on the part of the scriptwriters. Still, besides
Garcin], who was desperate, and I used to trans-
functioning as a commentary on what we will
late everything to him because on that set no-
witness in the following 97 minutes, it ideally
body translated anything.”8 Silvia Dionisio had
reconnects to a line uttered by a parish priest
recently separated from her husband Ruggero
(Umberto Raho) in Lo spettro (963): “The Devil
Deodato, and according to Brochard she just
is more real a person than our modern world
looked forward to finishing the movie; it was
would have it.”
her last film role, followed in 982 by Daniele
Murder Obsession begins with a little bit of
D’Anza’s TV mini- series La sconosciuta, before
self- referential, film- within-a-film oddity. A
her early retirement.
beautiful girl (Gemser) returns to her flat, en-
Stefano Patrizi was on the verge of retire-
gulfed in darkness. She goes to the window to
ment as well: Murder Obsession was his last film,
open it, and, revealed by a sudden lighting in a
and then he moved to Milan to work in an ad-
quasi- Expressionist shot, a male silhouette ap-
vertising agency: “I did not like being an actor
pears behind the curtain. The man (Patrizi)
and was bored to death by such a job: the endless
grabs the girl by the neck, rips off her clothes
1981: Murder 79
and starts choking her. His face is splashed with
tempted drowning in the bathtub, the close- ups
a bright, unexplained red light, almost like in a
of the murderer’s gloved hands, Schwartz and
Bava film—or rather, in Freda’s earlier Gothics,
Shirley’s killings, a negative film capturing the
such as L’orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock or Lo
murderer’s identity as in Blow-up (966)—feel
spettro. But it all turns out to be part of a low-
tacked on to a Gothic- oriented storyline, and
budget horror movie. As the camera recoils with
not the other way around. Take the central role
an exquisitely fluid tracking movement, reveal-
played by the mansion where the characters
ing the tiny set on which the film is being made,
move, eat, sleep, make love, dream and die: with
we can glimpse an elderly man on the right cor-
its tight stairs, eerie basements and old- style
ner, leaning on an armchair and wearing a plaid
half- lighted rooms, it acts as a character of its
cap. It is Riccardo Freda. As the scene continues,
own, and seems to control the protagonists’ feel-
his unmistakable voice is heard in the back-
ings and actions with its intermittent lights that
ground, commenting: “It was not quite a brilliant
go out every now and then, forcing them in the
idea… . ” One wonders whether this bit reflected
dark. This haunted house feeds on old memories
the director’s own reservations about the uneasy
and secrets and does not let anyone come out
pairing of stylish mise-en-scène and cheap ma-
alive: when the massacre is seemingly over, its
terial, old- style lighting and sound effects and
doors close by themselves, arbitrarily shutting
gratuitous nudity.
the survivors inside. Such a huis clos seems to
Even though Murder Obsession falls in the
belong to an indefinite era, and the odd contem-
realm of the splatter film, Freda despised such
porary details—such as Oliver’s blue jeans and
practices, and his attitude is patent in the way
tennis shoes—are as disruptive as the sudden
he deals with the gory murder scenes, namely
bursts of gore, adding to the film’s overall sense
an axe to the head and a decapitation via chain-
of unease. The theme of the double, a Gothic
saw, courtesy of Angelo Mattei’s workshop, with
trope, here becomes a further instrument to dis-
a very young and still inexperienced Sergio Sti-
rupt the difference between past and present,
valetti in his debut.2 The results are as crude
which, as in Bava’s Lisa e il diavolo, ultimately
and unpleasant as the killings in L’iguana dalla
get confused and indistinguishable: not only
lingua di fuoco (97) and the central massacre
does Michael look exactly like his father (Freda
in Estratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di
did not even try and have Patrizi made up in a
una capitale europea. According to Boetani,
different way, but simply relied on different
Martine Brochard’s decapitation scene was con-
clothes for the flashbacks), but in the end he be-
cocted by the director himself: “He shot it right
comes one and the same with him in the eyes of
in my office,” the producer recalled. “He em-
his crazed mother.
ployed a trick with mirrors. It was amazing, one
The distance from the giallo can also be de-
of the brilliant things I saw him do. He was a ge-
tected in the pacing and plot construction. It
nius in this respect! And he shot it all with just
takes almost an hour before the first killing oc-
a cameraman, the actress, and three mirrors… . ”3
curs (and offscreen, too: we get to see only the
Nevertheless, Murder Obsession contains at least
aftermath of Beryl’s demise), and the following
one remarkable gory scene, when Michael wakes
murder sequences are carried out in a rather
up next to the naked Beryl, and slowly starts ca-
idiosyncratic way, with the director avoiding the
ressing her leg, contemplating her nudity—as
use of POV shots of the killer—the giallo’s trade-
the audience does—until the camera pans on
mark—and relying on abrupt bursts of violence.
the woman’s torso, revealing a gruesome gash
The resolution is also tortuous, and the final rev-
on it. Only then he realizes (as we do) that she
elation of the murderer’s identity and its motives
is dead. Desire becomes disgust, the perspective
comes off as rather disregarding of the surprise
is reversed. Despite a somewhat imperfect fram-
in itself: Oliver’s taped confession, which Michael
ing that gives away the macabre twist a bit too
listens to, unrolls as one of those digressions that
early, it is a remarkable reflection over the forms
were typical of the director’s beloved popular
of horror and desire in cinema, and one that ex-
novels.
udes an almost pornographic visual power.
Freda places mood over pacing. He lingers
Murder Obsession is usually labeled as a gi-
on the interiors of Borghese Palace and sets up
allo, and indeed it features a black- gloved killer
slow and elegant camera movements, leaving
who employs such gruesome tools as an axe and
aside the direction of his clueless cast.
He also
a chainsaw. But the giallo elements—Beryl’s at-
avoids the gialli’s visual frenzy, and often comes
80 1981: Murder up with stylized frame compositions that even
in nights with no moon.”7 Magic had been a re-
recall the silent era, as in Michael’s flashback of
curring presence throughout his career, too. In
his father’s alleged death. Despite not being sat-
946, when Freda could not find anyone inter-
isfied with the actors, the director got along very
ested in financing his next film, his elderly maid
well with the young d.o.p. Cristiano Pogany, the
performed a ritual to chase away the “evil eye”
son of the great Gábor, Freda’s longtime collab-
from him: that very day he got in touch with
orator4: “My father adored him,” Jacqueline
producer Nino Angioletti, who would finance
Freda recalls. “Cristiano was one of the few peo-
his first box- office hit, the swashbuckler Aquila
ple he really cared about and treated well on the
Nera; in 948 he and Gianna Maria Canale wit-
set—and believe me, on the set my father was a
nessed a macumba ritual in Brazil which
wild beast! In his private life he was extremely
resulted in the actress falling ill; in 90 he di-
good- natured, but when it came to his job he
rected the short Magia a prezzi modici (Low-
was frightful—with me as well! Whereas with
price Magic), which played with the clichés of
Cristiano he was incredibly sweet… . ”
superstition and the occult in a tongue- in-cheek
Indeed, the cinematography is quite good
manner.
despite the painful budgetary shortcomings.
The story and dialogue are literally packed
Freda claimed that he thought of Bava while
with esoteric references, and each character
making the film,6 and some photographic tricks
seems to have a connection with magical prac-
(such as the jellies in the “astral body” scene)
tices, which manifests itself through a physical
recall the work of the Sanremese director. The
object (often a jewel) they have on them. Beryl
use of miniatures and maquettes, on the other
mentions the voodoo rites she witnessed and
hand, is typical of both filmmakers, but several
took part in, in her home country of Martinique;
moments hark back unmistakably to Freda’s
Shirley owns a bracelet depicting an ouroboros,
past, for better or worse. The crude night views
the serpent eating its own tail (in the dialogue,
of Michael’s house—incidentally, the same cam-
though, it is referred to as a “winged serpent”),
era angle as that of Hitchcock’s mansion in L’or-
a symbol of eternal return and an alchemical
ribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock—were obtained
seal; Glenda is revealed to wear a necklace with
via a photo of the palace placed before the cam-
occult symbols, including a vampire bat,
era: they recall I vampiri (97) and Caltiki il
whereas Deborah is spared because she is wear-
mostro immortale, but also the awkward “exte-
ing the Seal of Solomon. But there is more: “The
rior” shots in the spy story Coplan ouvre le feu
camera is my third eye,” Hans Schwartz quips,
à Mexico (967). What is more, the nightmarish
and later Oliver covers his face so as not to be
bit when Silvia Dionisio’s character is running
photographed by him (displaying the same an-
across a wood of malevolent branches echoes
noyance as the natives in Caltiki when their
Barbara Steele’s mad run in the villa’s garden in
dance ritual was disturbed by the explorers).
L’orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock; later, in the
Beryl hypothesizes that this is because he is
scene of Deborah fleeing from the haunted
scared that the camera might capture his soul.
house at night during a thunderstorm, the ob-
As in Paul Muller’s final monologue in Es-
vious blueprint is the extraordinary opening se-
tratto dagli archivi segreti della polizia di una
quence in Beatrice Cenci (96). Freda was likely
capitale europea, there is much talk of an “astral
drawing from his cinematic memory and career
body.” We even find out that Oliver can detach
to reshape a half- baked script into something as
himself from his physical body and wander
close as he could to his own cinematic vision.
through the house at night, in a scene rendered
Murder Obsession shows an in- depth in-
in a rather crude yet endearing manner through
volvement with the supernatural and the occult
subjective shots distorted by a jelly and the stop-
which was always part of Freda’s character.
motion appearance of muddy footprints on the
Rather surprisingly for such a disenchanted and
staircase, in a perhaps fortuitous homage to
rationalistic figure, the director repeatedly pro-
Bava’s La frusta e il corpo. Of all the characters
fessed his interest for superstitious beliefs and
summoned at Michael’s house, Hans Schwartz—
magical practices. “I have always been fascinated
not just a film director but one resembling
with esoteric and magic problems, and instead
Freda: notice the glasses and cap he wears and
of Little Red Riding Hood I used to read Eliphas
the cigar he smokes—seems to be the most
Lévi’s manuals. My adolescence was dotted with
aware of the role of magic in the universe. “It’s
Seals of Solomon and elderberry twigs plucked
the only way to solve the mystery of life …
1981: Murder 8
magic,” he observes, and when we see him
in Luigi Batzella’s Nuda per Satana (a.k.a. Nude
leafing through an occult book in plain sight in
for Satan, 974)—or, again, an adults- only comic
the lounge, one senses that he is not simply try-
book like Ediperiodici’s Lucifera, which in one
ing to waste time during an insomniac bout.
issue featured a panel depicting a woman being
Hans Schwartz’s monologue on the astral
raped by a giant spider—the sequence is not de-
body and on the necessity to analyze the
void of interest. On the technical side, it is char-
moment when the soul separates from the body
acterized by fluid long takes, whereas themati-
(“But to do this, we must be capable of killing
cally it carries out several of the plot’s key themes
with our own hands so that no breath of life es-
and further underlines the director’s fascination
capes us”) strangely predates the theme of Mar-
with the subject matter.
tyrs (2008, Pascal Laugier) and its obsession
Scattered with magic symbols, Deborah’s
with the afterlife. Schwartz also points out that
dream becomes the key to penetrate the t
rue na-
he believes in reincarnation as “the only way to
ture of the mystery. Note, for instance, the pres-
explain the moral and material unhappiness of
ence of the spider. In Estratto dagli archivi segreti
mankind because of its bestial, degrading past
della polizia di una capitale europea, a stone spi-
life”—a line that is 00 percent Freda. His dia-
der figure could be glimpsed on the fireplace
logue with Glenda, carried out like a subter-
during the occult ceremony at the Alexander
ranean seduction scene, is a fascinating and
mansion, and since Freda sometimes took care
often overlooked moment that provides Murder
of sculpting props for his films, that could have
Obsession its core. It is also one of several scenes
been the case as well (after all, he even bothered
absent in the version originally released to home
to write the words for the bad song heard
video in the United States as The Wailing, which
throughout the movie). Here the arachnid figure
also attempted to make the film pass off as a
returns, with an overly symbolic significance.
standard giallo by way of adding a trivial synth
First Deborah runs into its web; then, during
score to flesh out (and replace in parts) Franco
the rite, the spider reappears and takes a semi-
Mannino’s haunting piano rendering of classical
human form, its paws eerily turning into furry,
music by Bach and Liszt, itself another element
vaguely human hands which lusciously caress
that pronounced Freda’s distance from the con-
the girl’s legs. The spider is an ancient symbol
temporary ways of horror cinema. On the other
of mystery, power and growth: in India it is as-
hand, at least one cut is welcomed, as the English
sociated with the term “Maya,” meaning the il-
language version did not feature one of the film’s
lusory nature of appearances, whereas in Egypt
most awkward lines: in the scene following
it is paired with the process of creation and
Shirley’s chainsaw murder, Oliver is serving din-
recreation, and other civilizations saw it as a
ner, when out of the blue he passingly mentions
spinner of fate. Christian cultures have linked it
to Glenda that the chainsaw is missing.
with duplicitous meanings, but mostly as an evil
Another interesting example of the film’s
force that sucks blood. As we will find out in the
emphasis on the occult is Deborah’s night-
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 24