shock value. The gore bits are crude in an H.G.
Magliano Romano, Bloody Psycho features a cast
Lewis way, and special effects are as cheap as
led by German actor Peter Hintz and including
they come, with plenty of animal entrails and
other recurring faces in low- budget horror
quarters of beef taken from the nearest abattoir
movies of the period, namely Brigitte Chris-
making up for body organs and human torsos.
tensen, Sacha Darwin (also in Non avere paura
Direct-to-Video Releases
3
della zia Marta and Quando Alice ruppe lo spec-
even features a use of yogurt as an erotic stim-
chio), Marco Di Stefano (Quando Alice ruppe lo
ulant in a blatant rip- off of the notorious “food
specchio, Blood Delirium), plus guest stars Vassili
scene” in 9½ Weeks. Overall the plot doesn’t re-
Karis and Paul Muller.
ally add up, as even the characters admit. “This
“I’m some kind of medium,” says Dr.
is really an incredible story,” a female reporter
Vogler (Hintz) to a drunkard (Karis) in the film’s
named Sacha (Darwin) notes. “So incredible
opening scene, a line of dialogue which recalls
that, if I write it down in the newspaper, they
a notorious one in Bava’s Operazione paura—
will think I’m mad.” To which Micaela replies,
which Bava himself had mentioned as an exam-
“But it would make for a beautiful film … a per-
ple of embarrassment when discussing his
fect thriller!”
mixed feelings toward his own work. There are
Besides the nudity, crude splatter scenes and
many such lines in Lucchetti’s film, which draws
demented dialogue, Lucchetti (who even turns up
openly from classical Gothic not only in the set-
in a brief cameo role) conveys a passable Gothic
ting (a medieval village, a creepy castle and a
mood by way of wide, low- angle camera set- ups
moldy cemetery) but also in its plot about ghosts
and eerie lighting. He is helped in the process by
and Doppelgängers. As in La maschera del de-
Silvano Tessicini’s photography, replete with color
monio, here as well a female ancestor is trying
filters, silhouettes and dry ice, and definitely better
to take the place of her young descendant who
than the d.o.p.’s work in the other films in the se-
looks just like her (both are played by the same
ries. “Tessicini understood perfectly the mood
actress); and, like so many Gothic heroes before
and lighted the scenes masterfully, making the
him, Vogler goes to bed with a reincarnated
best of the sets I had chosen,” the director noted.
ghost, who then bares her putrefied breast and
“I’m not a big fan of Bava, and even less of Ar-
asks, “Do I disgust you? And yet I know you like
gento. Actually, I admired Hammer’s Dracula
my body…,” in yet another mixture of fear and
films.”
desire, attraction and repulsion. But Vogler the
Lucchetti even attempts some personal
psychic is also a male version of Jennifer
touches. In a scene, Vogler and Sacha walk along
O’Neill’s character in Sette note in nero, as he is
a path outside a cemetery which is gradually
shocked and disturbed by visions whose mean-
filled with scattered debris of contemporary so-
ing he cannot grasp until the very end. Other
ciety, from plastic bottles to ceramic toilet seats,
scenes solicit weird cinephile references: the one
from dolls to broken TV sets, and which leads
in which a wheelchair- bound zombie falls down
them to a tomb in a desecrated ground. It’s a sur-
a flight of stairs looks like a horror remake of a
real moment that looks as if it belongs in a Fer-
celebrated moment in Kiss of Death (47, Henry
reri film, and it sounds strangely out of place,
Hathaway), while the same zombie killing a vic-
almost like an attempt at claiming ambitions
tim (Paul Muller) by trampling over him on the
which cannot be fulfilled in such a cheap and
wheelchair comes closer to the sheer delirious
clumsy little movie. “It was an inspiration of the
insanity of Polselli’s Mania (74).
moment, as many others in the film, linked to
Lucchetti added some dollops of eroticism
extemporaneous things I discovered on set,”
to the mix as well, as in the glory days of 70s
Lucchetti recalls.
Gothic. It is soon clear that the relationship
Overall, although modest, Bloody Psycho
between the wheelchair- bound Mrs. Rezzori
fares better than the others in the series. It was
(Christensen) and her sexy housemaid (Nubia
definitely the one Alfieri was happy with the
Martini) is a barely disguised sado- masochistic
most, so much so that he even considered sub-
liaison, as the lady of the house throws a cup of
mitting it to the board of censors to obtain a visa
tea on the floor and then forces the servant to
for theatrical release. It was eventually released
kneel down “like a whore” to clean it. Soon
to home video just like the other titles, and the
after, the maid shows up in Vogler’s room to
English language version features a superim-
provide vital bits of information as well as
posed credit of Lucio Fulci as supervisor, even
sexual advances. “Hey, but I’m even better than
though Fulci never showed up on the set nor did
you with hands! I feel I can make things grow”
he discuss anything about the film with Luc-
she says while caressing his crotch, yet another
chetti. After Bloody Psycho, Alfieri offered the
line of dialogue which would have made Bava
director to make another cheap horror movie
blush. A sex scene between Hintz and Micaela
for the series, which he refused. “One was
(Louise Kamsteeg, credited as Loes Kamma)
enough. The story level was what it was and
4 Appendix 1
shooting in three weeks was quite a stress. The
who claims to be Larry. The direction and acting
game was not worth the candle for me, but it
are worthy of a South American soap opera, and
was for Nannerini and Lucidi, who sold this no-
the story is overly talky and hopelessly boring.
torious series all over the world!” Lucchetti went
Milioni and scriptwriter Giovanni Simonelli try
on to direct some more low- budget films in the
to revive the proceedings with some sex and
following years, including the W.I.P. Caged—Le
gore extravaganza, with bullets to the face, a de-
prede umane () and La ragnatela del silen-
capitation by scythe (the victim is played by
zio–A.I.D.S. (a.k.a. Web of Silence, 4). In 206
Annie Belle), and a notorious scene where a
he debuted as a no
velist with Amorosi sensi, set
young mute woman (Jessica Moore) is shot in
during the Resistance, followed by a mammoth
the head while performing fellatio on her inces-
three- tome work, Bora scura.
tuous father, and the killer’s second bullet strikes
Some entries in the series feature only
the man’s erect member (the scene was shot in
sparse Gothic elements. That is the case with
two versions, a more explicit one for the foreign
Andrea Bianchi’s Massacre, set during the shoot-
markets). It’s a moment worthy of Milioni’s
ing of a horror movie: the director (Maurice
trashy giallo, La sorella di Ursula (7).
Poli) attempts to inject some frisson into the film
The fifth in the series, Mario Bianchi’s Non
by hiring a psychic (Maria Letizia Placido) to
avere paura della zia Marta (known abroad as
perform a séance on the set, resulting in the
The Murder Secret) works for much of its run-
spirit of Jack the Ripper possessing one of the
ning time as a gory thriller about a family’s visit
participants, who starts killing the others one
to a country house where the titular aunt
by one. Besides the opening sequence of the
Martha is about to return, released after 30
film- within-a-film (titled Dirty Blood) in which
years in a psychiatric hospital. The woman, like
a woman is terrorized in a cemetery by some
Beckett’s Godot, doesn’t show up though, and
monstrous figures, and the séance scene, com-
while everyone is waiting for her the main char-
plete with a prowling camera, Sam Raimi–style,
acters end up killed one by one in gory ways: a
the rest of the film works as a gory body count
shower murder quotes Psycho, and the most
whodunit, long on gore but short on cinematic
gruesome bit has an admittedly obnoxious kid
value. Despite the dialogue name- dropping
being decapitated with a chainsaw à la Murder
Anaximenes and Jung’s collective unconscious,
Obsession. However, the final ten minutes push
the attempts at self- reflexiveness are ill- fated,
Bianchi’s film right into Gothic territory, with
with Poli’s character delivering a pompous
the introduction of a supernatural twist that
monologue on the nature of horror cinema:
rips off the evergreen An Occurrence at Owl
“Films of this type can no longer be dealt with
Creek Bridge, redone in a similar way as Herk
in the spirit of the 30s, and this because our
Harvey’s Carnival of Souls (62) and Kevin
generation knows what horror means. In fact,
Bi llington’s Voices (73), and in turn reprised
besides the atrocities of war and its horrors, cin-
in Fulci’s Le porte del silenzio () as well as
ema introduced us to zombies and other mon-
in Jean- Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa’s
strous creatures, so that today even an illiterate
Dead End (2003).
knows everything about terror and horror. So,
Bianchi was rather pleased with Non avere
if we still want to frighten the audience, I think
paura della zia Marta (“There was quite some
we must stick to reality. It’s useless to rely on
atmosphere, and even some twists”) but found
imagination because fantasy will never be real-
the experience of working with Nannerini and
ity.” He claims he wants to “draw from the faith-
Lucidi to be a letdown: “It seemed we’d go on
ful reproduction of man’s primordial fear,”
[with this series] for our whole life, with the
before concluding: “And even in this type of film
producer telling me, ‘Look, if it goes well we’ll
I want to apply Neorealism.”
never stop!’ … and then I found out it was all a
Enzo Milioni’s Luna di sangue (also known
scam set up to divide the cake… . ” Alfieri was
as Fuga dalla morte) is some sort of a mystery
less enamored of the result: “Even though the
with supernatural undertones. Told in flashback
original ideas were good, on many occasions
by a dying man, in would- be film noir style, the
there were disappointments. For instance, with
incoherent plot deals with a woman (Barbara
Bianchi. Since he could make films at a very low
Blasco) who discovers her husband Larry’s dead
cost, on a shoestring, once he had the opportu-
body, but the corpse disappears, and no one be-
nity to put more care and attention on the proj-
lieves her; one year later she is visited by a man
ect, on paper he could achieve interesting re-
Direct-to-Video Releases
5
sults. Whereas he filmed a three- week movie in
for another film to direct on his own, namely
just two, perhaps he was put under pressure… .
Quando Alice ruppe lo specchio. But when one
Fact is, he worked in haste just like with the
of the directors backed out, he offered to replace
films he usually made, so he ended up making
him, and that’s how Sodoma’s Ghost—a script
a pretty bad movie.”0
Fulci had co- written with Roberto Gianviti and
Non avere paura della zia Marta is hardly
dated back at least four years—took form. It was
distinguishable from the others in the series, with
the first to go into production, with the working
crude gore effects, a suitably creepy synth- driven
title Ghost Light. Filming lasted four weeks,
score by ex prog- musician Gianni Sposito, and
starting May 30, , and took place at the Cas-
some nudity courtesy of Adriana Russo and the
tel di Decima castle, just outside Rome (the ex-
stunning Jessica Moore (real name Luciana Ot-
terior shots portrayed a different villa, though).
taviani). The 2-year-old actress had debuted in
The film was plagued by production troubles,
Aristide Massaccesi’s La monaca nel peccato
and it was also the only one of the series to go
(6) and starred in a couple more of Massac-
over budget.
cesi’s classy soft porn flicks, the 9½ Weeks rip-
Sodoma’s Ghost is basically a ghost story set
off Eleven Days, Eleven Nights: 11 giorni, 11 notti
in a haunted house—a villa in France where in
(7) and Top Model (), but her career was
43 a group of Nazi officers were killed by a
short- lived. Non avere paura della zia Marta was
bomb while having a wild party, and one of
one of Gabriele Tinti’s last films. The actor, a for-
them was filming the orgy. Forty- four years later,
mer beau of Italian cinema in the 50s and later
a group of teens end up lost, stumble upon the
a regular of Joe D’Amato films, being Laura
abandoned villa and spend the night there. But
Gemser’s partner, was alre
ady very ill (he would
the Nazi ghosts appear and seduce their victims,
die of cancer in ), although he still looks
materializing their passions and desires. Fulci
younger than his age (he was 56 at the time of
called it his worst film2 and on one occasion he
the shooting). Speaking of which, a blatant in-
even claimed he had left the set.3 According to
consistency turns up in the narrative: in the
some sources, Mario Bianchi shot the remaining
flashbacks, when Aunt Martha is hospitalized,
scenes after his departure, but Bianchi himself
Richard is a 0-year-old boy, so at the time of
explained: “Fulci didn’t leave the set, absolutely.
the events in the film, with Marta being released
He finished the film.”4 In fact, Bianchi—who
from the asylum “after 30 years,” he should be
had just finished filming Non avere paura della
40, whereas according on the gravestone in the
zia Marta5—was recruited at some point during
cemetery scene he is 55.
the shooting by production manager Silvano
It was d.o.p. Silvano Tessicini who involved
Zignani, upon Fulci’s request, to film some
Lucio Fulci in “I maestri del thriller.” Near the
scenes as second unit.
end of the 0s, the director was in rather dire
Fulci told me, “Look, do me a courtesy, shoot some
straits. He had moved from Rome to Casteln-
connecting scenes for me… .” He asked me because
uovo di Porto, had experienced serious health
he was probably a bit behind schedule. It was he who
issues and was back from the unfortunate expe-
told me what to shoot: the boys’ arrival at the house
rience of Zombi 3, which the producer completed
on a jeep, the various bits. Moral of the story: by say-
with additional scenes shot by Bruno Mattei
ing “Shoot this, shoot that,” from three short bits I
and Claudio Fragasso (but approved by Fulci),
ended up shooting much more footage, several
with an extra ten days’ shoot in the Philippines,
scenes. Meanwhile he completed the movie, shooting
without the main actors and with only a
other scenes. If I happened to have the four or five
minimal crew. Tessicini lived in Morlupo, near
leads, he would film other scenes, but most times I
Castelnuovo di Porto, and started calling on the
had to wait until he finished working with them and
then I could shoot.6
director, helping him in some practical matters.
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 59