Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  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, 26.

  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. 207). Visa n. 8347 (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.