skjam | Entries tagged with italy

Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) dir. Massimo Pupillo, Italian title "Il Boia Scarlatto" (The Crimson Executioner)

Horror paperback publisher Daniel Parks (Alfredo Rizzo) wants to have the covers of his next few books be photographs. So he and a small crew of models, photographer and writer are touring Italy for the exactly right castle to shoot photos in. After several duds, they've come to one that looks just right. Initially, it appears to be abandoned, but after breaking in they discover that the owner's just very reclusive and doesn't like trespassers. After seeing Edith (Luisa Baratto), the production assistant, but not vice versa, the master of the castle allows them to stay the night. Little do the visitors know that the Crimson Executioner has no intention of letting his guests ever leave!

The Crimson Executioner is Travis Anderson (Mickey Hargitay), a muscleman actor ala Steve Reeves, who got rich in the movies, but also got increasingly disgusted with the immorality and corruption of the outside world. He felt that contact with sinners (including Edith, a former girlfriend) was dangerous to his perfect body, and somehow learned of this abandoned castle and the legend of the original Crimson Executioner. That medieval nobleman had tortured multiple people to death for imagined crimes and was executed by and sealed within his own iron maiden. Because the Crimson Executioner had sworn to return to life and take vengeance, the place got a reputation for being haunted, and Travis had been able to buy it cheaply and move in with a few goons as servants.

The first horrific death is easily mistaken for an accident, and there's a bit of misdirection to suggest that there's supernatural stuff going on, but former reporter Rick (Walter Brandi) soon catches on that there's a human murderer. Can he save himself or anyone else from the elaborate torture devices of the dungeons?

Good: Nice set design, and the torture devices are deliciously over the top. The giant spiderweb room is comical even as it would be terrifying to actually be in. The cast is enjoying themselves, especially Hargitay who hams it up. There's little of the slow burn or padded scenes that would make the movie drag.

Less Good: The English dub is atrocious and wooden. There's a Marquis de Sade quote to try to class the piece up, but no follow through on the philosophy.

Content note: Murder, torture, blood, a bit of sadism. Shirtless men, skimpy costumes and underwear for the women. Two of the characters are implied to be having extramarital sex. Late teens on up, I'm thinking.

Just the right amount of cheesy to be charming. This one's for bad movie night with a friend or two.

Current Music: "Cry Me a River"--Franck Pourcel

The Snorkel (1958) dir. Guy Green

Paul Decker (Peter van Eyck) has gotten away with murder before. Years ago, he murdered his wealthy friend Mr. Brown by drowning him in a boating "accident" so that he could marry the widow and her considerable inheritance, including an Italian villa near the French border. Now Mrs. Decker has outlived her attractiveness and usefulness to Paul. He comes up with a brilliant plan to commit the perfect crime, using the device mentioned in the title.

At first it's working a treat. Both the local police inspector (Gregoire Aslan) and British consul Wilson (William Franklyn) see that there's no possible way Mrs. Decker's death could be anything but a suicide. Soon, however, there's a bit of a hitch. Paul's stepdaughter Candace "Candy" Brown (Mandy Miller) arrives from her boarding school in England earlier than expected (by Paul), accompanied by her governess Jean Edwards (Betta St. John) and dog Toto (Flush). Candy isn't buying the suicide verdict for a moment--her mother was expecting her, had no reason to take her own life, and there's no note or letter as you'd normally expect from such a carefully planned suicide. Plus, she witnessed Paul killing her father as a little girl, and although no one has ever believed her, she's never trusted the man since. Toto almost gives away Paul's hiding place, but unlike his The Wizard of Oz namesake, no one pays attention to his antics.

What little credence the authorities give to Candy's testimony is dispelled when it turns out that Paul was in France the whole time, giving him an unbreakable alibi. Not deterred by this setback, the teenager continues snooping and asking questions, picking at the edges of Paul's elaborate plan. There's no help for it, Paul will have to shut her up permanently!

This thriller came from Hammer Films a few years before they struck on their horror formula and is a clear precursor to those movies. There's excellent camerawork and the opening scene is especially well done. It's a silly and overelaborate way to commit murder, but that's what makes it intriguing. The middle part is less inventive, but it leads to a mostly satisfying ending.

Van Eyck does a good job as the cold-blooded killer. Mr. Decker is a writer of novels, but apparently not a very successful one as it's established early on he doesn't have his own money and didn't like his wife spending hers for herself. He's also probably not a mystery writer or someone would have noted an ability to think up locked room murders. He's superficially charming, which has taken in everyone but Candy. The plot requires Paul to demonstrate strong swimming skills a couple of times, something the casting director forgot to mention to the actor.

Candy is afflicted with Cassandra levels of no one ever believing her when she states the truth. Her dog dies abruptly after Paul was the last person seen with it? Clearly a total coincidence! Paul tries to murder her in exactly the same way as her mother? She was clearly trying to commit suicide herself! She's threatened with the loony bin if she doesn't stop making these wild accusations.

It's played relatively subtly, but I suspect Jean is sweet on her employer, which contributes to her ignoring clear warning signs and not taking simple precautions like never leaving Candy alone with Mr. Decker, despite knowing what the girl thinks of her stepfather. Wilson's failure to catch on is a bit more excusable as he doesn't know the family well and isn't trained in detective work or how to deal with teenagers.

Content note: Murder, attempted murder, death of a dog. Candy is throughout the film treated as delusional even though she's absolutely correct about what's going on.

This isn't one of the true masterpieces of suspense cinema, but it's good enough that you won't regret seeing it. Recommended to old-style thriller fans.

Atom Age Vampire (1960) dir. Anton Giuilo Majano (original title "Seddok, l'erede di Satana")

Brilliant scientist Professor Alberto Levin (Alberto Lupo) is working on a revolutionary cure for skin cancer and scarring, inspired by his research on radiation survivors. With his faithful assistant Monique Riviere (Franca Parisi) and mute manservant Sacha (Roberto Bertea), he's developed first a serum that causes monstrous cell growth in animals, Derma-25, and now one that reverses the effects, Derma-28. Monique forces him to advance to human testing by injecting herself with Derma-25, and insisting he use the new serum instead of the usual immediate radiation therapy. It works, but now Professor Levin needs a documented experiment that will truly prove that Derma-28 is both effective and safe for humans.

As it happens, Nightclub dancer Jeanette Moreneau (Susanne Loret) has just been dumped by her lover, sailor Pierre Mornet (Sergio Fantoni). It seems he wanted her to give up her job despite it being how they met, but she didn't want to be unemployed while he was off at sea. Upset and driving angry, Jeanette has a car crash and winds up with severe permanent facial scarring. (Pierre hears nothing about this because his ship already sailed.)

On the verge of suicide as she can't live with her (pretty concealable) scarring, Jeanette is secretly contacted by Monique and offered the Derma-28 treatment, on the condition that she tell absolutely no one. Jeanette isn't entirely convinced, but shows up at the Levin mansion anyhow. In the heat of his enthusiasm, Professor Levin fails to get informed consent from Jeanette before subjecting her to the treatment, which uses up the entire existing supply of Derma-28. The process works, and Jeanette is seemingly cured. A combination of her restored beauty and his elation at success causes Professor Levin to become enamored of Jeanette, much to the displeasure of Monique, who thought she was the love interest.

Meanwhile, Pierre arrives back in town and traces Jeanette to the hospital, only to discover that she has vanished with no forwarding address.

Jeanette, while appreciative of Professor Levin's cure, isn't nearly as into him as he is into her. She's pining for Pierre now that she could show herself in front of him. And then the scar tissue starts resurfacing so the doctor slips her a mickey.

Levin realizes that because the scar tissue was so old, it will take multiple Derma-28 treatments to completely eradicate it. But it will take months to synthesize a new supply. He could, however, take glands from healthy beautiful young women and implant them in Jeannette to bolster the Derma-28 in her system and that could also work. Monique immediately realizes that's the plot of a horror movie and vetoes the idea, much to the professor's wrath.

It's not clear if Professor Levin kills her without leaving noticeable marks in the ensuing struggle, or she succumbs to her pre-existing heart condition. But he is able to remove her glands subtly enough so that coroner Dr. Doubré (Tullio Altamura) doesn't suspect a thing. The cursory investigation of Monique's death also introduces Inspector Bouchard (Ivo Garrani). He immediately flags Levin as a person of interest, and a potential expert to consult on cases involving radiation poisoning.

Needing more pretty young woman glands, Levin disguises his appearance with Derma-25 (also boosting his confidence to allow him to kill) and commits more obvious murders. He still hasn't quite taken it in that Jeannette isn't falling in love with him, and that may bring him to his doom...

So, first off, there are no vampires in this movie, so if you're only here for the bloodsuckers, cross it off your list. The newspapers apparently nickname the person going around killing women "Seddok", thus the Italian title, and there's some speculation (which Professor Levin allows to linger) that the murderer is a Hiroshima survivor maddened by radiation-caused deformities. "A vampire of the atomic age, if you will."

The "I've made this woman beautiful/cured, oh no, it's not permanent so I need to kill people for their body parts" plotline is a well-worn one for horror movies, and kudos to Monique for both spotting it and trying not to participate. Otherwise it plays out in a fairly standard manner.

Professor Levin shows signs of being a bit unhinged from the beginning, so it's not too shocking when he goes off the deep end. Monique's a more interesting character, and Professor Levin would have been way better off returning her interest instead of forcing Jeanette into a relationship. Pierre is a dolt, but seems to have learned how much he truly cares for Jeanette by the end. Stefan? Well, he loves both Monique and Professor Levin more than they deserve and gets little joy of it.

Some nice fade effects. It's an Italian movie, so I'm not sure why it's taking place in France. There are multiple cuts, starting with the 105-minute Italian cut, the 87-minute US cut, and the 72-minute video cut, the last of which takes out a racy dancing scene, and much of the first scene of trying to treat Jeanette with Derma-28 which contains important set-up for later plot points. Pretty sure the Italian cut has more racy dancing because it's in the trailer but not the US cut.

Content notes: several murders, no gore in the US version. Jeanette bases her self-worth entirely on her physical appearance. Racy dancing. Body horror. Inspector Bouchard is a recovering tobacco addict with a currently addicted subordinate--he falls off the wagon towards the end. The US cut should be okay for teens--if there's more gore in the Italian version, make that late teens.

Overall: The choppy editing of the US version has done a number on the coherence of the film, and it's going to feel a little creaky to modern viewers. Portions of the plot were already hoary cliches by the time this was made. Mildly recommended to fans of B-movie horror; see if you can find the longer cut.

Current Location: The Italian-speaking part of France

Conquest (1983) dir. Lucio Fulci

Ilias (Andrea Occhipinti) has come of a man's age, so it is time for him to leave his peaceful homeland on his walkabout. To aid him on his quest, Ilias is given the bow of his ancestor Kronos, which can shoot arrows of light once the bearer reaches full manhood. Ilias' wanderings bring him to a barbaric wasteland dominated by Ocron (Sabrina Siani), a sorceress who claims to control the rising and setting of the sun. Ocron begins to have dreams of being slain by a person with a bow, and since Ilias happens to be the only person in the wasteland with a bow, draws the obvious conclusion.

Ilias is unaware that Ocron even exists until her beastman minions attack him. He is saved by Mace (Jorge Rivero), who claims to be an enemy of all men (he has a mark on his forehead that allegedly proclaims this, but is never further explained) and only stepped in because he wanted a closer look at Ilias' foreign weapon. Despite Mace's misanthropy, the two men bond, save each other's lives repeatedly, and become friends.

Frustrated by her minions' failure to kill Ilias, Ocron summons the powerful spirit Zora (Conrado San Martin) to aid her in exchange for her fealty. Zora is a much more threatening opponent, and finally the fight must be taken to the sorceress and her allies.

This fantasy adventure movie falls between director Lucio Fulci's giallo thriller period and his gore-soaked horror flicks period. It's an Italian-Spanish-Mexican co-production, and I am going to guess that most of the outdoor scenes were shot in Mexico. It can be hard to tell, thanks to the heavy use of fog and soft focus.

The cinematography does give this film a dreamlike quality, which helps make the lack of explanations for most of what's going on more palatable. On the other hand, during some of the slow scenes at the beginning, it tends to lull the senses, making this a poor movie to watch when tired. The special effects are decent for this time period and budget, but the beastman makeup could have used more work.

Our protagonists are a good pair for an adventure story. Ilias is a decent young fellow, and brave, but kind of naive, which gets him in trouble. Mace is more cynical, but is friendly with animals (they help him out a few times) to the point where he will not kill them. (He sees nothing wrong with eating meat of animals other men have killed, to the point he will kill the other person to get their meat.) Mace initially warns Ilias that he's not a people person, but he's clearly lonely and ready to make a connection.

Ocron wears a golden full-face mask/helmet, a front loin guard, and nothing else. She is fond of snakes, and likes eating brains. Between her twice-daily sun rituals, Ocron mostly lolls around her cave doing drugs with her minions or having prophetic nightmares. Nothing is revealed of her past or overall motivations. As is often the case with precognition, every step Ocron takes to eliminate Ilias as a threat only makes her destruction more certain. Zora is even more enigmatic, though he appears to enjoy making people suffer.

Content note: gore (a woman is torn in half and her brains eaten early on), female nudity, offscreen extramarital sex, body horror, torture. The DVD version I watched was "Not Rated"; I am told most VHS versions have a bit cut and an R rating.

Overall: Certainly not a movie for the whole family. The story is thin, so it's more of an experience than anything else. But when it's clicking, a fascinating watch. I'd recommend it most to movie fans who really care about cinematography and the details of directorial choices.

Current Mood: apathetic
Current Music: Something by Goblin

The Last Man on Earth (1964) directed by Sidney Salkow and Ubaldo Ragona.

It has been three years since Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) has seen another living human. There are only the dead-and the undead. A mysterious plague swept the Earth in 1965, causing blindness and death. But at least some of those who died of the disease reanimate as creatures somewhat like vampires. They fear sunlight, avert their eyes from mirrors, and are repulsed by garlic. And they crave blood. The stronger ones feed on the weaker ones, so there are fresh corpses on Morgan's doorstep every morning.

The undead aren't very strong or smart; the very brightest of them seem confined to one or two phrases that are continually repeated. But there's a lot of them, they're persistent, and they have nothing better to do at night than attack Morgan's now-fortified house. So in the daytime, Morgan gathers supplies, disposes of corpses in the burning pit the government set up before it collapsed, and stakes as many "vampires" as he can find.

This cult classic movie was based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend and Mr. Matheson wrote the first draft of the screenplay. Unfortunately, he didn't like the changes made (including the new ending) and had his name changed to "Logan Swanson" in the credits. Rome, Italy doubles as an unnamed American city, and most of the cast and extras are Italian.

The movie opens with a half-hour of Morgan's typical day and night activities before going into an extended flashback. We learn that Morgan was a researcher at Mercer Chemical trying to find a vaccine or cure for the mystery plague, made more difficult by the apparent 100% fatality rate and having no idea how it was spread. Morgan's colleague Ben Cortman (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) realizes about the vampire thing well before it's confirmed, and holes up in his garlic and cross-festooned home rather than come into work. (This apparently does not help, as by the time the film opens, he's the closest thing the undead have to a leader.)

Morgan loses his small daughter, and the government takes her to be burned. So when Morgan's wife succumbs to the plague, he chooses to take her to a remote spot and bury her instead. That night, there's someone at the door whispering to be let in. Now Morgan believes in vampires.

Back in the present, Cortman has succeeded in wrecking Morgan's car, so Morgan varies from his usual haunts to obtain a new one. As a result, he sees a stray dog for the first time in years (it's not clear whether animals also are infected the same way, but don't rise, or if the undead just ate most of them.) While trying to catch it, Morgan finds staked corpses, but these are staked with metal spears (probably repurposed from fences) instead of the wooden stakes he uses. Someone else is alive!

The dog turns up on Morgan's doorstep, badly wounded, and dies. While disposing of it, Morgan sees a woman nearby, standing in the sunlight! This turns out to be Ruth Collins (Franca Bettoia, dubbed by Carolyn de Fonseca), who is deathly afraid of Morgan. She reveals the existence of an enemy Morgan didn't even know existed, with hostility towards Morgan because of his seemingly reasonable actions. This propels the film to its tragic climax.

While I can see why Mr. Matheson was disappointed by the changed ending (and none of the film adaptations have ever used the original ending), the movie's ending is suitably horrific and works quite well. There's also good use of tragic mistiming--Morgan's defenses against Cortland are very similar to the ones Cortland hoped to use to protect himself, and Morgan doesn't realize he had the cure he was looking for in his own veins until there's no one else to test it on. Which sets up the misunderstanding that dooms Morgan in the end.

This film is a showcase for Vincent Price, who plays Morgan in an understated tone through most of the film.

The movie is in the public domain, so a copy should be easily obtainable, and it's well worth seeing if you've never had the chance, or have only seen the other adaptations.