Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  4. Ibid.

  Numero Uno International (Rome); EP: Claudio

  5. Ibid.

  Bonivento; PS: Roberto Allocca; PM: Ricky

  6. The film is sometimes mentioned with the a.k.a. Il

  Sacco; PSe: Antonio Mammolotti; Location

  violino che uccide (The Killing Violin), which nevertheless

  manager: Stewart Smith; PAss: Jeff Lupton,

  doesn’t appear in the credits nor in ministerial papers.

  Suzanne Rust; ADM: Pasquale Manzollino.

  7. [ANSA agency] “Argento dice “no” alla regia di Rigo-

  letto,” Corriere della Sera, April 24, 98.

  Country: Italy. Filmed on location in Mount

  8. The Milan- born Farolfi was a singer who achieved

  Dora and Winter Garden Groveland (Florida).

  popularity in the 990s with the band Cattivi Pensieri. She

  Running time: 90 minutes (m. 2472). Visa n.

  had appeared in an episode of the TV series “Turno di

  84646 (4.28.989); Rating: V.M.4. Release date:

  notte,” Delitto in rock.

  .26.989 (Italy); Distribution: Titanus. Domestic

  gross: n.a. Also known as: Witch Story (UK), Tanz

  Streghe (Witch Story) (Superstition 2)

  der Hexen Teil 2 (Germany), Pesadilla (Spain)

  D: Alessandro Capone. S: Alessandro

  Note: The songs “Down the Highway”

  Capone; SC: Rosario Galli, Alessandro Capone;

  (Jones/ Cordio) and “Reflex” (Jones/Cordio) are

  Adaptation: Maura Vespini; M: Carlo Maria

  sung by Karen Jones.

  Cordio; DOP: Roberto Girometti (Eastman-

  Florida, 1927. A young woman, Helena, is

  color, Technicolor); E: Franca Silvi; Casting: Bill

  lynched by an angry mob for being a witch. A

  Williams; ArtD: David Minichiello; SE: Rick

  little girl, Rachel, whom the woman took care of

  Gonzales; AD: Mike Kirton; AE: Rosalba Gia-

  as governess, watches in horror as Helena is burnt

  cobbe, Roberto Amicucci; SS: Laura Curreli;

  alive, and commits suicide by jumping from a

  Dial: Mary Lynn Clemente; C: Roberto Brega;

  window of their house. The present: Ed and Carol,

  1stAC: Maurizio Piano; 2ndAC: Andy Fisher; SP:

  two teenage siblings who recently lost their parents

  Gianni Caramanico; SE: Mike Davy, Mike Or-

  in a car accident, move from New York to Florida

  nelas, Dan Bedell, Dave Katz, David Blood, Jesús

  with a group of friends to the country house they

  Martinez; B: Maurizio Merli; CO: Vera Coz-

  inherited. The house—the same where Helena

  zolino; ACO: Rita Cecconi; W: Connie Pierce,

  and Rachel lived—is dilapidated, and the teenagers

  Beverly Frisz, Maria Pia Boccia; Hair: Anna

  set out to restore it. But starting on the first night

  Chiodi, Pat Patton; MU: Amedeo Alessi; AMU:

  of their stay, strange things happen in there, and

  Mario Di Salvio, Selena Miller, Victoria Stewart;

  the new inhabitants experience nightmares and

  KG: Elio Bosi; G: Pietro D’Antoni, Piero Bosi,

  hallucinations. It turns out that the house is

  Cecil Stone, Jorge Frier; ChEl: Furio Rocchi; El:

  cursed, and Rachel’s ghost appears. The teenagers

  Italo Di Steffano, Marcello Perricone, Cragg

  are possessed by the evil entity and are pushed to

  Richards, Jeff Morriss, Don Lamont; Generator

  murder each other in gruesome ways. Ed and

  driver: Claudio Cartocci; Driver: Claudio Men-

  Carol find out that Helena had seduced the local

  chini; Weapons: J.R. Johnson; Press attache:

  priest, Father Michael, which caused the mob to

  Kim Gatti, Paola Papi; SOE: Alvaro Gramigna,

  revolt against her. They locate the elderly priest,

  Fernando Caso; Mix: Danilo Moroni. Cast:

  now defrocked, who faces Helena’s undead spirit

  Amy Adams (Susan), Jeff Bankert (Michael), Ian

  and attempts to exorcise her. The curse seemingly

  Bannen (Father Matthew), Charon Butler (Glo-

  abates but, as Ed and Carol will find out, evil

  ria), Todd Conatser [Conner] (Virgil), John

  never dies…

  Freda (Alex Hayes), Peter Gold [Pierre

  The feature film debut of the then 34-year-

  Agostino] (Father Gabriel), Kirk Green (Young

  old Alessandro Capone is emblematic in its ap-

  Father Matthew), Cecil Hawkins (Sheriff), Elise

  proach to the Gothic genre, a wild mixture of

  86 1989: Streghe Italian and U.S. movie references that give away

  entire duration before being mercilessly exter-

  from the very beginning Streghe’s composite na-

  minated in graphic (but not overly gory) ways.

  ture. Capone had started as a screenwriter in the

  As often in Italian horror films of the pe-

  late 970s, and among his early work there are a

  riod, the depiction of American teenagers results

  couple of horror movies, Gianni Martucci’s

  in involuntary parody, and the characters look

  Trhauma and Ruggero Deodato’s Camping del

  like larger- than-life walking stereotypes: an

  terrore (987), which both drew liberally from

  anorexic black girl who boasts she is used to

  the American slasher film and its conventions.

  vomiting after eating; a bitchy bimbo who is so

  As Capone explained,

  proud of her perfect ass that she strips off in

  front of everybody on the living room table; and

  I was always fond of horror cinema, and I tried for

  a fatso who sports a t- shirt of the female pop/

  years to make my debut in the genre. Since nobody

  rock band Heart, claims that his only passion in

  allowed me to showcase my passion, I decided to set

  life is eating and swallows handfuls of jam di-

  up a company, I produced my first film and of course

  rectly from a jar with his bare hands, in what is

  I made a horror movie! … We managed to convince

  perhaps an ill- fated homage to John Belushi’s

  an international distributor, Manolo Bolognini, to

  give us a guaranteed minimum, and then Claudio

  unforgettable stint as “Bluto” Blutarsky in John

  Bonivento, whom I met in New York for another

  Landis’ Animal House (978). In some 970s hor-

  project, associated with another quote.

  ror film such a grotesquely stereotyped slice of

  humanity would have had perhaps a metaphoric

  Streghe puts on the table a wider variety of

  value; here, they simply represent the naïve vi-

  references. The plot draws from the Canadian

  sion of a different culture and society, which the

  horror film Superstition, from which it reprises

  filmmakers are shaping through their own

  not only the theme of the vengeful witch, but

  cinephile experience. Naturally, these teenagers

  also the central character of a priest, as well as

  are film buffs too: “He has seen The Exorcist one

  the presence of a crucifix which plays a crucial

  time too many!” someone says when a weird-

  role in the story. As for the body count, some of

  looking priest shows up on their bus; later they

&n
bsp; the murders—such as the chainsaw slashing in

  hum the theme song for The Twilight Zone, and

  the pool—try hard to be original, but the notion

  upon exploring a sinister country mansion

  of Helena’s possessed succubi attacking the other

  someone jokingly mentions Mrs. Bates and her

  victims looks very much like what Sam Raimi

  son Norman.

  did in The Evil Dead minus the gruesome facial

  The story moves predictably along the ex-

  make- up. Capone claimed he took inspiration

  pected horrific events and deaths. Some touches,

  from Carpenter (even in the use of the scope

  such as the protagonists’ dead father returning

  format), Raimi and Craven, but there are also

  from the grave to torment his offspring—pos-

  much more familiar references for fans of Italian

  sibly another nod to an Italian horror classic,

  Gothic horror films. The opening scenes set in

  namely La maschera del demonio—hint at

  the late 920s recall the prologue of L’aldilà, while

  themes of incest and Catholic guilt which are

  the character of Rachel, the little girl with a

  merely played for their superficial value. Ditto

  white ball who asks people to “play with her,” is

  for the expected Gothic trappings, such as the

  a blatant nod to Operazione paura.

  “return of the past” of the curse plaguing gener-

  But the important thing to Capone was to

  ation after generation. For the climax, Capone

  disguise and conceal the Italian identity, to the

  relies heavily on slow- motion shots of people

  point that the film doesn’t even include the

  jumping in the air or through windows, but he

  opening credits, except for the title Streghe

  fails to generate any suspense. And the twist

  (Witch Story)—note the fake English title in

  ending doesn’t really make much sense.

  brackets. It is a chameleon- like game of subtrac-

  Filmed partly in Rome (in November 988)

  tion that goes in a different direction than the

  but mostly in Florida2 over the course of five

  gory fireworks of the early 980s, where the way

  weeks, on a budget of about one million dollars,3

  to excess was the trick to bite away bigger slices

  Streghe looks very much like Massaccesi’s Filmi-

  of pie in the chaotic horror market. The setting

  rage productions of the period. Still, the higher

  and context try hard to convince us that we are

  amount of money involved results in a suitably

  watching a 980s American body count flick,

  professional mise-en-scène, with dolly shots,

  starting with the parade of annoying teenagers

  careful lighting schemes, passable special effects

  who joke, bicker and hump each other for the

  (courtesy of Rick Gonzales), and at least one in-

  1989: Streghe

  87

  teresting set piece, the tunnel- like underground

  leased there as Tanz der Hexen. As the director

  passage which allows director of photography

  recalled, “I remember that during the screening

  Roberto Girometti some suitably eerie light/

  in New York there was an applause, when one

  shadows effects. The cast comprises a number

  of the girls comes out of the pool handling a

  of nondescript young actors, mostly in their first

  chainsaw. In Italy people criticized it, because

  movie role. The only familiar faces in the cast

  of course you can’t start a chainsaw underwater,

  are Deanna Lund (best known for her partici-

  but once the joke was evident, the American au-

  pation in the TV series Land of the Giants) as

  diences applaud and laugh, whereas the Italians

  the evil Helena, and Ian Bannen (in place of

  criticize. It’s a matter of approach.”6

  Capone’s original choice for the role, Donald

  Capone (who dedicated the film to his fam-

  Pleasence), who turns up an hour into the film

  ily) moved on to television in the following

  for a less- than-inspired special appearance,

  decade, directing episodes of the TV series De-

  sporting a blatantly fake- looking wig and cheap

  tective Extralarge, starring Bud Spencer (whose

  make- up. But Z- movie devotees will be thrilled

  son Giuseppe co- produced Streghe), and spo-

  to spot Pierre Agostino, the lead in a couple of

  radically returned to the big screen with an

  Ray Dennis Steckler’s most demented efforts,

  adaptation of his own play Uomini sull’orlo di

  The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row

  una crisi di nervi (99). In the 2000s he worked

  Slasher (979) and its sequel, Las Vegas Serial

  mainly for the small screen, directing TV series

  Killer (986), here hiding under the a.k.a. Peter

  such as Distretto di polizia (2007–2008), I delitti

  Gold.

  del cuoco (200) and I segreti di Borgo Larici

  The Italian distribution through the his-

  (204). In 204 he helmed the sci- fi thriller 2047:

  torical Titanus allowed the film a theatrical re-

  Sights of Death, featuring an astonishing quintet

  lease, with a V.M.4 rating.4 Predictably, it col-

  of has- beens: Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah,

  lected harsh reviews: “The usual inventory of

  Michael Madsen, Stephen Baldwin, and Rutger

  coarse special effects,” labeled it the Corriere

  Hauer.

  della Sera, noting the “slapdash editing, full of

  inconsistencies” and the “amateur cast (except

  Notes

  for a bored- looking Ian Bannen) in a cumber-

  some parade of grimaces.” Streghe soon resur-

  1. Taccini, Stracult horror, 276.

  faced on the national home video market. It was

  2. Giovanna Grassi, “Cinema e gente,” Corriere della

  Sera, November 8, 988.

  sold well abroad, however, allowing Bolognini

  3. Taccini, Stracult horror, 279.

  to recover the advance. Overseas it was adver-

  4. In 993 the rating was turned to “all audiences

  tised—not surprisingly, given the aforemen-

  allowed” after some cuts were performed for its TV broad-

  tioned similarities—as a sequel to Superstition,

  cast (visa n. 8786, 3.22.993) for a total of 48 meters (about

  whereas in Germany it was passed off as Tanz

   minute and 43 seconds).

  5. L.A. [Leonardo Autera], “La casa disabitata nella

  der Hexen Teil 2, a sequel to Larry Cohen’s

  radura,” Corriere della Sera, May 26, 989.

  horror comedy Wicked Stepmother (989), re-

  6. Taccini, Stracult horror, 279.

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  Appendix :

  Direct-to-Video Releases

  Entries are arranged in chronological order,

  according to their shooting dates

  “I maestri del thriller,” a.k.a. “Lucio

  Teresa Carrera; AD: Michele De Angelis; C: Luca

  Fulci presenta”

  Alfieri; AC: Rolando Stefanelli; PM: Va
lentino

  PROD: Luigi Nannerini and Antonino Lu-

  Salvati; B: Aristide Bagliocchi; SO: Davide Ma-

  cidi for Cine Duck (Rome), Alpha Distribuzione

  gara, Giulio D’Angeli; Mix: Claudio Oliviero; SE:

  Cinematografica (Rome); PM: Marco Alfieri,

  Gino Vagniluca; G: Gaetano Barbera, Nino

  Silvano Zignani, Stefano Trani; UPM (Le porte

  Magostini, Armando Salino; El: Massimo Roc-

  dell’inferno): Bruno Bagella, Maurizio Mattei.

  chi, Marcello Tallone; W: Cinzia Reggiani; SS:

  Camilla Fulci. Cast: Peter Hintz (Dr. Werner

  Hansel e Gretel

  Vogler), Loes Kamma [Louise Kamsteeg] (Mi-

  D: Giovanni Simonelli [additional scenes:

  caela di Saint- Bon), Brigitte Christensen (Mrs.

  Lucio Fulci]. S and SC: Giovanni Simonelli;

  Rezzori), Sacha Darwin (Sasha), Nubia Martini

  DOP: Silvano Tessicini; M: Lanfranco Perini

  (Simona), Any Cerreto (Mary Cohen), Marco

  (Ed. Artem Publishing); E: Luigi Gorini; CO:

  Di Stefano (Priest), Alessandra Massari (Micaela

  Cinzia Milani; MU: Pino Ferrante; Hair: Maria

  as a child), Marco Massari (Werner as a child),

  Teresa Carrera; AD: Michele De Angelis; C: Luca

  Vassili Karis [Vassili Karamenisis] (Tramp/Dr.

  Alfieri; AC: Rolando Stefanelli; PM: Vincenzo

  Williamson), Paul Muller (Lawyer Cohen); un-

  Lozzi; B: Aristide Bagliocchi; SO: Davide

  credited: Leandro Lucchetti (Gamekeeper’s son).

  Magara, Giulio D’Angeli; Mix: Claudio Oliviero;

  Running time: 0 minutes. Also known as:

  SE: Gino Vagniluca; G: Nino Magostini, Gaetano

  The Snake House (International title); Bloody

  Barbera; El: Massimo Rocchi, Marcello Tallone;

  Psycho—Lo specchio; Nel nido del serpente (Ital-

  W: Mirella Pedetti; SS: Camilla Fulci; Generator

  ian alternate titles); Pesadilla sangrienta (Spain);

  operator: Roberto Stiffi. Cast: Elisabete Pimenta

  Snake House (Germany).

  Boareto (Silvia), Lucia Prato (Lina), Ronald

  [Gaetano] Russo (Fred), Giorgio Cerioni (Mario),

  Massacre

  Mario Sandro De Luca, Renzo Robertazzi, Silvia

  D: Andrea Bianchi. S and SC: Andrea

  Cipollone (Gretel), Massimiliano Cipollone

  Bianchi; DOP: Silvano Tessicini; M: Luigi Cec-

  (Hansel), Paul Muller (Procurer), Maurice Poli

  carelli (Ed. Creamus); E: Vincenzo Tomassi; CO:

  (Commissioner Roy); uncredited: Brigitte Chris-

  Cinzia Milani; MU: Pino Ferrante; Hair: Maria

  tensen (Solange), Zora Kerova [Zora Keslerová]

  Teresa Carrera; AD: Michele De Angelis; C: Luca