MACABRE aka Frozen Terror

(Lamberto Bava, 1980)

Lamberto's directorial debut Macabre is arguably his best film. It is well-written (in collaboration with Pupi Avati), with proper character development and a gripping story. It is also beautifully filmed, and has a haunting soundtrack. The acting is actually pretty good, though the horrendously-dubbed voices might detract from the experience for some viewers. The story is fairly simple, and I will include spoilers, as anyone who has considered watching this already knows the "big secret/twist" from hundreds of other reviews.

Jane Baker (Bernice Stegers) has been having an affair with Fred and leaving her daughter Lucy and son Michael home alone while she does so. While with Fred one afternoon, Jane receives a call from Lucy informing her that Michael has drowned in the bathtub (unknown to her is that Lucy drowned him). In a panicked rush to get home, they crash into a guardrail, which smashes through the windshield and decapitates Fred.

After a year of psychiatric treatment, Jane returns to the boarding house where she and Fred used to frolic. The owner, Mrs Duvall, has since passed away, and left the property to her blind son Robert. Robert has always carried a torch for Jane, and immediately welcomes her. He becomes suspicious of her behavior, though, when she starts getting nightly visits from Fred. His curiosity is further piqued when he discovers, whilst snooping through her room, that she keeps a lock on her freezer.

Lucy, eager as ever to torment her now (assumed) stable mother, starts playing mind games with Jane. She tricks Robert into allowing her into Jane's room, for the sole purpose of leaving Jane a photo of Michael and messing-up Fred's side of the bed. I won't tell what Lucy does to Jane at the dinner table, but it's NOT very appetizing. Needless to say, when Jane finally loses it, she LOSES it!

This is easily the most restrained film Lamberto Bava ever made, most likely because it was co-written by Pupi Avati, director of The House With Laughing Windows & Zeder. Though short on blood, the violence IS shocking in nature. What it really has going for it is style. A LOT of effort went into the composition and detail of each scene. One might notice in some scenes that Jane and Robert's wardrobes match the gloomy interior of the house too well, as though they themselves are a part of it. Lucy and Michael, in blue and red, match the family home. The beginning of Macabre is awash with sunlight. Sprinklers are sprinkling and lawnmowers humming. After Jane's release from the ward, the sunlight is scattered, broken up by trees and the iron grill-work of the city. It then becomes an overcast grey as Jane wanders through the streets on her way to the graveyard. In the last segment of the film the only light is from candles, and Jane blends seamlessly into the shadows in her black nightgown. Bava and Avati managed to create a near-perfect modern Gothic with Macabre.

The story itself is fairly profound, no small feat for a film of this type. One could say it's a story of unrequited love. Jane is cut off from her family, and pining for her dead lover. She actually thinks he is still alive, somehow. Lucy is jealous of Jane's love for Michael and Fred, and her father's love for Jane. Finally, poor virginal Robert sits alone in a dark room at night, cleaning musical instruments while listening to Jane romp about with Fred. If you grasp the metaphor there, you will surely gasp in awkward surprise when Robert asks Lucy if she's ever seen a saxophone before. His situation isn't improved by Jane's constant flirting.

The soundtrack by Ubaldo Continiello is spot-on. Though a little dated, it lends a rather wistful air to the proceedings, and switches to a deep, throbbing beat during Jane's night time scenes. As I mentioned previously, some of the the dubbing is atrocious; Lucy's voice has the charming quality of a parakeet being forced through a meat grinder. I'm hoping there's an Italian print somewhere with subtitles, as the voices (and the cheesy surprise ending) are my only complaint. Highly recommended for those who have an attention span and a pair of forgiving ears.

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SHOCK aka Beyond The Door II

(Mario Bava, 1977)

Mario Bava's final feature definitely stands out from the other films in his repertoire. Gone is the over-saturated colored lighting, replaced by a magical 70's sun that gradually disintegrates as the film progresses. The swinging hipster soundtrack has been replaced by dark, psychedelic music from short-lived prog-rock group Libra. One thing Bava did bring to Shock (besides Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, and Ivan Rassimov) is that psychedelic thing he did so well.

Dora and new husband Bruno have just moved back into the house that she shared with her first husband. She is still recovering from a nervous breakdown, which occurred just after her junkie husband went missing. Upon settling in, her son Marco begins behaving strangely (frightening and threatening her, cutting up her panties- that sort of thing!)

Dora herself starts behaving strangely, having bizarre hallucinations and nightmares, and believing that her son may be trying to kill her. Bruno, of course, tells her that she's been under a lot of strain and needs to relax. All of the incidents seem to be connected with Dora's missing husband, and Marco is starting to behave like him. Someone even hides a razor in the piano keys for her, and sends her flowers in her husband's name.

Shock is an excellent example of low-key horror. The story is well-written, the acting is above par for this type of film, and a few of the scares are guaranteed to make you jump. Daria Nicolodi shines in this, and is very believable as she goes from "stable again" to "completely bonkers". Bava's camerawork is tight as ever, though some credit does go to son Lamberto for his contributions to the direction. Mario always had an eye for lighting and set design, and manages to make even a late 70's living room look like something from an Italian gothic towards the end.

Everything about this movie works for me, from the loopy font in the opening credits to the wonderful downer ending. It's loaded with atmosphere and trippy visuals. The story draws you in and then spirals out of control. Mundane objects like rakes, flower petals, a swing, and even a slinky (!) become menacing as the film progresses; indeed, the entire HOUSE seems to be alive at the end. Hands and mirrors are motifs repeated throughout, which create a uniquely creepy effect. Quite a bit of thought went into the imagery, most of it symbolic of Dora's inability to ever escape her current situation. She dreams her window is walled-over, and that even when safely locked in her room, she is still vulnerable. She even cuts herself while trying to open a bottle of pills as an escape.

After watching this for the 100th time, I couldn't help but wonder if this film inspired more than a couple directors. Could be coincidence, but when Dora wakes up after having her nightie slashed in her dream, only to find it IS slashed... Nightmare On Elm Street, anyone? Lamberto also borrowed a couple images, specifically the box cutter shining in the dark (A Blade in the Dark), and Dora screaming when she discovers a brick wall where her window should have been (Demons).
And then there's the animated furniture...hello, Evil Dead! Highly recommended and easy to obtain, Shock is an essential addition to your Euro Horror collection.
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PATRICK VIVE ANCORA aka Patrick Still Lives

(Mario Landi, 1980)

What do you get when you blend Aussie horror flick Patrick, Bianchi's Burial Ground, and D'Amato's Anthropophagus? Patrick Still Lives! If guilty pleasures were measured in calories, this delicious dish would cause multiple heart attacks in just one viewing. Let's start with the story. Professor Herschell and his son Patrick are stranded on the road. A passing motorist throws a bottle out the window, striking Patrick on the head. He survives, though now comatose. Some time after that (we're never told exactly how long) Prof. Herschell invites a group of sleazy guests to stay at his villa/ laboratory. Yes, it's the SAME villa (and setup) that was used in Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (and I'm sure Mariangela Giordano must have been squatting in it because she appears in this movie as well!) The Professor keeps Patrick mentally wired to three other patients, apparently allowing him to focus his telepathic abilities. After more than a few raunchy episodes, each of the guests are bumped off, each death nastier and more graphic than the last. So, what are Patrick's powers? In addition to being able to physically manipulate objects, he can project a glowing green pair of eyes, control animals, boil water, hypnotize others, and create smoke and light displays.

PC and feminist viewers should definitely stay away from this! There is ABUNDANT nudity, male and female frontal alike, and ALL of the women in the cast get naked at some point...and usually die naked, with the camera lingering inappropriately on their blood-spattered vaginae and breasts. The level of misogyny in this film is staggering, featuring no less than 5 female slaps (in all fairness, one of them slaps back- ah, social progress in early 80s Italy!) The female cast are incredibly one-dimensional as a whole, whose only purpose seems to be to get drunk, act slutty, get beaten, and eventually die drawn-out, mean-spirited deaths.

But that's what's so much fun about it- you can make a drinking game to this! Have a shot whenever there's breasts! Have another when someone gets slapped! Have another when someone's BREASTS get slapped! Ok, that doesn't actually happen. Even if you aren't in the drinking mood, this movie provides lots of laughs. The storyline is ridiculous, the characters INCREDIBLY stupid, and the "script" unbelievable. The soundtrack by Berto Pisano is actually appropriate, sort of a blend of Goblin-style prog and 50's moon music (oooOO-EEEEEEE-OOooooo). There are no English dubs of this film (fortunately- one can only imagine!). It is in Italian with subtitles only. Recommended for viewing in the tub, as most will feel really dirty after.

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DON'T LOOK IN THE ATTIC

(Carlo Ausino, 1982)



A young woman, her 2 cousins, and the one's wife move into a cursed villa that they inherit. What's the curse? Apparently, it's making them all turn on each other and causing a car to hit the wife. There's a little supernatural spookiness, and a little atmosphere, but this flick just doesn't have the goods.



The dubbing is especially horrible (worse than Demons 2!), the dialogue hilarious, and the actors suitably bottom-of-the-barrel. There is almost NO blood or violence, so anyone sitting through this for the first 40 minutes thinking "it's gonna pay off soon!" will feel incredibly slighted.



The one good thing I can say about this otherwise humdrum affair is that it does have style. The scenes are well laid-out, well lit, and provide a perfect backdrop for the score by Stelvio Cipriani. One might notice a few nods to Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. If you've seen everything but Don't Look in the Attic, Evil Clutch, and Fatal Frames, then watch this.



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