April 22^nd, 2000

"SPAGHETTI HORROR"

Since I've been drowning myself lately in Itallian horror films and Hammer movies, I decided it would be a good time to list three of my favourite recent "Spaghetti Horror" films (hey, if they can call them 'Spaghetti Westerns'...).

The three films selected cover two of the major sub-genres to Itallian horror that being the always reliable (unless directed by Bruno Mattei) zombie film and the giallo (basically, in my eyes, a classier slasher movie) film. These films cover two well-loved "masters" and one "disciple" who's striking-out well on his own.

The Beyond [1981] is Lucio Fulci's best film. As with every one of his movies the script is mostly secondary to the gore and action; but in this case it doesn't really take away from the enjoyment.

Telling the story of Katherine MacColl who, years after a warlock was tortured to death there, inherits a Lousiana hotel and decides to re-build it. Well it just so happens that the hotel is one of seven doors to Hell and it unleashes a horde of zombies that cause many outrageous moments of grue.

I'm on the fence about Fulci. I think he's a talented director, sure, and he's good at building suspense and mood (at times); but the problem is his movies usually don't hang very well together in their plotting and the gore can be taken to extremes that are unnecessary (witness the "intestine puking" in Gates Of Hell and the fake-looking "tarantula face rip" in this one).

But if you're interested in his cult following, this would be the movie to see.

Terror At The Opera [1987] is Dario Argento doing what he does best. The thin plot has an opera singer being menaced by a hooded killer that enjoys tying her up and making her watch as he gorily murders friends and associates.

As I mentioned in my review for this film it's a riveting movie that will keep you glued until it starts to get sloppy in the finale. Plus there's enough unnerving scenes (such as the "pins taped under eyes") to keep you uncomfortably pleased.

Argento has apparently done better than this (having only seen a handful of his films I can't really say); but this is stylishly made and a must for horror fans. And it's proof why he's such a popular filmmaker even outside of his native country.

Cemetery Man [1993] is a revelation. Directed by Argento protégé Michele Soavi and starring pre-My Best Friend's Wedding Rupert Everett; this serio-comic zombie-fest that has Everett as the caretaker at a local cemetery who's job it is to eliminate any of the dead that have decided to return to life.

Soavi shows a great flair for exciting filmmaking using his camera in interesting ways and seeming like an Itallian version of Sam Raimi. Plus the movie is loaded with morbid and black humour, some over-the-top gore scenes (the shovel in the head is way cool) and Everett's extremely awesome performance.

While he's only directed a few movies, Soavi made one of the more impressive horror films of 1993 with this effort.