Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989)

by Roberto Curti

  Running time: 2 minutes. Aired on August

  of contemporary taste. The music scores were

  2, .

  written by Simon Boswell. It took a couple of

  years before they were eventually aired during

  When discussing his move from the big to

  prime time in August , on Italia .

  the small screen, Lamberto Bava explained:

  Una notte al cimitero—Bava’s original title

  People in the movie industry, up to a certain point,

  was Dentro il cimitero (Inside the Cemetery)—

  thought of television as an adversary. Whereas I

  was the first to be aired, and it came as a shock

  made some assessment… . Looking at the TV ratings,

  for those who had in mind the savage bloodshed

  back then, you could see that those products that did

  of the Dèmoni films. The story, about five

  badly were seen by at least two million viewers. Far

  teenagers (including Beatrice Ring, Karl Zinny,

  more people could see your work on television, and

  and Gianmarco Tognazzi), who steal goods

  so a genre which has always been very important to

  from a store and then make a bet to stay a night

  me, the Fantastic—I’m not just speaking about

  in a cemetery inside a cursed crypt, to collect a

  horror, but Fantastic, which is a wider genre—could

  treasure, relied heavily on humor. Bava defended

  reach a much wider audience.

  this choice, explaining that first and foremost

  Silvio Berlusconi’s company Reteitalia was

  the products “had to avoid being too “heavy,”

  willing to invest in horror after the huge com-

  and should not be exceedingly gory; at the same

  mercial success of Dèmoni and Dèmoni 2, not

  time, they had to have a somewhat relaxed ap-

  to mention the many foreign films released the-

  proach, with some tongue- in-cheek moments.

  atrically in Italy. The home video market as well

  I’m not saying “comic,” but something that

  showed that the genre was among the most pop-

  would release tension—which, however, you

  ular among consumers, and several companies

  never get to find on television… .”3

  had a large part of their catalog devoted to

  The film had received its baptism of fire a

  horror and the fantastique. Berlusconi’s TV net-

  couple of years earlier, in October 7, at the

  work was quick to follow the trend, and horror

  Sitges Film Festival in Spain. It was introduced

  movies became a staple of its schedule, especially

  by the director himself, who warned the audi-

  on the channel “Italia ,” aimed specifically at

  ence that what they were going to see was not

  younger audiences.

  supposed to be a picture for theatrical release.

  News that Reteitalia would be financing

  It didn’t help much, as Una notte al cimitero was

  “Brivido giallo,” a series of five made- for-TV

  heavily booed, with a pale- faced Bava sitting in

  films directed by Lamberto Bava, came in July

  the audience. The Catalonian newspaper La

  6. “These will be low- budget products, signed

  Vanguardia commented the memorable screen-

  by young authors who should be able to rejuve-

  ing as follows:

  nate the movie business,” Reteitalia’s executive

  for Italian productions Massimiliano Fasoli

  Rarely we have seen the audience scream for a film’s

  commented when announcing the new films

  heroes’ death, but this is what happened. During the

  and telefilms to be produced by the company.2

  screening of Graveyard Disturbance by Lamberto

  In addition to “Brivido giallo,” another significant

  Bava, a sector bawled, another was outraged and the

  investment was the TV comedy series I ragazzi

  other threw down the simultaneous translation

  della 3°C (The Boys in Class 3C), set in a high

  equipments. The five oh- so-very-cute young Italian

  school and directed by Dino Risi’s son Claudio—

  fashion models spent over one hour inside a crypt lit

  like a carnival, repeating the same dialogue over and

  a clear sign of the target audience these products

  over, getting lost without moving from the site and

  would be aimed at.

  not believing at all (thank goodness) their misadven-

  The series, which eventually comprised

  ture. The dead (whose faces are the only—badly—

  four (instead of five) films co- written by Dardano

  made-up part) run away from them, and every now

  Sacchetti and produced by Luciano Martino’s

  and then a silly joke comes up, pretending (?) to be

  Dania Film, was shot between 7 and . The

  parody. Luckily, the detestable protagonists end up

  four TV movies—Una notte al cimitero, Per sem-

  arrested by the “carabinieri,” an experience that many

  Made-for-TV Films

  20

  wished for the director, invited by the festival

  project, asked me if it was still available. I said yes

  together with one of the “actors,” Ugo Tognazzi’s son.4

  and gave it to him. Fulci, who was jealous about Lam-

  berto (whom he didn’t hold in any esteem) making

  The second episode, Per sempre was an-

  a film he cared a lot about, came out saying that the

  other old script by Sacchetti, about a pregnant

  project was his… . Fact is, in that moment he was ill,

  woman, Linda (Gioia Scola), who kills her hus-

  in disgrace, with money problems, and back from

  band with the help of her lover, Carlo (David

  very bad experiences such as Zombi 3.6

  Brandon). Eight years later an unknown drifter

  named Marco (Urbano Barberini) stops at Linda

  Next was La casa dell’orco, starring Virginia

  and Carlo’s inn by the lake and asks for a job.

  Bryant (seen in Dèmoni 2, and Fulci’s original

  But he seems to know far too many things about

  choice for the leading role in Aenigma), Paolo

  Linda’s dead husband. As Bava noted, script-

  Malco, Sabrina Montorsi and Sabrina Ferilli

  wise, it had the most cinematic strength and im-

  (the latter soon to become one of Italy’s top ac-

  pact of the four. It starred Gioia Scola, Urbano

  tresses). The story bore more than passing sim-

  Barberini and David Brandon.

  ilarities to Quella villa accanto al cimitero, which

  The episode caused some controversy, for

  Bava Jr. at a certain point was slated to direct.

  Lucio Fulci claimed the original idea was his

  In fact, as the director himself explained, the

  own:

  script for La casa dell’orco was based on Sac-

  chetti’s original one for Quella villa accanto al

  One day I told (Dardano) the story of Evil Comes

  cimitero, which had been liberally altered by

  Back, a sequel on a fantastic note to The Postman Al-

  Fulci. But Sacchetti had a different version:

  ways Rings Twice, and he wro
te it up and proposed

  it several times over to producers with my name on

  Quella villa accanto al cimitero and La casa dell’orco

  it as director, and then, one day, he registered it with

  are not the same story, but they are part of my poetics

  his name on it! (laughs) I later found out that he’d

  regarding home and children: a recurring theme

  sold it to a friend of mine—[Luciano] Martino—but

  which I have explored several times with different

  in view of our past friendship I decided not to sue

  shades, but also with assonances. These are stories

  him. I just broke off all relations with him.5

  that came from my own life in this great country

  Sacchetti’s version of the story goes as follows:

  house that had a strange fame and was inhabited by

  a disturbing presence. So, let’s say that the feeling be-

  It is one of the most painful moments in my relation-

  hind these movies is the same … the house had a first

  ship with Fulci. We hadn’t been speaking to each

  cellar, from which a staircase leading to a second cel-

  other for some years. Then one day he called me. He

  lar came down for more than fifteen meters, dug into

  and Roberto Gianviti were trying to put together a

  rock. After the electrical system was interrupted, that

  story about sex and ghosts … they were both very

  staircase and that second cellar remained in darkness

  confused, because they didn’t know whether to em-

  for eternity. No one knew what was below. Only my

  phasize the sex or the ghosts. I attended meetings

  grandmother dared go down those stairs. I stayed on

  with them for about a week. I told them I didn’t like

  the first steps handing a lit candle and saw her dis-

  their story, and Fulci asked me what I was working

  appear in the dark. I only heard noises. So the films

  on. I told him I had written a sort of sequel to The

  are different, but behind them there is the same emo-

  Postman Always Rings Twice. Fulci read it and liked

  tion I experienced at different moments and with

  it very much. He found a producer who bought the

  different moods.7

  story and commissioned me and Elisa Briganti to

  write the script… . After I delivered the screenplay,

  The last in the series, A cena col vampiro,

  the producer didn’t pay me and said he was not able

  was openly parodistic, and packed full of movie

  to make the film… . Fulci brought the script to an-

  references, starring George Hilton as the suave

  other producer, who … went around for some time

  director- cum-vampire Jurek, who stays young

  trying to make it into a film, but to no avail. The

  like Dorian Gray while his ageing self is trapped

  magic moment of Italian horror film had waned, and

  in an old black- and-white film. It was also the

  so had Fulci’s, after the financial catastrophe of Con-

  only one shot in a typical Gothic location, the

  quest and other mistakes. Fulci kept on carrying the

  Moorish- style Castle Sammezzano near Flo-

  script around, which was beautiful. I was against this

  rence.

  … unbeknownst to me, he had an English translation

  done by Brett Halsey, promising him the leading role.

  The very title itself, “Brivido giallo” (Giallo

  I got angry and finally broke off my relationship

  Thrill), which presents the four films as gialli,

  with Lucio. A couple of years later, working on the

  not as Gothics, is significant. By targeting the

  “Brivido giallo” series, we needed one more script to

  four films as sticking to the giallo tradition, the

  complete the series. Lamberto, who knew about the

  producers showed no trust in the Gothic as a

  202 Appendix 2

  marketing factor, which is understandable. But

  a dusty inventory, which can and must be

  even the promised thrills were few and far be-

  laughed at. Moreover, the gags are littered with

  tween.

  references to the small screen: for instance, the

  From a narrative point of view, pastiche

  hunchbacked and idiotic servant in A cena col

  and in- jokes aimed at film buffs are the norm.

  vampiro is not so much a reworking of Marty

  In La casa dell’orco Bava and Sacchetti reprise

  Feldman’s Igor in Young Frankenstein, as of Isaia,

  almost to the letter the scene of the underwater

  a recurring character in the TV sketches starring

  room in Inferno, while Una notte al cimitero and

  the comic duo Zuzzurro & Gaspare (Andrea

  especially A cena col vampiro feature a plethora

  Brambilla and Nino Formicola), one of the most

  of references and self- references that range from

  popular acts in the TV show Drive In,0 also

  Mario Bava to Murnau’s Nosferatu and The Fear-

  broadcast on Italia . In fact, the actor playing

  less Vampire Killers—not forgetting the director’s

  both characters is the same.

  own Dèmoni, with the idea of the film- within-

  In short, the Gothic emerges from these

  a-film.

  films as a heritage of the past, serviceable as a

  Predictably, the most disturbing elements,

  background and little more. “We’re at the end of

  such as the visionary and violent excesses and

  the 20th century, the age of electronics. The

  the themes related to transgression (especially

  world is full of stuff to be afraid of: pollution,

  sexual) were absolutely precluded. For instance,

  atomic warfare, AIDS … but not this! It’s all

  as Bava explained, La casa dell’orco suffered a lot

  papier- maché,” the vampire’s assistant explains

  from self- censorship. “An issue in the script was

  to a girl who was frightened by the sight of sev-

  when the ogre showed up. What could we do

  ered limbs, skulls and assorted body parts in A

  with it? Had it been a movie … the ogre would

  cena col vampiro. Later, the vampire himself says:

  eat children, but on TV you couldn’t do that. So

  “Nowadays vampires hold a controlling interest

  we settled for a “symbolism” of the ogre, with

  in large corporations, they fly the Concorde, as

  people disappearing.” The odd gory scene, such

  evolution has been good to us we have the world

  as a heart ripped from a chest by invisible hands

  at our feet… .” Despite the appearances, this is

  in A cena col vampiro, could be acceptable if in-

  not a discourse similar as that of Freda’s I vampiri

  serted in an openly humorous context: “I had

  or Corrado Farina’s …hanno cambiato faccia.

  the alibi of comedy,” the director commented.

  The updating of the times has a metafilmic angle

  Visually, the results display the serial ap-

  (the vampire is a famous horror movie director),

  proach to the product. A case in point is the

  but this is not a trick to reflect on the present,

  recycling of Antonel
lo Geleng’s set- pieces to

  and not even to renovate the genre’s archetypes

  save on budget: the crypt seen in Una notte al

  in an effective way. It is simply a joke, a step be-

  cimitero was turned into the ogre’s subterranean

  hind, a way for the makers to distance them-

  lair in La casa dell’orco. On the other hand, the

  selves from what is being told. When Hilton’s

  films show a quick disinterest in reimagining

  character complains, “You can’t imagine how

  and portraying the Gothic genre beyond the

  boring a vampire’s life can be,” the nod to the

  mere playful and postmodernist rereading of

  eternal sadness of the bloodsucker as portrayed

  clichés.

  in Herzog’s version of Nosferatu is immediately

  This is primarily a sign of the new way au-

  turned into a joke, as he concludes: “Always in

  diences dealt with the genre. Young viewers de-

  bed before sunrise, never getting up before sun-

  veloped a film buff mentality, and welcomed

  set, always sleeping in the same old coffin… . ”

  cinephile homages, a recurring element in the

  His would- be-victims are not much impressed

  highly popular Dylan Dog comics. Horror and

  either. “Don’t you have a vampires’ union?” the

  the Fantastic were now being perceived as a uni-

  skeptical Gianni (Riccardo Rossi) asks.

  verse formed by bits and pieces of old and new

  The Gothic is presented in its playful and

  movies, some sort of a representation which re-

  more superficial aspects. Despite the odd literary

  combined the same elements in different varia-

  reference (such as The Picture of Dorian Gray,

  tions. But such a choice shows also a two- faced

  which provides the key to the solution in A

  relationship with the genre’s archetypes. On the

  cena col vampiro) the real blueprints are Hal-

  one hand it is parasitic, because TV audiences

  loween parties and amusement parks. Signifi-

  need stereotyped and easily recognizable refer-

  cantly, Antonello Geleng’s impressive set- pieces

  ences; on the other, it is detached if not openly

  in Una notte al cimitero look less like horror

  mocking. The Gothic tradition is represented as

  movie material than funhouse paraphernalia.

  Made-for-TV Films

  203

  A compulsory choice, given the average target

  own Macabro. Moreover, with Per sempre Lam-

  audience: “Up to the 0s moviegoers were