almost a year after its release in other countries,
of the American slasher film demand—leads to
to very good box- office: with over .2 billion lire,
her being raped by Satan in an uncomfortable
it ended up on the 60th place among the year’s
nightmare sequence which elicits further com-
top grossers, right behind James Cameron’s The
parisons (Soavi’s La chiesa) and allows for a
Abyss, and outgrossing among others Brian De
telegraphed twist ending.
Palma’s Casualties of War and Spike Lee’s Do the
All this is assembled chaotically. For in-
Right Thing. It was sold abroad under various
stance, only three victims are punished for their
titles, such as Witchery, Witchcraft and even
sins, respectively greed, luxury and ire, while
Ghosthouse 2, as if there were people who would
other deaths are left unexplained, and some plot
pay to go and see a sequel to Lenzi’s film.
elements (such as the film- within-the-film star-
Laurenti directed another horror picture for
ring the “lady in black”) don’t really make sense.
Filmirage, Contamination .7 (a.k.a. The Crawlers,
On top of that, the series of events that keep the
990), and then went on to make two films written
main characters stranded on the island demand
by Pupi Avati, the intriguing but flawed La stanza
a leap of faith rather than mere suspension of
accanto (994), and the extraordinary TV mini-
disbelief. The script also makes poor use of a
series Voci notturne, which unfortunately flopped
child’s Sesame Street tape recorder as a last-
badly. His subsequent career has been spotty, with
minute Deus ex machina.
a couple of documentaries which caused minor
The movie comes alive only now and then
controversy: Il segreto di Mussolini (200), about
with the odd surreal moment, such as when
Benito Mussolini’s secret son, which inspired
Blair’s character falls inside a bathtub and is
Marco Bellocchio to make the powerful Vincere
transported into another dimension. Laurenti’s
(2008), and Il corpo del duce (20).
depiction of hell looks like something that could
have come out of a Goya painting, with witches
Notes
dressed in rags and intent on munching on new-
1. Gomarasca, Umberto Lenzi, 26.
born children, and Satan is portrayed as a lech-
2. Manlio Gomarasca, “Claudio Lattanzi. La verità sec-
erous young man with his mouth sewn shut. The
ondo Claude Milliken,” in Davide Pulici (ed.), Misteri d’I-
director stages the gory moments in a rather
talia 3. Guida ai film rari e scomparsi. Nocturno Dossier
convincing way, and the film’s pièce de résistance
#70, May 2008, 6.
(Annie Ross’ character having her mouth sewn
3. Ibid.
4. Luigi Cozzi interviewed, in www. davinotti. com
shut with a huge pin in graphic details) has
(http://www.davinotti.com/index.php?option=com_con-
nothing to envy to a similar sequence seen in
tent&task=view&id=49&Itemid=79).
the “It’s a Miserable Life” episode of the TV
5. Alberto Farassino, “Dalla Transilvania agli USA per
series Freddy’s Nightmares (988). Other grue-
svegliarsi dopo 80 anni con una gran sete,” Repubblica, July
7, 987.
some showpieces include Hickland’s body show-
6. Gomarasca, “Claudio Lattanzi. La verità secondo
ing up with her throat transfixed by a swordfish’s
Claude Milliken,” 6.
sword, her one- time lover being crucified upside
7. M.P. [Maurizio Porro], “Quei fantasmi maligni
down and burned alive, and Bob Champagne’s
inclusi nel prezzo,” Corriere della Sera, August 23, 989.
neck veins inflating and eventually exploding,
with make- up artist Maurizio Trani coming up
Killing Birds—Raptors (Zombie 5: Killing
with a passable imitation of Dick Smith’s effects
Birds)
for Scanners (98).
D: Claudio Lattanzi [and Aristide Massac-
Overall, despite its many shortcomings and
cesi]. S: Claudio Lattanzi, Sheila Goldberg; SC:
money- saving tricks—such as Carlo Maria Cor-
Daniele Stroppa; Dial: Sheila Goldberg; DOP:
dio’s score lifted from Killing Birds: Massaccesi
Fred Sloniscko, Jr. [Aristide Massaccesi] (East-
60 1988: Killing man Kodak, Telecolor); M: Carlo Maria Cordio
Claudio Lattanzi (b. 962) grew up dreaming of
(Ed. Idra Music); E: Rosanna Landi; C: Aristide
making movies. His first chance came in the
Massaccesi [uncredited]; MU: Frank Moor;
mid–980s, when he was chosen as one of the
Hair: Paula Ross; AD: Antonio Bonifacio; APD:
unpaid assistants for the filming of Bernardo
Rub Du Valier; SO: Larry Revene; SE: Harry
Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (987), but his
Harris III, Robert Gould; AC: Dan Kalehoff
family opposed, and it all came to nothing.
[Daniele Massaccesi]; SP: Jeff Hest [Carlo Al-
Then, almost by chance, he managed to meet
berto Cocchi]; G: Brian Taitt [Elio Terribili],
Dario Argento, who during that period was
Sam La Falette; El: Marcello Montarsi, Rob
shooting Phenomena, and Michele Soavi. When
Samuel; W: Angel Goodman; AE: Helen Robin-
the latter started working on a documentary on
son; Locations: David Ross McCarty; SS: Silvy
the director of Suspiria, tentatively titled Katana
Louis; Bird consultant: Buddy Valentine. Cast:
and later released as Dario Argento’s World of
Lara Wendel [Daniela Barnes] (Anne), Robert
Horror, Lattanzi gave him a hand; Soavi then
Vaughn (Dr. Fredrick Brown), Timothy W.
asked Lattanzi to be his assistant on his feature
Watts (Steve Porter), Leslie Cummins (Mary
film debut, Deliria, produced by Aristide Mas-
Brad), James Villemaire (Paul), Sal Maggiore, Jr
saccesi’s Filmirage. It was Massaccesi who gave
(Brian), James Sutterfield (Rob), Lin Gathright
Lattanzi the chance to become a director, when
(Jennifer), Brigitte Paillet (Steve’s Mother), Nona
Soavi, who was supposed to direct Killing Birds,
Paillet (Steve’s Grandmother), Ellis Paillet (Steve’s
accepted Argento’s offer to make La chiesa in-
Grandfather), John H. Green (Prof. Green).
stead.
PROD: Aristide Massaccesi for Filmirage Pro-
The genesis of the film was rather convo-
duction Group, Flora Film (Rome); UM: Roberto
luted. According to Lattanzi, during the 986
De Laurentiis; PS: Giorgio Bertuccelli; ADM:
Christmas holidays he had written a story enti-
Charles Wallach. Country: Italy. Filmed in Thi-
tled Il cancello obsoleto (The Obsolete Gate)
bodaux, Louisiana. Running time: 9 minutes
about a record producer who invites a
rock band
(m. 207). Visa n. 8347 (3.23.988); Rating: all
(who sent him a violent music video) to a
audiences. Release dates: 7.3.988 (France),
gloomy deserted house where they would record
8.9.988 (Italy), 9.23.989 (Japan); Distribution:
a tune to accompany the video; unbeknownst to
D.M.V. Distribuzione. Domestic gross: n.a. Also
them, Nazi soldiers are buried in a cemetery
known as: Killing Birds—Uccelli assassini (Italy—
near the house, and when one band member
TV version), Killing Birds—Zombi 5 (Italy—
finds a sheet of music and plays it, the Nazi zom-
DVD), Zombie Flesheaters 4 (UK), L’attaque des
bies resurrect. It turns out that the only way to
morts- vivants (France), Los pájaros asesinos
have the zombies go back to their graves is to
(Spain).
play the music in reverse. In the end, it turns out
Note: Lattanzi is credited in foreign prints
that everything has been tape- recorded in a se-
as “Claude Milliken.”
cret room beneath an “obsolete gate,” and the
Louisiana. Upon returning from the Vietnam
devilish record producer invites another rock
War, Fred Brown finds his wife in bed with her
band: the horrific events are about to start all
lover, and slaughters his whole family, sparing
over again.
only his newborn son. After the massacre he is at-
Lattanzi’s story mixed diverse influences,
tacked and blinded by his falcon. Twenty years
most notably The Evil Dead and Ken Wieder-
later, a group of ornithology students led by Steve
horn’s Shock Waves (977), and it had weird
go on the search for the almost extinct ivory- billed
analogies with Paganini Horror. Lattanzi main-
woodpecker. They are accompanied by a young
tains that Massaccesi asked him to reshape the
reporter, Anne. Steve and Anne meet Brown, and
story, keeping all the scenes with the zombies
camp at the man’s former home, which is now
but discarding the rock band and the Nazis. The
empty and dilapidated. Soon grisly occurrences
producer also suggested he introduce a new el-
ensue, and during the night the boys are killed
ement—birds, and namely the search for the
one by one by vengeful zombies. Steve and Anne
ivory- billed woodpecker—since he had in mind
are the only survivors. It is eventually revealed
to shoot the film in Louisiana. “I rewrote the
that Steve is none other than Brown’s son. In the
story completely, and titled this new version Ar-
morning Anne and Steve leave the house while
tigli [Talons],” Lattanzi explained. “I thought it
Brown is consumed by the angry ghosts…
was a good title, but Aristide said: ‘Nah, Artigli
Like many filmmakers of his generation,
… seems like we’re making a documentary on
1988: Killing
6
cats… ’” The screenplay was written by Daniele
got trapped into a generator recalls Profondo
Stroppa, with the English language dialogue re-
rosso; the zombies pay homage to Romero’s
vised by Sheila Goldberg. However, Claudio Fra-
films, and turn up in the middle of a thick fog
gasso and Rossella Drudi maintained that Killing
like the specters of Botany Bay in John Carpen-
Birds—Raptors evolved from their own story, ti-
ter’s The Fog (980); and so on. A scene where a
tled Artigli, but the Italian DVD of the film in-
zombie’s hand breaks into the house from the
cludes a pdf file of a 2-page treatment, Artigli,
roof and grabs a victim is a virtual restaging of
signed by Lattanzi and Bruna Antonucci and
a similar moment in Massaccesi’s own Antropoph-
dated January 29, 987, which is very similar to
agus (980), but Lattanzi denied having taken in-
the finished film, thus dismissing Fragasso and
spiration from it.3 The use of technology in the
Drudi’s claims. Drudi’s script for Artigli was re-
film borrows from American cinema, with invol-
cycled for another Filmirage production, Con-
untarily amusing effects: see the naive use of the
tamination .7, directed by Fabrizio Laurenti.
personal computer in the film—at one point a
Killing Birds was filmed on location with a
character is putting data in it in order to find a
very small crew (8 or 9 persons, and only one
way to escape!—which turns out as an instrument
camera) and a minimal budget, not to mention
for the evil forces to manifest themselves and send
under harsh conditions (in the form of hot tem-
messages to the unfortunate protagonists.
peratures and heavy humidity). Most actors
The result is confusing to say the least, as
were locals recruited on the spot, with just a few
the script puts together different elements that
exceptions. Leslie Carol Cummins, with whom
never really gel. The narrative structure is that
Lattanzi had a brief affair during the filming,
of a body count movie, while the scenes of the
would also turn up in another Filmirage movie,
zombies preying on their victims provide the
La casa 4, and the director himself stood in for
excuse for a few creative deaths. And yet the
the unseen soldier in the opening scenes as well
bulk of the tale is that of a standard ghost story.
as for all the zombies that appear in the film.
Most of the action takes place during one
The only “name” actors were Lara Wendel (still
endless night in a haunted house, and the “return
a rather popular name after her role in Enrico
of the past” is embodied by the revenants that
Montesano’s hit comedy A me mi piace, 98)
turn up to slaughter the innocent young ornithol-
and Robert Vaughn, who turned up in a brief
ogists. (Bizarrely but incongruously, the ghostly
“special guest” appearance, for a couple of days:
persecutors are not after anyone, but just after
Lattanzi and Massaccesi wrote a couple of extra
those who show fear of them.) Moreover, the
scenes for his character on the spot. Vaughn was
moment when Steve experiences a vision of the
supposed to wear blue contact lenses, and the
past massacre in the abandoned house where it
eyes would be removed in post- production via
occurred 20 years earlier features the same
chroma key; however, since the actor could not
blending of past and present as in Danza
stand wearing the painful lenses, Massaccesi and
macabra and other classical Gothics. Interest-
Lattanzi opted for a crude prosthetic make- up,
ingly, the idea of the psychopomp birds that
which the actor wore in one scene only; then the
carry away dead people’s souls to the beyond
problem was solved by having Vaughn
sport
leads to a climax which is very similar to
dark glasses.
Stephen King’s novel The Dark Half, published
Like other Filmirage productions included
in 989.
in this volume, Killing Birds is less a proper story
Even though terribly messy, the film ben-
than a jigsaw of ideas taken from other films.
efits from decent cinematography (by Massac-
The gory opening sequence borrows heavily
cesi himself, under one of his many aliases, Fred
from The Prowler (98, Joseph Zito), but cli-
Sloniscko, Jr.) and features some suitably atmos-
maxes with the raptors attacking the soldier who
pheric moments. Lattanzi was quite happy with
just slaughtered most of his family and gouging
the scene where Steve, experiencing a night-
out his eye, and throws in a reference to Hitch-
mare, runs across several empty rooms, and we
cock’s The Birds; the opening scenes look like a
see the doors open one after another through
carbon copy of some 980s slasher flick set in a
his POV shots. On the other hand, the director
campus; the sight of Lara Wendel’s character
regretted the cheap ending, with a flock of birds
crucified to a wall, her wrists pierced by huge
filmed in Rome and superimposed on the shot
nails, evokes L’aldilà2; the moment where a boy
via a crude optic effect. The synth- heavy, per-
has his throat slashed by his own necklace which
cussive score by Carlo Maria Cordio was re- used
62 1988: Il nido in other Filmirage productions, namely La casa
Notes
4 and Paura nel buio.4
1. Gomarasca, “Claudio Lattanzi. La verità secondo
As with other Filmirage releases, two ver-
Claude Milliken,” .
sions of the film were prepared. The one for for-
2. Incidentally, the house where the story takes place is
eign markets was quite gory, with plenty of grue-
the same one as seen in Fulci’s film.
some effects; the one released in Italian theaters
3. Uccelli rapaci, extra in the Italian DVD of the film.
4. Lattanzi, a big Ken Russell fan, claimed he had edited
toned down the gore drastically, replacing most
the workprint using Thomas Dolby’s score for Gothic
of the graphic bits with alternate footage, such
(986) as guide.
as close- ups of birds or actors. Only the scene
5. This version is the same one later released on DVD
where Rob (James Sutterfield) is pulled into the
as Killing Birds—Zombi 5.
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 49