THE HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK

(Ruggero Deodato, 1980)

Violent rapists and murderers Alex (David Hess) and his dimwitted sidekick Ricky (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) invite themselves to a swank party they hear of after helping a wealthy couple with their car. The idle rich at the party intend to amuse themselves with the declasse party-crashers, only to find the tables turned as they are imprisoned, beaten, raped, and tortured by the demented duo.

I know what you're thinking, "Oh, yet another rape 'n revenge flick!", but in Ruggero Deodato's hands it's something more. As would be expected, it's excessively violent, and there's a lot of skin on display. And there's a nasty, cringe-inducing scene towards the end. I won't say what it is, but they play the sweetest, most inappropriate music while it transpires.

THOTEOTP is a competently made thriller. There's a lot of suspense and exploitation, which should satisfy most Italian horror fiends. The camerawork is so-so, and the acting not half bad. The soundtrack by Riz Ortolani complements the goings-on fairly well. And the ending is incredibly satisfying, if not a little improbable. Recommended for thriller enthusiasts. Buy it here.

CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE

(Antonio Margheriti, 1980)

During the Vietnam war, POWs Tom (Tony King) and Charlie (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) are discovered eating human flesh in a tiger pit. Their captain, Norman Hopper (John Saxon) is bitten while helping them escape, and Tom and Charlie are sent to a psychiatric institute in America.

Roughly a decade later, Charlie is seemingly cured of his cannibalistic tendencies and released. His release is only temporary, however, as he bites and woman in a theater, kills a biker and a security guard, and holes himself up in the hunting section of a local market. Norman hears of the situation and convinces Charlie that he needs to resume treatment, but doesn't tell anyone of his own recent craving for blood despite having bitten the neighbor's niece.

It's discovered that the former POWs have contracted a virus that drives men to madness and cannibalism, and Norman has it as well. Before long, Tom, Charlie, Norman, and a recently infected nurse arm themselves and escape through the sewers of Atlanta. The military, fearing a pandemic, attempt to stop them at any cost.

Viewers expecting Cannibal Holocaust (or Ferox!)- style gutmunching and violence may be slightly disappointed with Cannibal Apocalypse as it's really more of an action flick than horror. It does contain a fair amount of bloodshed, but emphasis is placed more on the story and characters than most other Italian exploitation films. Director Antonio Margheriti shows off his decades of B movie-making experience with some attractive camerawork and a detailed (though discontinuous) plot. Cannibal Apocalypse can still be purchased new through third party sellers here.

THE SECT

(Michele Soavi, 1991)



(1970)
We open on a group of hippies loving it up in the desert. From out of the distance a shaggy, Jesus-like figure stumbles in search of water. They invite him to stay for dinner, but don't live long enough to regret it as he and a group of erstwhile hidden bikers butcher them in their sleep.
(Present...well, 1991, anyway)
A former cult member is stalked and killed by a man who cuts out her heart. When discovered, he shoots himself in the head.



And NOW onto the story! Our protagonist, Miriam (Kelly Curtis), almost hits an old man with her car. He refuses to see a doctor, so she invites him to rest at her house. He carries a small parcel that seems terribly important to him, and has mysterious attacks that are alleviated only by dropping some brown fluid into his eye. After one such attack, he passes out. Miriam, obviously unconcerned for either of their safety, goes to bed after tucking him in.



In an unpleasant scene, the old man sneaks into Miriam's room and places on her face a grotesque water bug which crawls into her nose. She then has a rather bizarre nightmare in which her throat is pecked by a giant bird! The old man makes his way to the basement, uncovers and opens a well, and dies beside it. Before expiring, he covers his own face with a dirty rag which clings and forms a creepy death mask. While searching the body for identification, Miriam and her doctor friend discover that the old man had intended to come to her house all along. (End Act I)



Thus far the film, though a little slow, shows promise. It's no secret that there are some shadowy and familiar figures who have diabolical plans for Miriam, and that something is falling into place Rosemary's Baby-style. The rest of the film follows the unfolding of this plot with some rather clever references to previous scenes and characters. The story, written by Michele Soavi, Dario Argento, and Gianni Romoli, is a bit on the slow side and may be terribly confusing to those who don't pay extra attention to the details.



Those who DO pay attention will be rewarded by the subtle progressions in the imagery, and sly nods to Argento's Suspiria and Inferno, and even Alice In Wonderland! Soavi creates original and beautiful, yet sinister, pictures from start to end. The Sect is appropriately rife with religious images, from the appearance of the serpent and the breaking of bread by the hippie Christ-clone at the beginning, to the Shroud of Turin-like death mask, and even the theme of resurrection. Animals, most notably birds and rabbits, are also a recurring image, as are water and snow. I thought I smelled Dario's hand in this!



The Sect won't be for all horror fans. It has more in common with films like Rosemary's Baby, The Perfume of the Lady in Black, and Dario's Three Sisters trilogy than it does, say, Stagefright or Demons. That's not to say that it lacks blood or gruesome scenes, as it has plenty of both. Fans of slow-burners (like myself) would do well to track down a used copy or download it as it hasn't had an official DVD release outside of Europe. Seriously, check it out just to see the rabbit watching a magic show (starring Michele Soavi) on TV!

THE CHURCH

(Michele Soavi, 1989)



We open on a fantastic medieval sequence wherein a group of crusaders massacre a village full of witches. The bodies are interred in a mass grave, and a church is built over the site.



We then fast forward to the church in the late 80's, where we are introduced to a variety of characters. There's Evan, the new librarian. Lisa is there restoring a large fresco that depicts Hell. There's the Sacristan and his family. A young Asia Argento plays both their daughter Lotte and a witch killed in the opening. There's also the bishop, Father Gus, and the reverend.



Work with a jackhammer in the cellar of the church has caused large cracks in the walls. While investigating the cracks, Lisa discovers an ancient parchment inside. It piques Evans interest, so he goes to the cellar. A giant cross embedded in the floor falls away, revealing a bottomless black abyss below. Evan is soon possessed, and proceeds to infect (or at least creep out) the rest of the cast.



We are then introduced to an ENTIRELY NEW CAST who are in the church. This time there's a dotty old couple, a teacher and some students, a bridal photographer and his models, and a young couple. Another jackhammer incident in the cellar (a much gorier one, haw!) sets off the church's self-containment mechanism by means of gears, levers, and pulleys. It seems the crusaders knew how to plan ahead! The rest of the film follows each character's attempt to escape possession by varied means, and the inevitable destruction of the church.



The only complaint I have with The Church is the (given) corny dialogue. Everything else about it is right on. To start with, Soavi has created some of the most beautiful and memorable images I've seen, and this film is choc full of them. He used paintings by the great masters and medieval religious art as references for the look of the film, and it paid off. We even catch fleeting glimpses of demons right out the fresco in the church. The creature effects, though a little dated, are still fantastic. Forever stuck with me is the image of Evan as a large winged devil caressing one of the girls and gliding backwards in complete silence. The film may be a little slow at times, but builds beautifully to one of the most awe-inspiring effects: a massive, horned beast made of corpses rising out of the bowels of the church!



Michele Soavi's second directorial effort is one of the best examples of Italian horror. It embodies all that is great within that realm: fantastic imagery with artful flourishes, a soundtrack by Goblin, Keith Emerson, and Philip Glass, and gore galore. Though it was originally intended to be a third entry in the Demons series, Soavi took the film in a completely different direction. Highly recommended.

Buy It