Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  and Il fiore dai petali d’acciaio (973, Gianfranco

  PROD: Pino Buricchi for Natmas Productions

  Piccioli); he moved on to erotic comedies (La

  (Rome); PM: Raniero Di Giovanbattista; PSe:

  collegiale, 97; La dottoressa sotto il lenzuolo,

  Claudia Endrigo. Country: Italy. Filmed at Villa

  976), crime films (Milano … difendersi o morire,

  Giovanelli (Rome), Forte Portuense (Rome),

  978), slasher flicks (the obscure and absurdly

  Pratica di Mare (Pomezia, Rome), Monte Gelato

  titled Trhauma, 980), Neapolitan melodramas

  Falls (Mazzano Romano) and at De Paolis

  (Pover’ammore, 982, directed by Vincenzo Sal-

  In.Ci.R. Studios (Rome). Running time: 83 min-

  viani and, uncredited, Fernando di Leo). His

  utes (m. 2290); 8 minutes (Home video). Visa

  final movie, I frati rossi, marked the attempt at

  n. 846 (.8.988); Rating: V.M.4. Release

  reviving yet another genre, the Gothic.

  date: 8.24.989 (Italy); Distribution: Chance

  I frati rossi was produced by Pino Buricchi,

  Film. Domestic gross: n.a. Also known as: Sex-

  who, together with his brother Marco, was also

  orgien der roten Mönche; The Red Monks—Der

  a distributor with the Marco Film Company.

  Todesfluch der roten Mönche (Germany).

  With such works as L’ultimo treno della notte

  Note: Originally, in the opening credits

  (97, Aldo Lado) and La settima donna (978,

  Lucio Fulci was credited as “special effects su-

  Franco Prosperi), Buricchi’s name was a war-

  pervisor”; a subsequent version, with newly de-

  ranty of sleaziness and exploitation; in the early

  signed credits, lists him as “Lucio Fulci pres-

  980s he had jumped on such threads as the

  ents.”

  Conan-inspired sword- and-sandal as well as the

  The present. Riccardo Gherghi, the last of

  glamorous period erotic in the vein of La chiave.

  the Gherghi family, is visiting the old family villa

  The project was conceived for the foreign mar-

  he has inherited. He spots a mysterious veiled vi-

  kets and was distributed with Lucio Fulci’s name

  1989: I frati

  79

  in evidence. In the official papers and in the

  suited us.”3 Other locations were the Forte

  opening credits, Fulci was credited as “special

  Portuense and the falls at Monte Gelato, one of

  effects supervisor,” but he never once showed

  the recurring sights in Italian genre cinema of

  up on set, nor did he take care of any special ef-

  the past decades.

  fect, as confirmed by the film’s script girl, An-

  Based on a story by Luciana Anna Spacca,

  namaria Liguori, who believes his name was

  Martucci’s film looks back to an old- style Gothic

  used without Fulci’s knowledge. But the most

  mood. The tale revolves around such archetypal

  likely option is that he willingly accepted to

  themes as a centuries’ old family curse, a gloomy

  “lend” his name for the credits of somebody

  villa/castle replete with crypts, and, most inter-

  else’s film, not as much for personal pride and

  estingly, a central female character who turns

  gratification but for mere economic reasons.

  out to be in tune with the idea of “devil as a fe-

  Around that time Fulci got aboard the ill- fated

  male” which dominated the imagery of Italian

  series “I maestri del thriller” (a.k.a. “Lucio Fulci

  Gothic.

  presenta”) as well.

  The bulk of the story—count Roberto

  According to Martucci,

  Gherghi (Amato) marrying the beautiful Ra-

  mona (Wendel) but being unable to consummate

  Fulci did not participate in the making, he just agreed

  the marriage for his bride must be sacrificed as

  to “present” the movie, but this suited the distributors,

  who needed a “heavy” name for the sales abroad. By

  a virgin on a certain astrologically favorable

  then Fulci had become a name, let’s say, exportable.

  night—allows for the same kind of sexual ten-

  He was already very ill, and I met him to talk to him

  sion that could be found in such 960s works as

  about the project. He agreed to lend his name to this

  L’orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock: the continually

  as a “presenter” … he never set foot on set, also be-

  postponed “first night” between husband and

  cause, as I said before, he was very ill. At that time,

  wife leads to uneasiness, misunderstanding, de-

  he was going through a particularly difficult stage of

  tachment, and ultimately tragedy. The conjugal

  his illness. Then he managed to get well again, but

  crisis is enhanced by Priscilla, the unfriendly

  at that time he couldn’t even speak, devoured as he

  housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers- style, who turns out

  was by cirrhosis. He suffered a lot and had a very low

  to be Gherghi’s mistress: unlike the characters

  level of concentration, a matter of minutes and then

  played by Harriet White, though, here she has

  he needed to rest or take medicines, and I had to

  the gorgeous features of Malisa Longo, and is

  come back and talk the following day.2

  more than willing to display her body for the

  The small cast comprised among others

  camera.

  Lara Wendel, by then a veteran in the genre,

  Despite the ample nudity, courtesy of Wen-

  Gerardo Amato, and Malisa Longo. As in the

  del and Longo, such a morbid and antiquated

  early days of Italian Gothic, shooting took place

  vision of marriage further enhances the movie’s

  almost entirely in an existing location, Villa

  retro feel. I frati rossi even inherits the same nar-

  Giovanelli- Fogaccia, the palace of Prince Gio-

  coleptic pacing from its blueprints, with long and

  vanelli in Rome, a luxurious villa usually rented

  superfluous sequences featuring the nightgown-

  for weddings, mundane events and parties, and

  clad Wendel wandering in the crypts to the sound

  seen in many Italian films since 970, including

  of Paolo Rustichelli’s eerie lullaby score. However,

  Fernando di Leo’s Il boss (973), Umberto Lenzi’s

  if at first Ramona seems to be a designated vic-

  Spasmo (974), Daniele D’Anza’s TV mini- series

  tim, gradually she becomes aware of her own

  I racconti fantastici di Edgar Allan Poe, and La

  mission (and power): the revealing Medieval

  casa stregata. Martucci recalled the pros and

  flashback explains her role as an avenging

  cons of such an accommodation: “If evenings

  angel/devil of sorts, not unlike Barbara Steele’s

  were quiet, mornings were a disaster. Because

  character in I lunghi capelli della morte (964).

  at night he [Prince Giovanelli] went around to

  Spacca’s story also drew from late 9th cen-
r />   various mundane events, so he wanted to sleep

  tury/ early 20th century feuilletons: the eponymous

  late in the morning, and if you woke him up, he

  secret sect recalls, at least iconographically, the

  was pissed. Several times we had to wait for him

  Sicilian- based “Beati Paoli,” described by Luigi

  to give us permission to shoot in a certain room.

  Natoli in his historic serial novel I Beati Paoli

  The villa is unique, it has the appearance of a

  (909). Whereas the “Beati Paoli” acted as a se-

  fortress … it looks very regal, princely, but in

  cret society against the Church and the State,

  fact it is shabby, since he lives only in one wing.

  the Red Monks appear to be simply old- style

  The rest is almost in a state of neglect, which

  Devil worshippers. They are indeed an impres-

  80 1989: I frati sive sight, with their crimson hoods and robes

  with a newly- shot opening scene set in the pres-

  looking a bit like the mysterious killer in Der

  ent in which the last descendant of the Gherghi

  Mönch mit der Peitsche (a.k.a. The College Girl

  family (Gaetano Russo) wanders in the park

  Murders, 967, Alfred Vohrer), but are given

  around the house and meets a veiled female vi-

  very little to do except move in unison while

  olinist; then, in the villa, he spots a beautiful

  handling swords, while Martucci’s camera films

  naked lady and follows her in the crypt, where

  them in menacing wide- angle shots.

  she decapitates him with a sword. The addition

  Despite the director’s visual tricks to estab-

  destroys whatever suspense the original story

  lish a Gothic mood, such as the use of mirrors

  might have had, since it blatantly gives away the

  to reflect characters and avoid a shot/ counter-

  final twist. It was likely added after the movie

  shot routine, the scant budget penalizes the

  had been submitted to the rating board, since

  result heavily. “Being a horror movie, it needed

  the original copy was 2290 meters long (83 min-

  many more special effects, and better cared for,”

  utes and 30 seconds), while the version currently

  Martucci admitted. “There was a scene, for in-

  available runs 8 minutes and 7 seconds at

  stance, where you could see a knife hovering in

  2fps (that is, about 89 minutes).

  mid- air, which I had to cut because you could

  I frati rossi was briefly released theatrically

  see the wires. In order to achieve special effects

  in August 989, nine months after obtaining the

  you have to bear special costs, and on that film

  visa, and then quickly resurfaced on home

  we had no money.”4 The gory effects, limited to

  video. On the cover of the Italian VHS, on the

  a couple of severed heads, are embarrassing, and

  Playtime label, one could read: “Un film di Lucio

  so is the patently fake tarantula which pops

  up in a couple of scenes, and which looks sus-

  piciously like one of those seen in L’aldilà—

  the same prop, perhaps?

  The ridiculous hangs over the movie

  like Damocles’ sword. Not only is the story

  completely incoherent, but some plot points

  are never cleared (whose is the unknown

  hand that murders the housemaid?), and sev-

  eral scenes defy suspension of disbelief, such

  as when Ramona is sexually assaulted by a

  mysterious young man, an incident that is

  forgotten with no explanation whatsoever:

  was it a restaging of the assault her gypsy an-

  cestor suffered centuries earlier, and a nec-

  essary step to have her become aware of her

  true identity? One can only guess… . Later she

  and Roberto find a severed head in the picnic

  basket, but this incident as well is quickly dis-

  missed as Gherghi pretends to have talked to

  the police—but no policeman ever shows up

  at the villa to investigate! Inconsistencies

  abound, especially in the Middle Age flash-

  back. And, last but not least, the hooded “Red

  Monks,” whom Gherghi incongruously hosts

  in the subterraneans of his castle, warn him

  not to deflower his bride, just like the spirit

  of the Arab warrior did with Renato Pozzetto

  in La casa stregata.

  International press sheet for I frati rossi (1988, Gianni

  During post- production, after finishing

  Martucci), featuring Lucio Fulci’s name in evidence-

  the mixing, Martucci was told that the movie

  even going so far as listing “a Lucio Fulci picture” and

  was too short for exportation: he therefore had

  crediting him also for the special effects—even

  to re- edit it and add several minutes, by re-

  though in fact Fulci had nothing to do with the film.

  envisioning the whole story as a flashback,

  Martucci is credited as “Joe Martucci.”

  1989: Paganini

  8

  Fulci” (“A film by Lucio Fulci”). This led to a

  Kate, the lead singer of a rock group, receives

  controversy, with Fulci threatening to sue, and

  from her drummer Daniel an unpublished piece

  the fake credit was obscured by way of a sticker

  of music by Niccolò Paganini, which Daniel pur-

  which reported the name of Martucci as director.

  chased from the enigmatic Mr. Pickett in Venice.

  However, the same stunt was employed in other

  The band rearrange it and make it their next sin-

  home video editions throughout the globe. As

  gle. It is said that Paganini used that music to

  of today, some still believe it to be a Lucio Fulci

  evoke the devil, to whom he sold his soul in ex-

  film.

  change for fame; but the devil then forced the mu-

  sician to kill his wife. Kate and the band’s producer

  Notes

  Lavinia hire renowned horror filmmaker Mark

  Singer to shoot a horror- inspired music video in

  1. Albiero and Cacciatore, Il terrorista dei generi, 36.

  Paganini’s house in Venice. There, they are wel-

  2. Eugenio Ercolani, “Gianni Martucci, un intellettuale al

  servizio del cinema di genere,” PaperBlog, September 22, 203

  comed by Silvia, the current owner. Shooting for

  (http:// it. paperblog. com/ gianni- martucci- un- intellettuale-

  the video starts, but in the evening Rita and Daniel

  al- servizio- del- cinema- di- genere- prima- parte- 99979/).

  disappear, then Mark too is killed by a figure which

  3. Ibid.

  appears to be the ghost of Paganini. Lavinia, Kate

  4. Ibid.

  and her bandmate Silvia realize that they can’t

  leave the house as it is surrounded by an invisible

  Paganini Horror (Paganini Horror)

  shield. They try to exorcise the curse by playing

  D: Luigi Cozzi. S: Raimondo Del Balzo; SC:

  Paganini’s piece on violin, but to no avail. Even-

  Luigi Cozzi, Daria Nicolodi; DOP: Franco Lecca

  tually, just as K
ate—now the only survivor—is

  (Telecolor); M: Vince Tempera (Ed. DEAF); E:

  about to be killed, the sun rises, striking the ghost

  Sergio Montanari; PD, ArtD: Marina Pinzuti An-

  with its rays and pulverizing it. But the nightmare

  solini; CO: Donatella Cazzola; SPFX: Casagni e

  is not over…

  Prestopino [Franco Casagni, Rosario Prestopino];

  As Luigi Cozzi recalled, Paganini Horror

  MU: Franco Casagni; AMU: Luigi Ciminelli;

  was born in a manner worthy of the glorious

  Hair: Piero Cucchi; AD: Marilena Cavola; AE:

  golden age of Italian genre cinema. The starting

  Paolo Lanzani; 2ndAE: Gianni Pallotto; C: Ar-

  point was to draw on the expected success of

  cangelo Lannutti; AC: Enzo Carpineta; 2ndAC:

  Klaus Kinski’s pet project Paganini, which the

  Carlo Lannutti; ChEl: Ennio Di Stefano; KG: Ser-

  actor had been trying to mount since the early

  gio Fabbriani; SE: Paolo Ricci; SO: Mauro

  980s. Finally, Paganini was screened in a rough

  Lazzaro; PrM: Osvaldo Monaco; SP: Antonio

  cut at the 989 Cannes Film Festival. As had

  Benetti; SS: Maria Luisa Merci; Set technician:

  happened in the 960s and 970s, the news of

  Ugo Tucci; G: Claudio Fabriani; El: Michele Pel-

  important and potentially successful films was

  legrini; W: Damiana Celletti. Cast: Daria Ni-

  enough to start production with a series of rip-

  colodi (Sylvia Hackett), Jasmine Main [Jasmine

  offs centered on the same theme.

  Maimone] (Kate), Pascal Persiano (Daniel),

  Cozzi came up with the title, producer Ugo

  Maria Cristina Mastrangeli (Lavinia), Michele

  Valenti (who had co- financed Contamination)

  Klippstein (Elena), Pietro Genuardi (Mark

  liked it and commissioned artist Enzo Sciotti to

  Singer), Luana Ravegnini (Rita), Giada Cozzi

  draw a poster. Sciotti came up with a striking,

  (Sylvia as a child), Elena Pompei (Sylvia’s

  comic book- like and almost Surrealist image: a

  mother), Roberto Giannini, Perla Costantini,

  ghastly skeletal figure in a tuxedo and with in-

  Donald Pleasence (Mr. Pickett). PROD: Fabrizio

  congruous long white hair—Paganini resur-

  De Angelis for Fulvia Film (Rome); PM: Gian

  rected from the grave?—is playing the violin, its

  Maria Vismara Currò; PS: Giorgio Padoan; PSe:

  bow dripping blood. Below, a pair of teenagers,

  Andrea Usai. Country: Italy. Filmed on location

  a girl and a boy, are standing under the moon-