speaking to Sonny from his headphones, it
a prequel to Stuart Rosenberg’s 979 film, The
would be only a matter of time before he’d pick
Amityville Horror (the Montelli family of Dami-
up a gun—that is to say, the tissue of family itself
ani’s film standing for the De Feos in the previous
is the foundation for evil. In this sense, Damiani’s
one). The result, if superficially akin to possession
film recalls such predecessors as Bava’s I Wurdalak
films and closer to American Gothic, nevertheless
and Giorgio Ferroni’s La notte dei diavoli (972),
has a personality of its own.
both portrayals of hidebound patriarchal fami-
Damiani’s only out- and-out horror film,
lies where repression and violence spawned
Amityville II: The Possession dealt with themes
tragedy. Here the unresolved issues take the
the director had already touched during his ca-
form of sibling incest before murder ensues,
reer. He had already made a very interesting
which gives the result a halo of morbidity akin
Gothic in the 960s, La strega in amore, and had
to Italian Gothic. Religion is powerless against
dealt with the Devil in his 974 film, Il sorriso del
it, because Father Adamsky (James Olson) rep-
grande tentatore, a thought- provoking allegory
resents that very system of Catholic values which
set in a convent and starring Glenda Jackson and
must prosper to spawn more monsters in its re-
Claudio Cassinelli. Still, Damiani—never a self-
cesses. It is indeed quite a different environment
eulogic filmmaker—hastily dismissed Amityville
than the problematic, but ultimately healthy one
II: The Possession in interviews. “I followed a
of Rosenberg’s film.
script that already existed. It’s a movie that doesn’t
The third act is much more conventional
say anything, it just wants to scare people. You
and predictable, and the script even throws in
might say it’s a silly movie, and certainly I had no
an image which combines The Sentinel and The
urgency to make it, but it’s not badly made… . Ex-
Shining—the deformed damned souls emerging
orcism, appearances, diabolical things, it’s stuff I
from the extradimensional threshold inside the
was never much interested in. When man cannot
house, announced by a river of blood on the
explain the world by himself, then he invents
floor. As the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewer ma-
these stupefying things, which become almost a
liciously put it, “unable to decide how to finish,
consolation.”3
Damiani and Wallace leave all four possible end-
However, the director retouched the script
ings intact: the uplifting (Sonny, freed, rises up
here and there, adding some interesting ele-
in a blaze of light), the “it isn’t over: the creature
ments. Firstly, the family which falls under the
walks among us” (Father Adamsky with undu-
curse of the Amityville house and its evil entities
lating rubber arms and throat), the ironic (a final
is not very happy to start with. As we learn from
pull back to the “For Sale” sign), and the apoc-
the very opening sequence, the father of the
alyptic (a ball of fire engulfs the house). The fact
family Anthony Montelli (played by the ever-
that they are mutually exclusive doesn’t appear
slimy Burt Young, of Rocky fame) is a violent,
to have bothered anyone.”4
domineering type who makes life a living hell
However, despite the script’s many short-
for his wife and four sons. Montelli is the kind
comings, the direction is never banal, and some-
of patriarchal monster to be found in many ret-
times refreshingly inventive. Damiani got to
rograde families, the kind Damiani had depicted
work with a mainly American crew and cast, but
in his grim Sicilian Mafia drama La moglie più
some of his key collaborators were Italian, most
bella (970): he beats his children with his
notably d.o.p. Franco Di Giacomo. “I see this
trouser belt, harasses his 8-year-old first- born
film in continuous movement,” Damiani told
son Sonny (Jack Magner) as if he were a disobe-
him. “You know, I’m not familiar with these
dient kid whenever he has the chance to, keeps
American actors. The moving camera helps me
his poor spouse submitted like a slave, forcing
a lot to tell the story.” The film does not feature
her to have sex with him whenever he likes, and
the Steadicam, but the director and Di Giacomo
96 1982: Assassinio employed mainly hand- held camera and dolly
bition than to traumatize particularly impres-
shots, preferring to capture the disturbing at-
sionable viewers.”8
mosphere in long takes and with special effects
In the meantime, Damiani had returned to
performed on camera (such as in the chilling se-
his favorite themes, and by this time he under-
quence shot of an unseen presence that wanders
stood the small screen would be the only way
at night through the haunted house, or a candle
he could develop them the way he wanted. His
that won’t extinguish in Sonny’s birthday scene).
TV mini- series on the Mafia, La piovra (984),
They devised some remarkable shots, such as
was a commercial triumph, with an audience of
the one where the camera follows Sonny from be-
over million viewers. It would mark the his-
hind, climbs over him and frames him from
tory of Italian television indelibly, as well as the
ahead, upside- down, before making a 80-degree
collective imagination and everyday language.
rotation on its axis and ending on a frontal close-
up of the actor—an amazing visual stunt achieved
Notes
through a complex combination of a dolly and a
1. Alberto Pezzotta, Regia Damiano Damiani (Udine:
revolving device designed by Damiani himself.
Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche—Cinemazero,
Di Giacomo recalled that the scene was very dif-
2004), 02.
ficult to shoot, and it took at least three takes to
2. Ibid., 30.
achieve the desired effect. It is a testament to a
3. Ibid., 04.
period where bravura shots were the result of
4. Nick Roddick, “Amityville II: The Possession,”
Monthly Film Bulletin #86, November 982.
an attempt to overcome the limitations of tech-
5. Pezzotta, Regia Damiano Damiani, 308.
nique: nowadays such a scene would be very
6. Ernesto Baldo, “Ma quel bugiardo di Fellini in Amer-
easy to accomplish, thanks to light video
ica non c’è mai stato,” La Stampa, January 28, 982.
cameras and post- production digital effects, but
7. M. Po. [Maurizi
o Porro], “È il Diavolo stereo che rov-
ina le famiglie,” Corriere della Sera, April 9, 983. The Pol-
it wouldn’t have the same significance. Here,
tergeist connection can be ruled out, however, since Ami-
Damiani manages to wonderfully evoke the
tyville II: The Possession was shot before Hooper’s film
physical weight and consistence of evil. It’s a mo-
came out.
ment worthy of Bava, in an otherwise underrated
8. a.v. [Aldo Viganò], “Il posseduto da Satana duella
film.
con l’esorcista,” La Stampa, May 24, 983.
Shot mainly in Mexico City for economic
reasons, starting in February 982,6 Amityville
Assassinio al cimitero etrusco (The Scor-
II: The Possession was released theatrically in
pion with Two Tails)
September of that year in the U.S., and reached
D: Christian Plummer [Sergio Martino]. S:
Italy only the following year: it was given a
Ernesto Gastaldi, Dardano Sacchetti; SC: Ernesto
V.M.8 rating “due to the particularly gruesome
Gastaldi, Maria Chianetta, Jacques Leitienne;
scenes and the theme which might influence
DOP: Giancarlo Ferrando (Eastmancolor, LV-
negatively adolescent viewers.” Released as Ami-
Luciano Vittori); M: Fabio Frizzi (Ed. Clitumno);
tyville Possession, it gathered moderately positive
E: Eugenio Alabiso, Daniele Alabiso; PD, CO: An-
reviews, despite the critics’ bias toward the
tonello Geleng; AD: Massimo Manasse, Alain Sens
genre. The Corriere della Sera wrote: “Retracing
Cazenave; SS: Donatella Botti; C: Fabio Conversi;
themes from The Exorcist, but also The Shining
AC: Bruno Cascio; SO: Roberto Petrozzi; B: Raf-
(the cascade of blood), Poltergeist (the house was
faele De Luca; ACO: Rossana Romanini; W: Stella
illicitly built on an Indian cemetery) and Entity,
Battista; SP: Giorgio Garibaldi Schwarze; MU:
without losing dignity compared with his Amer-
Franco Rufini, Giovanni Rufini; Hair: Sergio Gen-
ican colleagues, and cunningly mixing sex and
nari; PrM: Adriano Tiberi; SE: Paolo Ricci; SPFX:
blood… . Damiani manages to accomplish a
Sergio Stivaletti; ChEl: Armando Moreschini; KG:
spectacular result, even with a stale subject mat-
Matteo Giordano; Generator Operator: Egidio
ter.”7 La Stampa, even though pointing out that
Stiffi; AE: Teresa Negozio; 2nAE: Monica Sabatini,
“one could expect something more from Dami-
Silvana Di Legge; Mix: Bruno Moreal. Cast: Elvire
ani, a filmmaker of strong civic commitment,”
Audray (Joan Barnard), Paolo Malco (Mike
judged the director’s “American vacation” favor-
Grant), Claudio Cassinelli (Paolo Dameli), Marilù
able, and concluded that the film was “shot skill-
Tolo (Countess Maria Volumna), Wandisa Guida
fully, well- served by the special effects, well set
(Heather Hull), Gianfranco Barra (Police Com-
… played by physically fit actors, it does not fail
missioner), John Saxon (Arthur Barnard), Van
to grip, although it doesn’t display any other am-
Johnson (Mulligan), Mario Cecchi, Franco
1982: Assassinio 97
Garofalo (Gianni Andrucci), Maurizio Mattioli
with the help of archaeologist Paolo Dameli, and
(Masaccio), Carlo Monni (Giorgio Senaldi),
realizes that the murderer is trying to locate a leg-
Anita Sagnotti Laurenzi (Prof. Sorensen),
endary Etruscan treasure…
Jacques Stany (Nick Forte), Luigi Rossi (Old
Sergio Martino’s return to the thriller genre
flute player), Nazzareno Cardinali (Maria’s
took form as an 8-part TV series, originally
Bodyguard), Angela Doria (Hilda), Antonio
titled Il mistero degli Etruschi (or Lo scorpione a
Maimone (Boss in New York), Fulvio Mingozzi
due code) written by Ernesto Gastaldi from a
(Customs Officer), Lucia Monaco (Julie), Mario
story concocted with Dardano Sacchetti, to be
Novelli (Maria’s Bodyguard), Bruno Rosa; un-
produced for Turin’s Quartarete TV. It would
credited: Bruno Alias (Townsman), Giuseppe
be Martino’s first work for the small screen, co-
Marrocco (Airplane Passenger), Ettore Martini
produced by his brother Luciano’s Dania Film
(Archeology Worker), Gennarino Pappagalli
and Medusa, who secured also the distribution
(Archaeologist), Anna Maria Perego (Elder
rights for a theatrical version, put together
Woman). PROD: Luciano Martino for Dania
by drastically abridging the 8 parts, each 0
Film (Rome), Medusa Distribuzione (Rome),
minute- long.
Imp.Ex.Ci.Sa. (Niece), Les Films Jacques Leiti-
Such a project shows how television was
enne (Paris). PM: Sergio Borelli, Maurizio Pas-
gradually taking center stage in the market. As
trovich; PS: Francesco Fantacci; PSe: Antonio
Martino himself recalled in his memoirs,
Saragò, Alberto Paluzzi, Colette Guedon; ADM:
Danilo Martelli, Anna De Pedis. Country:
until a few years earlier cinema, especially commer-
Italy/France. Filmed on location at Volterra,
cial one, didn’t have any outlet on TV, and the few
Cerveteri, Formello, New York and at R.P.A.-
movies that were broadcast on State television were
Elios Studios (Rome). Running time: 98 minutes
either great masterpieces or works of cultural
interest. After their theatrical run, movies became
(m. 2663); 80 minutes (TV version). Visa n.
like yesterday’s newspaper, that is, wastepaper: no-
78090 (9.0.982); Rating: all audiences. Release
body thought they would have a future life, nor did
dates: 9.7.982 (Italy), .24.982 (Spain),
anyone foresee the future of commercial cinema on
8.9.983 (Portugal), 8.24.983 (France); Distri-
television. Only a few forward- looking individuals
bution: Medusa. Domestic gross: n.a. Also known
had imagined a possibility in this sense.2
as: Crime au cimetière étrusque (France), El as-
esino del cementerio etrusco (Spain), O Escorpião
One of these individuals was Silvio Berlusconi,
de duas caudas (Portugal), O Mistério etrusco
who with his company Fininvest had quickly be-
(Brazil), El asesino etrusco (Mexico).
come the leader of the commercial network mar-
Joan Barnard, a young American woman
ket. Berlusconi had secured the TV rights to hun-
with parapsychological powers, has recurring
dreds of films, thus marking a dramatic change
dreams of herself as an Etruscan priestess. Mean-
of perspective: from the late 970s onward, people
while, her estranged husband, archaeologist
were becoming more and more addicted to tele-
Arthur Barnard, discovers an Etruscan tomb in
vision, not the least because they could comfort-
Tuscany, but soon afte
r he is murdered in the
ably watch all kinds of movies in their own living
same way as the Etruscans killed their sacrificial
room, instead of having to take the car, go to a
victims, with his neck broken and his head twisted
theater, pay a ticket and sit in uncomfortable,
backwards. Joan flies to Italy to find out what
smelly venues. This meant the beginning of the
happened, accompanied by her friend Mike
end for second and third- run theaters.
Grant. But the killings continue, and two more
Martino assembled a good cast which fea-
victims are found with their necks broken. Joan
tured Paolo Malco, Claudio Cassinelli, the still
and Mike are joined by her father, Mr. Mulligan,
ravishing Marilù Tolo, Luciano Martino’s ex-
who finances Barnard’s research but is running a
wife and former peplum starlet Wandisa Guida
drug smuggling ring under the cover of his archae-
(in her last film role), plus a couple of American
ology business. Joan locates a secret tomb where
has- beens (John Saxon, Van Johnson) in quick
Arthur had hidden a crate full of heroin destined
“special participations” and a supporting cast
to Joan’s father, but the drug has disappeared. A
which included the sleazy- looking Franco Garo-
shootout between two rival gangs in the tombs
falo as well as Tuscan comedian Carlo Monni
ends with most drug traffickers dead, including
(who had started as Roberto Benigni’s straight
Mulligan. More killings ensue, and Mike is later
man in their early appearances as a double act).
found dead in the necropolis. Joan investigates
The presence of a French co- producer, Jacques
98 1982: Assassinio Leitienne (who also got a credit, purely for
tivity and their capability to see beyond everyday
bureaucratic reasons, as co- scriptwriter3) led
reality. She is immediately introduced as a
to Martino casting a French protagonist, the
psychic, and her dreams and visions (starting
blonde Elvire Audray, in her first starring role.
with the opening credit sequence, which depicts
Audray, who bore a passing resemblance to Ed-
a sacrificial rite in an Etruscan tomb) reveal her
wige Fenech, would star in several Italian films
as the reincarnation of an Etruscan queen and
over the next few years, including the hit
high priestess (a so- called luchmon). In one of
comedy Vado a vivere da solo (982, Marco Risi).
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 29