Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  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

  orator4: “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 90 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 (97) 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 (96). 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-