SPECTERS aka Spettri

(Marcello Avallone, 1987)



Here's another entry in the pantheon of late 80s Italian horror. It is one of the two horror films ever directed by Avallone, the other being 1989's Maya. In brief, it's about the discovery of a set of sealed-off passages in the catacombs below Rome that lead to an ancient sarcophagus that contains an old Horned God. We'll forgive them, because the good people of 1987 probably didn't know that you shouldn't just go traipsing about the burial place of an elder god. They get angry and such.



This one is most definitely a guilty pleasure. Even during the opening credits it felt like I was watching some lost, forbidden gem. It has Donald Pleasance. It has eerie synthesizer music and eerie 80s hair. It has wind and fog machines up the wazoo, and even has a monster in a rubber suit!



Oh, and the dub job...oi! Other than Pleasance, everyone is a chore to listen to. When one girl gets stuck in a windy tunnel with rats she Gag-Scream_moan-things for about an hour. And then nothing happens to her! At least she could have died after making all that racket!



The one thing Marcello Avallone did manage to accomplish with Specters and Maya was to create a genuinely creepy atmosphere and some oddly stunning visuals. Don't get me wrong, these films are PURE style over substance, and are hampered by the usual shoestring budget and lousy acting. But they're funny when they fail and engrossing when they work.



Recommended, though you may have trouble locating it. I admit I bought a secondhand PAL and PRAYED it would play all the way over here in Canada...and it did! Best of luck to you diehards!

TENEBRE aka Unsane

(Dario Argento, 1982)

Oh, how does one review Tenebre and do it the justice it so very well deserves? Keep the words short and let the pictures do the talking!

American writer Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is in Rome to promote his latest novel, Tenebre. An insane fan has begun killing off what he refers to as "perverts", "thieves", and "spies" in manners described in Tenebre, and soon threatens Neal himself. The police, as usual, are little help, so Peter, his agent Bullmer (John Saxon), secretary Anne (Daria Nicolodi), and his assistant Gianni take up an investigation of their own.

Sounds cute, right? Some consider this Argento's response to the American slasher film, which means it has some VERY gory set-pieces and still feels distinctly Italian. The story is quite clever, though some may feel that it takes too long to get through certain scenes, or that Dario injected too much humor into it. I am of the opinion that the slow pacing actually works, as it gives more impact to the rapid bursts of excessive violence.

Argento went in a new direction visually with Tenebre. It is a very bright film, with white or neutral interiors, wardrobes, and lighting...really just a big canvas onto which he splatters a lot of red! A very early 80s look.

Finally, about the soundtrack...Though it's not performed by the WHOLE Goblin lineup, I would have to say the Tenebre soundtrack is actually quite enjoyable in an early 80s drum-machine-and-vocoder kind of way. I actually bought it. SOOoo worth it. Ya, the movie's worth a watch too!

Buy It

THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL

(Sergio Martino, 1971)

Here we have another excellent example of the genre. It has stylish camerawork, intense music by Bruno Nicolai, Euro-babes Anita Strindberg and Evelyn Stewart, gore (including eyeball trauma!), and more twists than you can shake a stick at.

The story concerns one Lisa Baumer (Stewart), who is on her way to Greece to collect the insurance money left after her husband's untimely death in an airplane explosion. Naturally, the money isn't easy to obtain or keep as various shifty characters come after her for it. Mr Baumer's former mistress Lara and her "bodyguard" Sharif seem to be the most intent on collecting the funds as it is discovered that Mr Baumer was going to change his insurance policy to leave everything to Lara just before his "accidental" death. Lisa barely escapes the confrontation with Lara and Sharif with some help from insurance investigator Peter Lynch (the ever-suave George Hilton).

The first major twist occurs when Lisa is attacked and killed in her hotel room by a black leather-clad assassin, who makes off with the money. Along with journalist Cleo Dupont (Strindberg), Peter starts his own investigation into the death and the missing fortune, and the subsequent deaths of those connected to Lisa.

I have few complaints with this film, the greatest of the lot being the cheap effects but, then again, I'm pretty used to it. The acting is decent (watch it in Italian if you can) and the story , which will keep you guessing until the end, is engaging. Sergio Martino created another visually-solid thriller here, and some scenes are reminiscent of early Dario Argento in terms of style.

On the same note, one can't help but wonder if Dario was in turn influenced by this film. Lisa Baumer's death smacks of the psychic's murder in Deep Red ('75), and Lara's of Sara's in Suspiria ('77). Not at all a bad thing, as these are all fantastic films, but Sergio has never really gotten as much credit as he deserves for his contributions. Recommended.