Riccardo Freda was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on February 24, 1909. He was educated first at the university of Milan, then at the Centro Sperimantale di Cinematografia. Prior to film, Freda worked as a sculptor and an art critic. In 1937 he began screenwriting, then worked as production supervisor before his directorial debut in 1942. He dabbled in all genres, from historical dramas to spy films, sword and sandal pictures, and even a western, but our focus here is his contributions to the world of horror. His film I Vampiri (1956) is considered the first Italian horror film created since the silent era. Credit is duly given to Mario Bava, as he completed directing the then half-finished film after Freda stormed off the set. Freda worked steadily through the 60s and 70s, but his directorial career came to a complete halt after 1981. In 1994, he was to direct La Fille d'Artagnan, but was fired and only given minor credit. Riccardo Freda died in 1999 in Rome, Italy.*Aliases*
Robert Hampton, George Lincoln, Willy Pareto
*Selected Filmography*
I Vampiri (1957)
Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959)
The Horrible Dr Hichcock (1962)
The Ghost (1963)
Double Face (1969)
The Iguana With the Tongue of Fire (1971)
Tragic Ceremony (1972)
Murder Obsession (1981)
Zombiethon (1986) (VHS horror compilation by Wizard Video featuring the nightmare sequence from Freda's Murder Obsession)
Thank you, IMDB and Italica Rai Internazionale Online for info and photo.
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