Emily devoured by her dog—a blatant
to graphically portray the passing of time via its
replica of Flavio Bucci’s killing in Suspiria (ani-
destructive, implacable action. In Fulci’s world
mals become agents of evil, in the spider se-
view, time equals horror, and in L’aldilà the equa-
quence as well)—and Al Cliver’s unfortunate
tion is even more surprising than in other works
character receiving a deadly rain of glass frag-
where it is more explicit (as in La casa nel tempo).
ments all over his face, a scaled- down reworking
Eyes, the recipient of horror in Fulci’s uni-
of Suspiria’s opening murder. But the death se-
verse, here are blinded, eaten or gouged out, an
quences in L’aldilà go far beyond the cold sym-
act of cruelty which paradoxically becomes an
phonies of horror orchestrated by Argento,
act of supernatural mercy in the finale, when
which have a geometrical, ballet- like quality.
Liza and McCabe are spared the sight of the
Fulci goes for the jugular, with a savagery that
never- ending extradimensional barren land they
outdoes anything seen in horror cinema in that
are doomed to inhabit for eternity. Rather than
period, including the almost pornographic ex-
being punished for daring too much, they are
cesses of Gabriele Crisanti- produced gorefests
saved from one last, inconceivable horror, whose
such as Giallo a Venezia (979) and Patrick vive
essence can be glimpsed only via the filter of art.
ancora. The infamous sight of the little girl’s
Whereas Argento’s Varelli is an architect, a cre-
skull cracked open by a gunshot—an act of bar-
ator of ordinate shapes and figures who at-
baric cruelty if ever there was one—is among
tempted to enclose evil inside a rational- looking,
the most extreme acts of violence committed to
geometrical prison (only to become a prisoner
1981: …E tu vivrai
67
the frightening sight of the decomposed body of the painter Zweick (Giovanni De Nava) in a West German lobby card for Lucio Fulci’s …e tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà (1981).
of his own creation, that is), L’aldilà’s Zweick is
covers something strange about the second
a painter, a visionary artist whose works are the
body, but a fire destroys the hospital’s anatomy
only way to approach the unspeakable darkness
room, halting her investigation. Meanwhile,
of the universe. Likewise, Fulci’s film rejects
Michael discovers a secret locked room in the
geometry in favor of a free- form approach
attic, filled with strange old books, including the
which, if on one hand mimics Inferno’s rejection
Necronomicon and the Book of Eibon. He finds
of a standard narrative structure, on the other
out that the mysterious tenant was capable of
distances itself from Argento’s cold, almost
calling up the dead and opening the doors of the
mathematical world of horror.
beyond, in order to gain immortality. Michael
The genesis and evolution of L’aldilà, from
and Liza try to escape to the town, but the place
the first draft to the finished film, is fascinating,
has been taken over by the dead.
and offers more than a few surprises. In fact,
Besides the interesting differences regard-
Sacchetti’s original story was quite different
ing the protagonists, this summary shows how
from the script deposited at Rome’s CSC and
Sacchetti’s story was closer to classical Gothic
dated August 2, 980,9 about a month and a half
stereotypes—the family mansion, the mysterious
before shooting began. Originally, in fact, L’aldilà
presence, the secret room—and apparently more
was about a man named Arthur McCabe who
canonically structured. The finished script in-
returns to his family home with his wife Mary,
troduced new characters, such as the painter
his 2-year-old son Billy and a nephew, Michael,
Zweick, liberally changed the protagonists (Liza
who is a talented young painter. Rumors abound
becomes the owner of the hotel, McCabe is the
that the house is haunted by a mysterious,
local doctor), and radically redesigned the open-
ghastly tenant. A plumber called to fix a water
ing and the ending.0
leak disappears in the basement; then his body
Fulci’s first Italian biography, L’occhio del
is found together with the rotting corpse of a
testimone, published in 992, included several
young man. A female doctor, Liza Merrill, dis-
dismissive quotes on the director’s part toward
68 1981: …E tu vivrai the scriptwriter. While discussing L’aldilà, Fulci
36. Before that, Emily had told her about the
claimed: “Let’s forget Sacchetti’s story and part
events that took place 60 years earlier, when all
of the script, which were just a few pages long
the people at the hotel disappeared mysteriously,
and all ripped off from other films.” Such a
possibly murdered by Sweick. When she enters
harsh statement, however, was very likely driven
the room, Liza finds it in a state of ruin, with
by the director’s tense relationship with his ex-
moldy walls, insects and larvae. Her vision of
collaborator, characterized by many arguments
Sweick is impressively different: “The man is
over the years. In the case of L’aldilà, Sacchetti’s
nailed with open arms and legs to the bathroom
script deposited at Rome’s CSC is 62 pages long,
wall. One of his hands detaches from the nail
so the claim is unsubstantiated. Bu
t again, a
that pierced it and with a cry he sticks a long
summary of the script shows that it differs con-
knife into his own heart.” When McCabe shows
siderably from the film, too.
up and explores the room, it is sensibly different
As in Paura nella città dei morti viventi, the
from what it first was: Sweick’s body is missing,
setting is New England, in the imaginary town
as in the film, and so is the Book of Eibon which
of Fullwich (note the affinity with Dunwich).
Liza glimpsed. It is McCabe who goes to the li-
The prologue is set on October 3, 92, at the
brary to look for it, but to no avail; after he’s
“Seven Doors” hotel: the bell of room 36 rings,
gone, the female librarian, Tracy, climbs a stair-
a young girl named Millie goes upstairs to check
case to pick up the Book of Eibon from the high-
and is horribly murdered by the mysterious ten-
est shelf, and suffers the same fate as Martin
ant, Sweick [sic], who gouges her eyes out with
Avery (a character absent from the CSC script)
his hand, “dry and clawlike, red like bare flesh.”
in the film: death by spiders. Martha’s murder
(The theme of zombies gouging out the eyes is
in room 36 is also virtually identical to the one
a leitmotif throughout the script) There is no
in the film (but the woman has her eyes gouged
trace of the astonishing act of gratuitous violence
out by Joe, instead of being pierced against a
that opens the film, the torture and murder of
long nail on the wall).
the painter Zweick by a horde of peasants, added
It is Emily who gives McCabe the book of
later to the story by Fulci.
Eibon. The doctor takes it to the hospital, where
The CSC script then cuts to October 30,
he is joined by Dr. Harris. The latter’s wife Anne
980. The early scenes are more or less similar
receives a visit from the late Father Francis, now
to the ones in the film—Liza Merrill renovating
a living dead: she tries to escape by jumping
the hotel with the help of Martha and Arthur,
from the window, but the zombie grabs her in
the murder of Joe the plumber (who has his arm
mid- air by the hair. Meanwhile, nurse Katia
ripped off in addition to his eyes gouged out),
grabs Anne by the legs from below, and pulls.
the discovery of a decomposed corpse in the
In a grotesquely spectacular death, the poor