acters are repeatedly attracted to the under-
of time and space and soothes the terrible notion
ground lair where they will all lose their life, and
at the heart of the story, that is Freudstein’s un-
they keep descending that set of stairs which
stoppable need of fresher and younger bodies.
leads only to horror and death.
In Fulci’s cinema, children often die in terrible
The story’s central character is the kid, Bob.
ways, but not in Quella villa accanto al cimitero,
Throughout the film, he oscillates between this
and this is yet another indication of the film’s
French lobby card for Quella villa accanto al cimitero, featuring the titular house—oak Mansion in the film—which hides a horrible secret...
1981: Quella 89
core, which despite its overall gruesomeness is
contrast between the ground and top floor on
filled with a gripping melancholy, underlined by
the one hand and the basement on the other—
the closing line that appears on screen: “No one
through dollies and tracking shots, and builds
will ever know whether the children are mon-
an unnerving mood through a crescendo which
sters, or the monsters are children.” In a move
confines most of the gore to the last part, unlike
typical of the glorious tradition of Italian Gothic
Paura nella città dei morti viventi and L’aldilà.
horror cinema, the quote—attributed to Henry
Some of the gory sequences are played for their
James—was in fact made up by Fulci and/or Sac-
nerve- wracking value, like the one where Boyle
chetti.
is attacked by a bloodthirsty bat (a nod to Sus-
One of the main differences between Quella
piria’s bat scene but done better). Others are an
villa accanto al cimitero and Fulci’s previous
exercise in the macabre, like the one where
Gothic films is that it is centered on a couple of
Boyle listens to a tape with Petersen’s comments
kids, marking at the same time a return to the
about Freudstein’s experiments, with Fulci’s
themes of Non si sevizia un paperino as well as
prowling camera wandering in the basement
anticipation of some of his future works in the
amid severed body parts and disemboweled
genre, focused on horror as seen through the
bodies, thus hinting at the doctor’s macabre ex-
eyes of children, namely Manhattan Baby (982),
periments.
La dolce casa degli orrori (989) and Voci dal pro-
Despite the credits indicating the special
fondo (990). With her red hair and pale com-
make- up effects as the work of Giannetto De
plexion, Silvia Collatina somewhat recalls Nico-
Rossi and Maurizio Trani, only the latter did in
letta Elmi, and is quite convincing as Freudstein’s
fact work on the film, creating Freudstein’s de-
ghastly child, who acts as a link between the
composed face as well as the other effects. Gino
world of the living and the afterlife; she would
De Rossi took care of the special effects. Fulci
appear again, uncredited, in Murderock—Uccide
liked to work with the same team of collabora-
a passo di danza (984). On the other hand, the
tors, as in the old days of genre cinema, but
blond Giovanni Frezza would turn up again in
Quella villa accanto al cimitero marked at least
next year’s Manhattan Baby. Reportedly, the di-
one important difference from the previous
rector maintained a detached attitude toward
films, with the music score being composed by
the kids, “like a schoolteacher who demanded
Walter Rizzati: the result differs notably from
things from us and wanted them exactly as he
the director’s other films of the period, and has
said,”9 as Collatina recalled.
a remarkable melancholic quality, starting with
The rest of the cast comprised familiar
its impressive Bach- inspired main theme.
faces in Fulci’s cinema, such as Catriona Mac-
As with L’aldilà, Quella villa accanto al
Coll, Carlo De Mejo, Dagmar Lassander and
cimitero underwent remarkable changes from
renowned voice actor Giampaolo Saccarola. The
Elisa Briganti’s original story and Dardano
lead, Paolo Malco, was a capable stage and TV
Sacchetti’s script—originally titled La notte del-
actor who had starred in such diverse works as
l’inferno (The Night of Hell), which became La
Antonio Bido’s giallo, Il gatto dagli occhi di giada
casa di Freudstein, then Quella casa accanto al
(977) and Franco Brogi Taviani’s Masoch (980),
cimitero—to the screen. Sacchetti’s script—writ-
a biography of Leopold von Sacher- Masoch; he
ten as usual on a tight schedule—was then re-
would turn up again in Lo squartatore di New
vised by Fulci and Giorgio Mariuzzo. As for his
York (982). As for Ania Pieroni, her stunning
contribution, without going into detail, Mariuzzo
looks were not enough to make up for her lim-
claimed to have acted as script doctor, changing
ited acting (something she was not asked to do
here and there to make the screenplays work:
in Inferno), and reportedly the director was very
Sacchetti’s scripts, he said, were often too short,
harsh toward her.
in accordance with Fulci’s claims, and even
But the main star of Quella villa accanto al
Fulci’s script supervisor Rita Agostini agreed
cimitero is Fulci’s direction, which is more con-
with this. Sacchetti’s version is as follows: “Mar-
trolled and subdued than in the past. With the
iuzzo always intervened afterwards, either be-
help of Massimo Lentini’s inventive set pieces
cause I had to leave to work on another film or
(most notably the narrow metal staircase which
refused to make those changes that Lucio de-
leads to the bottom of Freudstein’s gravestone,
manded. That was the reason for our arguments.
like a theatrical stage trap), the director enhances
I accused Fulci of looking for shortcuts, and triv-
the spatial qualities of the titular house—and its
ializing things. He wanted simpler, more tradi-
90 1981: Quella tional stories. He hadn’t identified himself yet
but Fulci was not satisfied and eventually dropped
with the role of master of horror.”0
it in favor of the make- up we get to see at the
A look at the script deposited at the CSC—
film’s climax. Another key detail missing from
titled Quella casa accanto al cimitero, with the
the CSC script is Freudstein emitting baby cries,
original La casa di Freudstein erased in pen, and
while on the other hand, in an inane dialogue
credited to Elisa Briganti (story) and Dardano
exchange, Boyle describes Freudstein as “a
Sacchetti (screenplay)—can hel
p get an idea on
Barnard before its time,” referring to the noted
who wrote what. It is dated February 0, 98,
heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard, to which
one month before shooting began, and it is likely
Lucy replies: “Or a Baron Frankenstein, if you
the last version before the rewritings. At 223
prefer.” Fulci could indeed turn hollow dialogue
pages, it looks considerably long, but many
into an asset, as with the scene of McCabe and
pages consist of extremely brief scenes of a cou-
Liza flirting in the bar in L’aldilà; but he was well
ple of lines, often describing just one shot (i.e.,
aware of the border between the disposable and
the exterior of the house) and making it seem
the ridiculous.
much longer than it really is. The script displays
The CSC script is totally devoid of the am-
interesting differences with the finished film, re-
biguous, ghost story elements that we find in the
vealing the extent of Fulci and Mariuzzo’s con-
film. There is no Mae Freudstein, but an 8-year-
tribution, which is considerable.
old kid, Mark Hauser, who is very much alive,
The CSC script opens with a lengthy intro-
and whom we first meet listening to the grisly
ductory sequence (33 pages long) which differs
stories on Freudstein told by his grandmother.
sensibly from the one in the film. Two lovers are
Mark becomes Bob’s friend and turns up in the
exploring Freudstein’s house (not called Oak
final scene as the savant. Missing are also the
Mansion here), when suddenly the man stabs
backstory of Boyle’s predecessor, the scene be-
the girl in the head (the knife protruding from
tween Boyle and Muller in New York, the meet-
her mouth is the only detail kept in the film) and
ing with the real estate agent Laura (a character
drags the body in the basement—apparently, he
absent from Sacchetti’s script), and the references
brought her to the villa to get rid of her. But he
to Boyle having been there in the past. Ann the
remains locked downstairs in the dark too and
babysitter is just a normal girl (no sign of the
meets a grisly end in turn. “By the light of the
ominous shop window sequence), the Boyles are
flame the most terrifying image that the human
a happy couple, and most of the elements bor-
mind can conceive appears before his eyes, an
rowed from The Shining are absent. The only
image originated from infernal darkness”: the
connection might be seen in the fact that Nor-
fleshless, rotten face of a living cadaver. Leaving
man Boyle here is a historian, who moves to
aside the grotesque build- up (the man gives the
Freudstein’s house for a couple of months to
girl a ring box which turns out to contain a mag-
complete his book on the Civil war. Incidentally,
got instead of a ring), this rather senseless mur-
the references to the American Civil War are
der scene gives away Freudstein’s appearance
much more relevant than in the film: Freudstein’s
immediately, and the horrible doctor will turn
backstory deals with him performing transplants
up repeatedly during the course of the story, a
on the unfortunate soldiers he operates—and in
choice that Fulci wisely discarded.
one of the final scenes he is explicitly described
Speaking of Freudstein, the script describes
as wearing “an old and dirty army uniform” (p.
it as follows: “Then the incredible monstrous
209)—until the doctor was lynched by an angry
being gets up and shows itself: an unequal body,
mob (an idea recycled from the prologue of
with two right arms, an enormous head, dispro-
L’aldilà) when they found out he was also using
portionate, on a very thin torso” (p. 06); “He is
children for his experiments. The mob killed
very tall, very skinny, completely bald, the face
Freudstein’s wife Mary and buried her outside
reduced almost to a grinning skull, covered with
the villa—hence the gravestone in the garden
horrible putrefied flesh … he looks like he is
that features prominently in the script.
composed of body parts from several men” (p.
Boyle’s research is more conventionally de-
209). Trani had indeed devised an alternate
veloped in Sacchetti’s story. He finds out that
make- up for Freudstein similar to the one de-
pages from a history journal regarding the mys-
scribed in the script, as a skinned man with flesh
terious Freudstein are missing. The CSC script
and tendons in sight, predating the sight of the
introduces a character absent in the film, a li-
dead Frank (Oliver Smith) in Hellraiser (987),
brarian named Howard Grimm, who turns up
1981: Quella 9
at Boyle’s house in his absence to hand him the
tions. Moreover, the Henry James connection,
missing pages and becomes one of Freudstein’s
which is very feeble on paper, comes to the fore
victims, as would happen to Dagmar Lassander’s
in the film thanks to the addition of the character
character in the film. Other horror scenes, such
of Mae Freudstein and her mother as well as of
as the bat attack and Ann’s murder, are almost
the final literary epigraph (a recurring element
identical on paper, but in the movie Freudstein
in the director’s later work, as shown by the
kills by way of ordinary weapons, such as a knife
quotes from Balzac and Hawthorne that open
and a poker, while in the script he uses his bare
his diptych in the TV series “Le case maledette”).
hands, gouging victims’ eyes out and so on
Despite Sacchetti’s remarks about Fulci’s
(something too similar to what the zombies did
indecisiveness toward his status as “master of
in L’aldilà, evidently).
horror,” Quella villa accanto al cimitero comes
The CSC script features some odd details
off as one of the director’s strongest films. It may
that Fulci discarded. For instance, Lucy Boyle
lack L’aldilà’s visionary qualities, but it is taut
discovers dozens of human teeth in a drawer, in
and scary as few other Italian horror films and
a nod to Edgar Allan Poe’s story Berenice. An-
stands up to repeated viewings. Fulci considered
other sequence has Lucy discover a hole in the
it one of his best works, going so far as claiming
closet wall, from which a swarm of moths—
it as an influence on subsequent and far more
“black, horrible, disgusting”—come out, cover-
celebrated titles—a retribution of sorts for a film
ing her face in a moment obviously patterned
born as a patchwork of other, more famous
on the infamous maggot rain in Paura nella città
> works. In a 990 interview he raised the suspi-
dei morti viventi. In the hole, Boyle will find a
cion that Spielberg might have taken inspiration
box with documents on Freudstein’s dismissal
from his film for Poltergeist (impossible, as film-
from the army because of his experiments (a
ing for Poltergeist took place from May to
much less suggestive idea than the tape recording
August 98); in one of his last interviews he
from his predecessor that he listens to in the
even accused Paul Verhoeven of having ripped
film). The marble gravestone in Freudstein’s
off the scene where MacColl is dragged down a
house (which in the script is placed in the
set of stairs in Robocop (but with the titular robot
kitchen) doesn’t lead to the basement, but, once
in the woman’s place).2 An attitude which recalls
Boyle opens it, it reveals a grave “four feet deep,
that of some Fulci scholars who obtusely—and
a rottenness in which maggots, limbs, bones,
without even checking whether it might actually
skulls and feet teem.”
be possible—try to pinpoint influences of Fulci’s
If Fulci decided to tone down Sacchetti’s
work in that of American filmmakers, as if this
fondness for all things putrefied, it was not only
would make it more valuable.3
to limit the similarities with his previous zombie
Quella villa accanto al cimitero had some
films, but also to enhance the ghost story side
marginal issues with the rating board, who re-
of the tale. This is all too evident in the script’s
quested a brief cut (3.20 meters, about 6 seconds)
climax, which is disappointingly conventional
in the sequence of the killing of Dagmar Las-
compared to what we see in the film. Here Fulci
sander’s character Laura Gittleson before granting
and Mariuzzo added a self- reference to enhance
a screening certificate with the expected V.M.8
the tension (Freudstein pushing Bob against the
rating. This can be noticed in the shots showing
door while Boyle is breaking the door with an
the aftermath of the killing, as Laura appears to
axe), and completely revised the ending. In the
have had her left eye gouged out (most likely with
CSC script, Freudstein kills Norman and Lucy
the poker used to puncture her chest and
(whom we see disappear in the dark of the base-
throat). It opened in Turin on August 4, 98,
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 27