NIGHT KILLER

(Claudio Fragasso / Bruno Mattei, 1990)

Melanie Beck's marriage is on the rocks, her daughter is in the care of another couple, and she has been receiving lewd phone calls. Things take a turn for the worse when she is attacked by masked murderer who beats and sexually assaults her before being scared away. The incident leaves Melanie in a shocked mental state, unable to recall who or where she is. Severely depressed, she attempts suicide, but is thwarted by an obsessive stalker named Axel. He then locks her in a motel room, where he makes his sordid intentions more clear.

The dream team of Fragasso-Mattei strikes again. Night Killer is as wonky and titillating as any of their past material. The expected terrible overdubbing of characters' voices is woefully absent in Night Killer, given the American cast, but the laughable dialogue and delivery remain. Realism is again thrown out the window, and the no-buget effects will provide some laughs. One may also notice a sprinkling of scenes taken from other films, most notably the scene in Demons wherein a woman is running about backstage, clutching at her throat. The acting, though strained and hammy, is still some of the best in Fragasso's films. Also, there's a lot of boobs on display.

Though originally written and directed by Claudio Fragasso, when producers noticed the finished product was too short and needed some trashier horror elements, frequent collaborator Bruno Mattei was called in to create and shoot more material. You can tell who directed which scenes - Fragasso spends more time developing characters, while Mattei provides the gore. Overall, it's a silly attempt at an erotic psycho-thriller that provides more chuckles than chills, but still gold for those who dig the dream team.

DAWN OF THE MUMMY

(Frank Agrama, 1981)

As a cruel Egyptian ruler is laid to rest, a curse is placed upon his golden treasure - that he and his former slaves will rise from the dead and destroy anyone who disturbs it.
Skip ahead to 1981. An American tomb robber and his helpers have located and opened the tomb. Their activity first draws the attention of crazy old Xena, then another trio of would-be thieves, followed by a group of fashion models and photographers who are out for a photo shoot in the desert. This proves bothersome for the robbers as they try to keep their intentions a secret from the fashion set, who impose themselves the moment they find out they have an undiscovered tomb at their disposal. The mummy and his undead servants soon rise from the grave.

The story is very straightforward, and plays like a zombie movie with a mummy theme. It's a very low-budget affair, and the lack of effort is seen in the mostly static camerawork, sparse lighting, misogynistic characterization, and over-the-top acting. I'll speak to those last two, for a moment.
The female characters in Dawn of the Mummy are among the most shrill and defenceless in the annals of Italian horror. They scream uncontrollably and excessively, to the point of not being able to move or, worse yet, collapse in a fit a shrieking and writhing about. It's painful to watch. Fortunately, two of the models redeem themselves by fighting back - with explosives.

Despite budgetary restraints, the mummy himself is quite creepy. He is freakishly tall, and the makeup by genre regular Maurizio Trani is effective. Sadly, Trani's gruesome work on the undead servants' faces might be overlooked as one will be distracted by it not matching their bodies at times. The previously mentioned lack of proper lighting, paired with the poor quality of existing prints, also makes a lot of the gore effects hard to see. I'd like to see this cleaned up and re-released one day. It's by no means a classic, but worth a watch.

CATACOMBS aka Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice (David Schmoeller, 1988)

In the Abbey of San Pietro En Valle, in 1506, a frighteningly powerful man possessed by Satan is sealed in a room, in the catacombs, which is then walled-over. About 400 years later, a young teacher named Elizabeth is invited by forward-thinking Brother Orsini to study at the monastery. This angers the cold and austere Brother Marinus,the only priest who believes in the legend of the demon trapped in the catacombs. He believes that it has escaped, and will use Elizabeth as its vessel, but is laughed-off by Orsini and outsider priest Father John. Indeed the beast has escaped its prison, and is lurking in the catacombs, waiting for unfortunate souls to take.

This Italian-American production was made during the decline of horror's popularity, Italian horror's especially. It was filmed entirely in Italy, but looks distinctly American due to better production values and multinational cast. The cinematography was handled by veteran Sergio Salvati, and the soundtrack composed by Pino Donaggio. The acting is also better than expected, but far from perfect.

On the downside, there is little bloodshed, and the film relies heavily on atmosphere and a sense of dread, both of which are continually generated and then ignored. The buildup never pays off. Many of the spooky goings-on occur, and are then forgotten - missed opportunities for scares or adding depth to the story. I found the hasty ending to be a letdown due to a brief and weak Final Battle. So what might be of interest to potential viewers? The sacrilegious content, of which there is much, whether it be employed in a comedic or horrific sense. The Killer Jesus scene, though foreseeable, was still a nice touch.
I wasn't thrilled by Catacombs, but it was better than I expected, given familiarity with late 80s films of this sort.

PHANTOM OF DEATH

(Ruggero Deodato, 1988)

Michael York is Robert Dominici, a pianist who is rapidly aging due to a genetic defect. As if losing his hair and virility weren't enough, he is losing his mind as well. After killing his doctor to prevent word of his condition from spreading, his mental health continues to deteriorate, causing him to indulge in murderous acts. His rapid degeneration does have the positive aspect of making him unrecognizable to the police, which is handy when playing cat-and-mouse with Inspctor Datti (Donald Pleasence).

The film contains several fantastically gory set pieces, yet never dives into slasher territory. Some of the effects are on the cheap side (the mannequin in a dream sequence, notably) but the main gore pieces are satisfactory in their realism and execution. The bloodshed alone, however, isn't what makes Phantom of Death work. It is an interesting concept, and a competently, if safely, made film. It's the acting, strangely enough, that I enjoyed most. I don't often say that about these films. Deodato made good use of York, Pleasence, and the lovely Edwidge Fenech, whose real voice can be heard here. I found this to be one of the better Italian-made thrillers to come out of late 80s.