EIBON - DO NOT ENTRY

Forever My Queen

2009-10-07T12:29:00.003+01:00

In addition to the last ode to Valerie Leon, anyone who has any interest in perhaps the great living example of the ultimate English rose might be interested in seeing her giving an illustrated talk about her career:

An Ode to Valerie Leon

2009-10-06T13:46:00.003+01:00

Of all the beautiful film actresses associated with cult films (or any films for that matter) my very favourite of all time has always been Valerie Leon. I first saw her in a Carry On film, and ever since that point I have been in love. I just wish she had appeared in more films. Anyhow less talk, and more homage to the incredible beauty that is Valerie Leon...

As Pentagram once sang... forever my queen. She's still pretty gorgeous today at 64.

Here's a wonderful recent-ish interview with her

Click here for YouTube Interview

The Monster Of Venice (1965) - Giallithon #4

2009-10-06T12:56:00.001+01:00

Creepy is the word you would use most to describe this strange horror/giallo mix from 1965 which is also known by the name The Embalmer but Monster Of Venice is much closer to the original Italian name of Il Mostro di Venezia.

This low-budget film owes an awful lot to the story of the Phantom of the Opera, except here we have a crazy mortician who stalks beautiful women in the canals and catacombs of Venice. He does this by hiding in the water of the canals in full scuba gear, and grabbing them to take down to his subterranean lair. There he changes into a monk's cassock and a skeletal deathmask, then embalms and stuffs the women to add to his collection.

Sounds pretty grim right?

It's actually an excellent idea for a film, and themes from this were explored again in other films such as Amsterdamned (1988) and Don't Look Now (1973). Films based in cities that are composed of many canals are eerie, it's now a proven fact.

The film itself was written and directed by Dino Tavella, who went onto do precisely nothing after this film. You can kind of see why. Although the film has a brilliant premise, the execution can be extremely lackluster. The characters are either highly annoying, or pretty vacuous. The script is pretty terrible, and doesn't pull you into the proceedings much. The cast is full of people that didn't pop up much, if at all again in other films. There are comedy characters that just don't work, and the women just aren't beautiful enough to be part of a Giallo.

Where the film does excel is creating eerie foreboding atmosphere that peaks in the underground lair of the killer. It's a rotten place of death, filled with the skeletal remains of dead monks from seems to be an ancient subterranean sect. The Embalmer's victims are displayed in his trophy cabinet, as he stalks around in the dark kicking skulls from his path.

Tavella excels in some great camerawork, and maybe this is where his real strength lay. It's a shame that this film didn't have any involvement from a strong scriptwriter such as Gastaldi, or even a great director such as Bava who really could have made this into a macabre masterpiece of cinema.

As such it's still an entertaining film that can drag in places, and border on the ridiculous in others. There are moments of brief flashes of genius, especially near the climax where the killer disguises himself by hiding among the corpses of the long dead monks to surprise a potential victim.

There is a decent version of this on DVD from Retromedia/Image Entertainment, but unfortunately the DVD version I own is in the wrong aspect ratio. As you can see from the screenshots it's 4:3 stretched to 16:9, and therefore everything looks squashed. However it's a fine print with little damage, and strong blacks so you can easily make out what lurks in the shadows of the catacombs beneath the streets and canals of Venice.

Worth searching out if only to see the creepy climax.

Libido (1965) - Giallithon #3

2009-10-06T11:45:00.002+01:00

This was to be the legendary scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi's first foray into the world of Giallo, and here he actually gets behind the camera and directs this early Giallo under the alias of Julian Berry. He actually co-directed this with Victor Storff aka Vittorio Salerno. The script was written by Gastaldi's wife Mara Maryl, who also is one of the four main stars of the film, the others being Giancarlo Gianni, Luciano Pigozzi (here as Alan Collins), and Dominique Boschero.

This was also the first Giallo to bring up the much used theme in the Giallo genre of a primal scene (thanks Freud), where something that happened to one of the main characters in their childhood goes on to have a big significance in the film.

In this case, our main protagonist is Christian (Giancarlo Gianni) who as a young boy witnesses his sexually depraved father murdering his mistress in his secret sex room full of mirrors. His father then apparently committed suicide by jumping off the cliffs into the sea at the family home... although his body was never found.

We then find ourselves back to present day 20 years later (well the mid-60s here) and we have our 4 main characters driving towards the cliff-top mansion of Christian. We have Christian's fiancee Eileen (Boschero), his best friend and legal guardian Paul, and Paul's girlfriend Brigitte (Maryl). In the years after Christian's father killed himself, Paul has taken guardianship of the estate and looked after the interests of Christian. As they head towards the mansion, we find out that Paul has arranged it so that Christian can finally claim his inheritance including the mansion.

Cue the worst camel toe ever in a Giallo!

Once we arrive at the house, the trauma of the past events starts to haunt Christian, and his friends start to get dragged into a vortex of sleaze and violence. Can Christian overcome his demons?

The plot is pretty simplistic compared to later Gialli but you have to remember that this was one of the first films to treat this ground, and it does so very well. Gianni perhaps overcooks his acting a bit with a wild and frenzied performance, but the real stars here are the two lady leads. Maryl does the blonde but mysterious role excellently, and the beautiful Boschero is both lovely and tragic.

This is a highly recommended essential early Giallo, and as such must be seen by all fans of the genre. Unfortunately it's one of those classic titles that still languishes without any DVD release, and the only versions that seem to exist are very ropey hard subtitled VHS rips (as you can see from the screenshots). These are also badly cropped from the original aspect ratio, and are missing the sides of the picture.

It's criminal that it hasn't had a proper release yet, and I can only hope that someone who will do it a lot of justice will get hold of a good source and give it the release it deserves.

Normal Service Resumed

2009-10-04T00:04:00.002+01:00

Oops. I do apologise for going AWOL. My computer took a lot longer to build than I intially thought, but I now have a power house Home Theatre PC (HTPC) that has every single one of my films all stored on the hard disks in lovely uncompressed format. It's a thing of beauty.

Expect normal service to resume soon with more Giallithon reviews, and other news.

Bad Computer!

2009-07-08T12:16:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. My computer that I do all the hard work on has died, and I am in the process of building a new ultra home cinema/gaming PC. The Giallithon is still continuing though, so expect a load of reviews to come all at once!

Blood And Black Lace (1964) - Giallithon #2

2009-05-22T13:06:00.000+01:00

There are no two ways about it... Mario Bava's Blood And Black Lace (1964) is a genre defining classic. Not only did it lay much of the groundwork for many giallo films to come, it upped the ante and included the kind of savagery that came to characterise these films over and above thrillers that were being made in the USA. It also laid the groundwork for a new genre of films, that wouldn't actually really take off until the late 70s and early 80s... stalk'n'slash, or slashers as they are affectionately known by fans. This was the first film to feature a seemingly unstoppable killer who lurked in all the shadows that stalked and murdered victims in a brutal and vicious way. Bava then further cemented the genre with the excellent Bay Of Blood (1971) taking things a step even further. It was also the first film where the director started to employ point of view (POV) shots from the eyes of the killer, to further bring the audience into the film and help them identify with the killer. Lastly, another of the big giallo genre staples was the killer being dressed all in black, with a black fedora, and black leather gloves. The giallo killer's favourite weapon was also introduced... the cut throat straight razor.

The story follows a seemingly pretty simply premise. Contessa Cristina (Eva Bartok) and Max Marian (Cameron Mitchell) run the exclusive Christian haute coutre fashion house populated with beautiful models and fashion designers. One stormy night the model Isabella (Francesca Ungaro) is murdered on her way into work at the fashion house and is discovered dead in a cupboard. Soon Isabella's diary is found, which highlights some seedy corrupt goings on at the fashion house. Soon each model that comes into contact with the diary, or seemingly knowns more about what's going on... are murdered in various gruesome ways. Only Inspector Sylvester (Thomas Reiner) can discover the truth...

What ensues is an exhilirating mix of brutal violence, highly stylised visuals, beautiful women, numerous red herrings, and the required unexpected twist (or two). Bava directs with so much gusto and beligerance against the usual standards of the thrillers coming out of the USA, or even the Wallace inspired Krimi films. He deliberately focus on everything that is visceral in the World that his characters inhabit, and fills it with sleaze, violence, drugs, and sex.

When pivotal plot devices are introduced, such as the discovery of Isabella's diary, he deliberately uses the camera to make everyone look like a suspect. Each character gives uneasy looks, as if they are all hiding some terrible secret. Bava wants his audience to question every little detail he throws in front of them, and to keep them guessing right up to the big reveal (which is only about 3/4 of the way through this film!).

Bava was advised to shoot the film in black and white, as he did with his previous The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963). Being Mario Bava, he filmed this film in glorious Technicolor and deliberately filled the screen with as many bright styles and fashions as he could cram on. From the highly stylised opening sequence where we are introduced to each character as the cool jazzy soundtrack from Carlo Rustichelli indignantly blasts forth, to the extremely visceral killings.

All the lead performances are very strong, particularly from Mitchell and Bartok. Reinher's Inspector Sylvester never appears to be ahead of the killer, and always on his heels... and as such he is a much more minor character than you would probably expect. We don't even really have a main character who is pivotal in the investigation... Bava is quite content to just let things play out in their own inexplicably macabre manner.

There's not really much that can be said about this film that has not already been said. It is a true classic in every sense of the word, and possibly one of the most influential films of all time. It's a shame that it's not heralded a true classic in the Citizen Kane (1941) sense of the word, as it's every bit as important as that film or even Hitchock's Psycho (1960).

The version under review here is the truly excellent Hande Weg German DVD (as Blutige Seida). This is by far the best transfer of the film available in it's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 presented here anamorphically. Every visceral detail is presented with stunning colour, and great clarity. It's certainly an improvement from the VCI releases of the film. There are also some great extras including a comparison of the murders from the censored version of the film and the complete uncut version. It also has 11 great trailers of other classic Mario Bava films. Highly recommended if you can find it, but unfortunately out of print and commanding high prices on such sites as eBay.

Essential viewing for every giallo fan.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) - Giallithon #1

2009-05-18T13:32:00.003+01:00

So starts the Giallithon with the film that arguably started it all, Mario Bava's 1963 classic The Girl Who Knew Too Much (La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo). Obviously inspired by the pulp fiction yellow (giallo) covered books, even as far as the heroine reads them and is inspired in her investigations by them and other famous crime novels, this is the first film to take a story that could have been lifted from the pages of those books and transpose them onto the screen with lashings of Hitchcock style. In fact it seems that Bava was reluctant to direct this, but it doesn't show. They weren't sure what they wanted to achieve with the film. In fact the American release is a totally different beast to this Italian subtitled version under review. The American release was touted as a romantic black comedy called The Evil Eye, a parady of previously released Hitchcock films, and it featured more scenes of humour. These didn't really fit in with the overall tone of the film (a mystery with horror elements i.e. a proto-giallo), so the Italian release is much more streamlined and all the better for it. This was due to Bava being determined to make this into a serious film, and as a consequence he played down the comedy and boosted the horror. It was a stroke of genius. In this and his next proto-giallo, Blood And Black Lace (1964), he laid down the foundations for the entire Giallo genre.

Starring Leticia Roman and (a young) John Saxon, this was to be Bava's final film to be shot in black and white, and also was filmed mostly on location in and around Rome. Bava shoots everything using purely natural lighting, and with each and every shot he uses obtuse angles, and an ever encroaching darkness to bring a sense of dread and foreboding to the proceedings.

Roman stars as the lovely Nora Davis, a young naive American who flies into Rome to visit her Aunt Adele. At her Aunt's place, she encounters the suave and handsome Doctor Marcello Bassi (Saxon) who informs Nora that her Aunt is in failing health, and that he has been keeping an eye on her. That very night Nora sees her Aunt suffer a fatal heart attack. Freaked out by her deceased Aunt's body twitching (it's actually her cat trying to get up onto the bed), Nora flees from the house and out onto the big plaza outside. As she tries to make her way to the nearby hospital to fetch Dr. Bassi, she is mugged and knocked unconcious in the street. Nora comes around in a dizzy haze, and as she does, she witnesses a woman being stabbed in the back and dragged away... Did she really see a murder take place?

The rest that follows is a great mix of your giallo staples of red herrings, scenes of peril for our heroine, and bloody murders. Of course these were fresh then, and the elements that Bava brought to proceedings are evident in all the major players in the first wave of giallo and beyond. The black humour and creepy camera angles were no doubt a huge influence on Dario Argento and Umberto Lenzi in their films that followed this.

Saxon and Roman make great leads, and it's unfortunate that it was reported that Saxon and Bava really did not get on well at all (detailed by Tim Lucas in the included sleeve notes). A strong leading man was unfortunately not a giallo staple, as many of the films feature very dull lead actors indeed. It's a shame this wasn't something that continued on through the genre.

This DVD version was released by Image Entertainment in 2000, and has a good transfer in it's original 1.66:1 ratio presented anamorphically. It has parts where there is some evident print damage, and the contrast looks to be slightly too high in parts, but apart from a few ropey scenes... it all looks very good. It's in the original Italian language with optional English subtitles. You can also get the film as part of the Bava boxset released by Anchor Bay, or a good transfer from French label Film Sans Frontiers.

A great film and a very worthy start to the Giallithon. Essential Giallo.

Glasgiallo - June 27th - 28th Glasgow Film Theatre

2009-05-15T09:35:00.006+01:00

To coincide with Arrow Video's release of the first three entries in their Masters Of Giallo series (the first time Dario Argento's Sleepless (2000), Lamberto Bava's Macabre (1980), and Lucio Fulci's House By The Cemetery (1981) have been released uncut in the UK), Arrow has set up a special “Weekend of Italian Terror” screening event at Scotland’s Glasgow Film Theatre on Saturday-Sunday, June 27-28.

House By The Cemetery will be shown on the 27th at 9 p.m. Then on the 28th, Deodato’s gruesome gore-soaked jungle action film Cut And Run (1985) will start the evening at 5:30 p.m., with Deodato making his first-ever Scottish appearance to introduce the film and take part in a Q&A with Fangoria writer Calum Waddell. Finally Macabre follows at 8 p.m., with Lamberto Bava also making his first appearance in Scotland for an introduction and Q&A with Calum Waddell. Tickets will be on sale soon at the GFT site linked above.

Here's the excellent artwork for the three releases:

Giallithon - 162 Gialli In A Row!

2009-05-13T12:18:00.001+01:00

Giallithon? What's that you ask? Well it's pretty self-explanatory, starting from The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) and ending with Eyewitness (1990) I will be watching 162 giallo films chronologically and reviewing them here. Of course I could go past 1990 as there are more giallo films released after that point in time, like the impressive Sleepless (2000). However that would also mean sitting through some terrible dreck, and I am not that much of a masochist...

So expect the first review from the Giallithon soon!

Argento's Giallo (2009) to be shown at Edinburgh Filmfest

2009-05-08T11:16:00.001+01:00

Dario Argento's highly anticipated film Giallo (2009), staring Adrien Brody and Emmanuelle Seigner, is going to get its World premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on June 25th.

The two star as an Italian Detective and an American Stewardess who team up in a race against time to find her sister who has been abducted by a maniacal serial killer known only as "Yellow."

Tickets are on sale as from today (8th May), More details at the Edinburgh Film Festival website:

http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/whats-on/2009/giallo

5 Films yet to have a proper DVD release

2009-05-06T16:48:00.003+01:00

With the advent of cult films being released in high definition, and also with the long (long) awaited release (official or not?) of Argento's Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971), it might come as some surprise to some that many cult classics have yet to see an official DVD release. Some of the great cult films of all time sit languishing in vaults, with only VHS versions of varying quality (usually bad!) existing for people to enjoy them.

So I decided to create a list of five cult classic films that are in desperate need of a proper definitive release either on DVD or (even better) on Blu-ray. So hopefully some upstanding owner of a fine cult film company will see this and give the films the restoration and loving release they so thoroughly deserve! So on with the list:

Spider Labyrinth (1988) aka Il Nido del Ragno - A truly disturbing supernatural giallo from the late 80s, this forgotten gem clearly needs a restored uncut version released. Clearly some money was spent on this film as it has superior cinematography and some great special effects for the time. It also triumphantly succeeds in creating a very creepy, eerie atmosphere. It has some vhillingly effective murder scenes, and the final scene is pure Grand Guignol exuberance. The story sees Roland Wybenga playing Professor Alan Whitmore who is sent to investigate strange goings on in a small town. What he finds there is a horror beyond what he could have imagined and where nothing is what it seems.

Unfortunately I've only ever seen a VHS rip with hardcoded Japanese subtitles on it, and it was fullscreen. It really takes away from what you can tell is some fantastic camera work. It might have that familiar 80s tinge to the picture, but it still should be incredible if a restored widescreen version could be sourced.

Amuck! (1972) - A giallo masterpiece that mysteriously has never received a DVD release. Directed by Silvio Amadio, this is a beautiful shot and fantastically scripted piece of film. Not only does it feature some ultra stylish setpieces so familiar with classic giallo, but it also features a truly electrifying sex scene between Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri... two of the genre's finest. The way Amadio shoots the scene is brilliantly done, and it literally sizzles off the screen.

Couple all that with one of the best soundtracks to ever grace a giallo, and you've got yourself a truly fantastic cult film.

So why no DVD release?

That is a complete mystery as there are only bootleg DVDs around. These appear to be VHS rips and are unfortunately fullframe versions rather than the original 2.35:1 Cromoscope composition it was originally filmed in. It's a shame as this is bound to look glorious.

So please... someone bring out a great looking version of one of the first films that made giallo sexy!

Thrilling In Venice (1979) aka Giallo a Venezia - Described by even hardened giallo fans as vile, repulsive, disgusting, and utter trash... this film represents the pinnicle in how depraved and sleazy you could make a giallo. Not even New York Ripper or Torso could match this film for sheer depravity.

There's plenty of gore, softcore sex, nudity, and funny late 70s hair cuts on show. It has something for everyone... except those with no stomach for the depraved!

I don't think there's much chance of this being released in the UK anytime soon, but it is strange that this infamous giallo has never received much attention from any of the major DVD labels. Anything that is so infamously trashy is bound to be a big seller. It ticks all the boxes for gorehounds, sleazeters, and grindhouse fans. I would have thought this was a perfect release for Grindhouse Releasing.

Let's hope a decent copy surfaces soon, as the only half decent uncut rip that seems to be out there is a brazillian VHS! Surely there has to be a better source than that?

Night Of The Demon (1980) - Talking of grindhouse classics... this has to rank as one of the stars of that genre. The infamous Bigfoot video nasty from 1980. This film takes the well established Bigfoot genre, and turns it on its head by introducing ghaslty deaths, horrific scenes of penis removal by Bigfoot claw, and one of the craziest final 10 minutes of any film... ever! It's just pure fantastic joyous trash in cult film form. The acting is dire, and dare I say this film is never going to get a pin sharp high definition makeover... but it still deserves far more than it's got so far from distributors.

In fact the only uncut version that seems to be doing the rounds is a copy of when Zone Horror showed it on that channel. It looks very rough though, so this film really needs some much needed attention.

Libido (1965) - Perhaps most perplexing of all is how this Ernesto Gastaldi written and directed giallo has not had a proper DVD release! This is one of the very first giallo, and it's also one of the most accomplished. Shot in black and white, it has a fantastic plot (as you'd expect from the master writer of the genre), and some great acting. It's very well made and really makes you wish Gastaldi had directed a few more films.

Again the only version of this in wide circulation are VHS sourced. There is clearly a great looking film here, shot originally on 35mm, just waiting to burst out onto our home screens. Why hasn't anyone done this yet? This is a classic by every definition of the word!

Get to it please!

Goblin to play UK date

2009-05-01T10:43:00.001+01:00

Legendary band and supplier of some of the best music in cult films, Goblin, are starting to play several live dates again after a 32 year absence from the stage. Most excitingly (well for me) they are playing just down the road from me in Birmingham at the Supersonic Festival which runs from the 24th to the 26th of July:
It goes without saying that I have already got my ticket, especially as the almighty Corrupted and The Accused are also playing.

The full Goblin lineup is Fabio Pignatelli, Maurizio Guarini, Massimo Morante, Agostino Marangolo and Aidan Zammit. They have already played Austria this month, and here's a random review I found on the internet about that gig:

"Holy mother, what a fantastic concert!

Goblin are back and they have so much musical energy, it's incredible. They were really enjoying themselves on stage, set appropriately in an eerie medieval church - a great atmospheric backdrop. Fabio and Agostino created a furious rhythmical foundation. You just gotta love it when Fabio's significant style of playing switches between delicate and funky and then dives off into plain heavy intensity. My greatest respects also to Agostino - he really pumped it up ("E Suono Rock" was one aggressive beast! God, I loved it!) and brought a lot of versatility to the tracks we have known for so long. Massimo seemed to have a lot of fun and seamlessly blended suspenseful, mellow and fiery riffs. He also did the introductory words for the band's comeback in German (with a little help Wink) Maurizio and Aidan created the dense and intricate synth soundscapes ranging from dark to upbeat, from downright chilling to quiet and gentle (as in "Aquaman"). Joyous Aidan is a great addition to the lineup, he did several soli and most of the vocal parts. Imagine a "Paura" vocoder duel with Maurizio on "Tenebre"!

We were treated to a great flow of tracks from "Profondo Rosso", "Roller", "Suspiria", "Il Fantastico Viaggio Del Bagarozzo Mark", "Dawn of the Dead", "Tenebre", "Phenomena" and "BTTG". They opened with "Magic Thriller" and closed with an encore from, well, I am not going to spoil the excitement for you by posting a track list. I was so thrilled I probably wouldn't get it right anyway. I hardly dared to go back home afterwards in the dark, I was scared Laughing Thank you so much for choosing Austria for your stage return, it was an unforgettable evening!

If anyone from Goblin is reading this: Pleeeaase consider a live release or treat us with some video clips of your performance! Austrian television was filming and there was a stage camera (well, at least a sporadic one) so I can only hope this footage will surface eventually."

I am seriously excited!

To blog or not to blog? Is that a question?

2009-04-30T13:33:00.001+01:00

I've been a bit quiet of late due to collecting rather than actually watching the films. I've been gathering together all the Jean Rollin directed films I don't already have, all the Hammer Horror films I don't own, and completing my Giallo library (using spreadsheets no less!). It's very geeky work, but very worthwhile. It makes me realise just how many more of these films I am still yet to see! It's a nice feeling to know that many of my potential future favourites could potentially be undiscovered. I just wish I had more time in the day to watch them!

Also I've recently received Blu-ray copies of Two Evil Eyes (1990) and Vanishing Point (1971), which I haven't had a chance to watch fully yet, but after a quick glance I can say they are huge improvements on what has been released before. I do so love high definition. It really lets the films shine as they were originally intended. With Blue Underground already on the Blu train, and Severin with several titles on the way... I really hope some more of the cult labels follow suit.

Other exciting news is that Shameless films have confirmed that their print for Footprints (1975) aka Le Orme is looking fantastic and is confirmed for an August 2009 release. I simply cannot wait! It's one of the finest examples of a trippy giallo there is, and as yet has only been available from a very washed out VHS source.

Lone Wolf & Cub (1972-1974)

2009-04-08T11:07:00.002+01:00

The Lonewolf & Cub sextet of films are a personal genre favourite of mine, blending together everything that's great about martial arts, OTT blood spilling, Japanese culture, and gorgeous feudal Japan landscapes and women. The series of films is known by many names; Kozure Okami in Japan, Babycart Series, and of course the Lonewolf & Cub Series. Prior to becoming films the story originated from a popular Japanese Gekiga or Manga cartoon strip. They also made some theatrical plays and a television series from it, but I've not seen anything of those.

The premise of the story chronicles the exploits of Ogami Itto, the Shogun's executioner or second. In a time and culture where honour and the way of the warrior is everything, the corrupt shadow Yagyu clan puts into an action that disagraces the house of Itto, and kills his wife. Faced with the decision to either commit suicide to clear the honour of the house of Itto, or to become like a demon and follow the path of the assassin... he (thankfully for us) chooses the latter. He also gives his then baby son, Daigoro, the same choice... the sword or the ball. Choosing the ball would send his baby son to be with his now dead mother, or choosing the sword would mean becoming a demon like his father at the crossroads of hell. Choosing the sword we are left with Lonewolf & his cub. What follows is the most bloody, savage journey through feudal Japan by Itto you could imagine. Pushing a now three year old Daigoro around in a babycart/pram that has a few tricks up its sleeve... seeking revenge on the evil Yagyu clan. The films are really as good as it sounds!

The first three films were all released in 1972, were directed by Kenji Misumi, and produced by Shintaro Katus (the eponymous star of the Zatoichi film series, and also the brother of the star of these films).

These films were later to gain an infamous notoriety, but not in this guise. Shogun Assassin (1980) was produced for American audiences as an English language compilation, edited mainly from the second film, but with 11 minutes of additional set-up footage from the first film. This version of the film shot to fame in the 'video nasties' debacle of the early 80s, and was promptly banned from the UK. I'm not a huge fan of this edit, as I feel it leaves out some very important parts of the storytelling that contribute to the entire series. As a standalone no-nonsense action flick though, it is superb. They then decided to release the third film as Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords Of Death to English speaking audiences.

The last three films were then released over the period of 1972 to 1974, and were produced by Ogami Itto himself... the incredible Tomisaburo Wakayama who is master samurai personified. Never before on screen has someone been so intimidating, and so commanding on the screen. You honestly believe that he can slaughter armies of ninja & swordsman (which he often does!). He despatches his enemies with a speed and cold efficiency that is just breathtaking to behold. Oh boy does he despatch them! Fountains of blood gush high into the air, severed limbs fly, heads roll, entire bodies are cleaved in half. The gore level is simply incredible. If you've ever seen the great section in Kill Bill at The House Of Blue Leaves where she has the huge sword fight against the Crazy 88... imagine that, but 10 times more spectacular and gory... and then you've got one of the tamer fight scenes in the Babycart series. They're really that good! You can clearly see where Mr Tarantino got some inspiration from in his film, as he acknowledges in part 2 where the young daughter is actually watching her favourite film... Shogun Assassin.

The first film is Sword Of Vengeance (1972).

After the killing of his wife by the Yagyus, Ogami Itto gives his young son Daigoro the choice between instant death (a ball) and the life of the ronin (a sword). As the child reaches for the sword, father and son's fate is sealed to a life of violence and tragedy. Wheeling Daigoro through the countryside in a pram rigged with deadly surprises, Itto comes to a town held hostage by bandits, where he is to stop a planned assassination of an official. The first film is a little slower than the others, but it sets the tone beautifully. The final duel between Ogami and the Yagyu man at dawn is staggering and also beautifully filmed. Although extremely violent and gore-drenched, the film remains highly stylised and remarkably intelligent.

The second film in the series is the terrific Babycart At The River Styx (1972).

The second installment in the Lone Wolf and Cub saga finds Ogami hired to kill a defecting worker about to reveal the secrets of a prosperous clan's dyeing process to Ogami's nemesis Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Little does Ogami know that Lord Yagyu has sent a gang of female ninjas to kill him, and that he will have to fight a vicious trio of brothers sent to escort the informer. The bond between father and son is intensified as Daigoro assists Ogami in his quest, and nurses him when he is critically injured. Boasting more action than the initial installment, Baby Cart at River Styx is also beautifully photographed, with style to spare and great period atmosphere; this episode is considered by some to be one of the best of the series. Not for me though, I consider the next installment to be worthy of that title. This title did however make up the bulk of Shogun Assassin, and contains much of the gore-soaked footage that no doubt led to it being banned.

The third title in the sextet of films is the absolutely incredible Babycart To Hades, which is probably my favourite installment (either this or the fourth).

Ogami hired by a female yakuza to kill a corrupt governor. While wandering the countryside, Ogami stumbles upon a brutal crime being committed by three mercenaries accompanied by the ronin Kanbei. After killing the mercenaries, Ogami refuses to do battle with the ronin, taking refuge in a nearby town. It is there that Ogami meets Toizo and is offered the job of assassinating the corrupt governor Gamba. After exposing the previous leader's mental illness and exploiting it to his own benefit, Gamba is now the wealthy and powerful leader of the clan. Gamba attempts to hire Ogami to kill the previous governor, then suspects that he is Ogami's intended target after he refuses the job. His suspicions are confirmed, as Ogami is led into a treacherous series of cat-and-mouse games with Gamba's men. What follows is an incredible orgy of violence as Ogami single-handedly faces off against an entire army of men, then faces Kanbei on the blood-drenched battlefield.

I love this installment, it has everything. Fantastic fights and battles, beautiful women, and a some interesting developments to the main characters. At times it's almost like watching a live-action cartoon. I've never seen this style bettered.

Part four is the thrilling Babycart In Peril (1972). It depends on what day you ask me, but I'll either say this or part three are my favourite installment.

A group of grieving widows hires Ogami to kill tattooed female assassin Oyuki in this noir-ish fourth entry in the popular Lone Wolf and Cub series. After being raped and subsequently desecrating her perfect body with tattoos to detract her foes, Oyuki, an expert with the short sword, seeks vengeance on those who wronged her. As Ogami seeks Oyuki's father in order to track his hit, Daigoro is separated from his father, encountering Lord Retsudo Yagyu's vengeful son Gunbei in a compelling sequence. After the resourceful boy survives a burning field, as well as defends himself from his would-be assassin, Ogami comes to the rescue of his son. Ogami later discovers the truth about Oyuki, and allows his sympathetic victim to do battle with the man who wronged her before carrying out his mission. After doing battle with another horde of Yagyu soldiers, Ogami is confronted by none other than Lord Retsudo Yagyu himself. This thrilling battle is notable as the only time the two actually cross swords in the series.

The fifth installment is Babycart In The Land Of Demons (1973).

Five swordsmen hire Ogami, each revealing a portion of his mission as they are defeated in this fifth entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. After defeating the swordsmen, Ogami discovers his mission is to save a clan's honor by killing its royal family. The senile lord of the clan has substituted his daughter (raised as a boy) to be the heir he never had. In addition to murdering the lord, his concubine, and the girl, Ogami must stop a document revealing the deception from reaching the hands of Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Daigoro is again separated from Ogami in a delicate sequence revealing much about the relationship between father and son, and finding young Daigoro learning to maintain honor in the face of injustice. After seeking out the lord and carrying out his mission in a final battle within the castle, father and son become closer than ever as they follow the road to their final battle. Graced with the finest photography of the series, along with excellent action set pieces, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons is noted as possibly the best (as well as the grimmest) of the series.

Finally we have the final part of the series, White Heaven In Hell (1974).

In this sixth and final film of the series, Ogami faces his ultimate challenge when all remaining members of the enemy Retsudo clan band together for a face-off on a snowy battlefield. I won't ruin it anymore than that for you...

I can't express how truly thrilling and fantastic these films are. If you haven't already seen them, please do so as soon as possible. I strongly urge you to make sure you watch the films in their original Japanese form with English subtitles. Otherwise you will miss out on the sheer impact the Japanese language has on proceedings. Never before has Japanese sounded so threatening and menacing as when spoken by the mighty Ogami Itto.

Ruggero Deodato plans Gialli trilogy

2009-03-24T13:31:00.001Z

Infamous cult Italian director, Ruggero Deodata (Cannibal Holocaust, House At The Edge Of The Park) has announced at the recent Fangoria 'Weekend Of Horrors' that he is planning a trilogy of giallo films as his next project.

"I have written the scripts for three new giallo movies. I am especially fond of one of these scripts. It is a more serious take on the giallo – it is not crazy like some of the recent Dario Argento pictures. It is very realistic although it still has the violence which the fans will expect."

Deodato is currently putting his finishing touches to the sequel-cum-companion piece to his infamous 1980 cannibal classic Cannibal Holocaust, appropriately titled Cannibals.

Mya Communication DVDs

2009-03-20T16:04:00.007Z

Mya Communication DVDs are an unofficial offshoot DVD releasing label of the sadly now defunct Noshame label. It consists of Salvatore Alongi and Marcello Rossi, both previous employees of Noshame. Recently they've finally issued a good quality DVD of Argento's Four Flies On Grey Velvet, and have released an absolutely phenomenal list of forthcoming releases that has got me very excited!

Firstly, we have a bunch of releases scheduled for a June 30th release in the USA. I'll post those up here with the brief descriptions and artwork that Mya have issued on their press sheet:

ISLAND OF THE FISHMEN (1979):

Sergio Martino's Island Of The Fishmen (aka L'Isla Degli Uomini Pesce aka Screamers) - "It's 1891: Lieutenant Claude de Ross (Claudio Cassinelli), a military doctor, and a few newly escaped convicts are shipwrecked on a mysterious tropical island. They soon come across a strange couple: the sadistic Edmund Rackham (Richard Johnson) and the beautiful Amanda Marvin (Barbara Bach). The doctor finds out that Amanda's father, professor Ernest Marvin (Joseph Cotten), is a mad scientist who is experimenting on horrible human-fish mutations. While Professor Marvin is convinced that he's doing his research for humanitarian motives, Rackham has other plans, since he has discovered an incredible secret lying beneath the island."

I haven't ever seen this, but am looking forward to it. Martino's films are always very entertaining and this sounds like good fun. It was previously released by Noshame in 2005 but is long OOP. There's more info about it on its IMDB page located here.

MONIKA (1974):

"Monika (Gloria Guida) is young, beautiful and virgin. She is only 16 years old, and, beside getting the attention of all her classmates, she also attracts older men. She has a relationship with a boy, Leo, but she doesn't know that he uses to pimp the girls he seduces to rich businessmen. One of Leo's client befriends Monika and becomes so obsessed that he pays Leo to get her. But Monika turns her attention to her art professor, unknowing that he too has his secrets."

Sounds like typical Gloria Guida sleaze... which means it should be worth watching! This is actually her first film and was directed by Mario Imperoli aka Mark Emperor! Can't argue with a 'monika' such as that (I'll get my coat...). IMDB info to be found here.

HORRIBLE (1981):

This one is more commonly known as Absurd or Antropophagus 2 and is one of the notorious original 74 'Video Nasties' banned in the UK in the early 1980s. It was directed by infamous king of sleaze Joe D'Amato. Here's the Mya spiel:

"A man is running, followed by a priest. He comes across a house but the tall gates are locked so he begins to climb them, however he slips at the top and impales himself on the spikes. Injured to death he's taken to an hospital. Once there, the doctors discover that this man has an amazing regenerative power and his blood coagulates very quickly, making him almost indestructible. Sergeant Ben Engleman is put on the case, and he finds out that the priest has the answers: this man, Mikos Stenopolis, is the result of a nuclear scientific experiment gone wrong. He's now completely insane and will kill everybody who crosses his path, showing no mercy."

There's some pretty horrific killings in this, not least a very prolonged killing using an oven(!) and grisly use of power tools. I've only ever seen this on a dodgy VHS sourced version... so a typically great Mya transfer of this should make it essential euro cult!

UBALDA, ALL NAKED AND WARM (1972):

"Inspired by the International success of Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Decameron (1971) and Canterbury Tales, Italian filmmakers rushed out a slew of like-minded comedies in the bawdy vein of Renaissance humorist Giovanni Boccaccio, known collectively as "Decamerotica." Medieval ltaly is the setting for this ludicrous la ronde involving a bumbling knight (Pippo Franco, of Billy Wilder's Avanti!) torn between his unfaithful wife (Black Emmanuelle's Karin Schubert) and the comely Ubalda (Fenech), the bored bride of the village miller who has the local men in a state of arousal despite her ample charms being constrained in an iron chastity belt. Directed by Mariano Laurenti, who teamed with Fenech again for Naughty Nun (1972) and The Winsome Widow (1974), Ubalda, All Naked and Warm was never released theatrically in the United States and is available only on this exclusive DVD, remastered from the original vault negatives and completely uncut and uncensored."
An Edwige Fenech sex comedy? Sign me up for one of those! It goes without saying that this will probably be an essential purchase for anyone who classes themself as a Fenech fan. IMDB info here.

These four releases are all due to be released by Mya Communication DVDs on June 30th.

Even more exciting is the Mya list of planned releases. Here we go with the pant-wettingly awesome list of upcoming (maybe just hopeful?) films:

1. CARMEN NUE (1984 Fra/Spa) Directed by Albert Lopez (IMDB)

2. PIERINO CONTRO TUTTI (Italia 1982) Directed by Marino Girolami (IMDB)

3. LA ROSSA DALLA PELLE CHE SCOTTA aka The Redheaded Corpse (1971 Ita/Tur) Directed by Renzo Russo (IMBD)

4. ATTI IMPURI ALL’ITALIANA (1976 Italia) Directed by Oscar Brazzi (IMDB)

5. AMORE ALL’ARRABBIATA aka Crazy, Crazy Love (1976 Italia) Directed by Carlo Veo (IMDB)

6. ARABELLA ANGELO NERO aka Arabella, Black Angel (1989 Italia) Directed by Stelvio Massi (IMDB)

7. DI MAMMA NON CE N’è UNA SOLA (1974 Italia) Directed by Alfredo Giannetti (IMDB)

8. FRITTATA ALL’ITALIANA (1976 Italia) Directed by Alfonso Brescia (IMDB)

9. LA BOLOGNESE (1975 Italia) Directed by Alfredo Rizzo (IMDB)

10. DOLCI ZIE (1975 Italia) Directed by Mario Imperioli (IMDB)

11. NOTTI PECCAMINOSE DI PIETRO L’ARETINO (1972 Italia) Directed by Manlio Scarpelli (IMDB)

12. PROFESSIONE BIGAMO aka Confessions of a Bigamist (1969 Ita/GermEst) Directed by Franz Antel (IMDB)

13. FRATELLO HOMO SORELLA BONA aka Roman Scandals '73 (1972 Italia) Directed by Mario Sequi (IMDB)

14. LA MOGLIE VERGINE aka The Virgin Wife (1975 Italia) Directed by Marino Girolami (IMDB)

15. QUANT’è BELLA LA BERNARDA TUTTA NERA TUTTA CALDA aka The Canterbury Decameron (1975 Italia) Directed by L.Dandolo (IMDB)

16. MIDNIGHT BLUE (1979 Italia) Directed by Raimondo del Balzo (IMDB)

17. MORBOSAMENTE VOSTRA (1985 Italia) Directed by Andrea Bianchi (IMDB)

18. PRIMO TANGO A ROMA – STORIA D’AMORE E D’ALCHIMIA (1973 Italia) Directed by Lorenzo Gicca Palli (IMDB)

19. FOLLIE DI NOTTE aka Crazy Nights (1978 Italia) Directed by Joe D’Amato (IMDB)

20. STRANO RICATTO DI UNA RAGAZZA PER BENE aka Blackmail (1974 Italia) Directed by Luigi Batzella (IMDB)

21. ATTENTI ARRIVANO LE COLLEGIALI (1975 Italia) Directed by Giorgio Mille (IMDB)

22. SETTE RAGAZZE DI CLASSE aka Seven Dangerous Girls (1979 Italia) Directed by Pedro Lazaga (IMDB)

23. QUANDO I CALIFFI AVEVANO LE CORNA aka The Curse Of The Red Butterfly (1973 Italia) Directed by Amasi Damiani (IMDB)

24. A CHI TOCCA TOCCA aka S.O.S. Danger Uranium (1978 Italia/GermEst/Israele) Directed by Gianfranco Baldanello (IMDB)

25. E VENNE IL GIORNO DEI LIMONI NERI aka Black Lemons (1970 Italia) Directed by Camillo Bazzoni (IMDB)

26. A TUTTE LE AUTO DELLA POLIZIA aka Calling All Police Cars aka The Maniac Responsible (1975) Directed by Mario Caiano (IMDB)

27. ARRIVA DORELLIK aka How To Kill 400 Duponts aka Dorellik (Italia 1962) Directed by Steno (IMDB)

28. IL SORRISO DELLA JENA aka Smile Before Death (1972 Italia) Directed by Silvio Amadio (IMDB)

29. IL MOSTRO DELL’OBITORIO aka The Hunchback Of The Morgue (Spain,1973) Directed by Javier Aguirre (IMDB)

30. LA Più ALLEGRA STORIA DEL DECAMERONE aka The Lustful Barbarian aka The Erotic Adventures of Siegfried (Germany,1971) Directed by Adrian Hoven (IMDB)

31. I RITI EROTICI DELLA PAPESSA JESIAL aka A Woman Possessed (France,1975) Directed by Mario Mercier (IMDB)

32. LE MILLE E UNA NOTTE E UN’ALTRA ANCORA (Italia 1973) Directed by Enrico Bomba (IMDB)

33. 6000 KM DI PAURA aka Safari Rally (Italia, 1978) Directed by Bitto Alberini (IMDB)

34. BYLETH – IL DEMONE DELL’INCESTO aka Byleth - The Demon of Incest (Italia 1972) Directed by Leopoldo Savona (IMDB)

35. IL MARCHIO DI KRIMINAL aka The Mark Of The Kriminal (Italia 1967) Directed by Fernando Cerchio (IMDB)

36. BAILA GUAPA (Italia 1979) Directed by A. Tagliavia (IMDB)

37. IL BANDITO DAGLI OCCHI AZZURRI aka The Blue-Eyed Bandit (Italia 1980) Directed by Alfredo Riannetti (IMDB)

38. BLACK KILLER (Italia 1971) Directed by Carlo Croccolo (IMDB)

39. SETTE MAGNIFICI CORNUTI aka Seven Magnificent Bastards (Italia 1974) Directed by Luigi Russo (IMDB)

40. LA SMAGLIATURA aka Weak Spot (Fra/Ita 1975) Directed by Peter Fleischmann (IMDB)

41. IL SESSO DELLA STREGA aka The Evil Eye (Italia 1973) Directed by Angelo Pannacciò (IMDB)

42. I SOGNI PROIBITI DI DON GALEAZZO CURATO DI CAMPAGNA aka The Forbidden Dreams Of Don Galeazzo Country Priest (Italia 1973) Directed by E. Di Cola (IMDB)

43. LA TIGRE VENUTA DAL FIUME KWAY aka The Tiger From River Kwai (Italia 1975) Directed by Franco Lattanti (IMDB)

44. L’UNICA LEGGE IN CUI CREDO (Italia 1976) Directed by Claudio Giorgi (IMDB)

45. UN UOMO CHIAMATO DAKOTA aka A Gunman Called Dakota (Italia 1972) Directed by Mario Sabatini (IMDB)

46. WEEK END PROIBITO DI UNA FAMIGLIA QUASI PER BENE (Ita/Fra 1971) Directed by Jean Dewever (IMDB)

47. VERGINITA’ (Italia 1974) Directed by Marcello Andrei (IMDB)

48. ZORRO IL RIBELLE aka Zorro The Rebel (Italia 1966) Directed by Piero Pienotti (IMDB)

49. LA BAMBOLA DI SATANA (Italia 1969) Directed by Ferruccio Casapinta (IMDB)

50. I CRIMINALI DELLA GALASSIA aka The Criminals Of The Galaxy (Italia 1965) Directed by Antonio Margheriti (IMDB)

51. LA MORTE VIENE DAL PIANETA AYTIN aka The Snow Demons (Italia 1967) Directed by Antonio Margheriti (IMDB)

52. IL PIANETA ERRANTE aka The Wondering Planet (Italia 1966) Directed by Antonio Margheriti (IMDB)

53. I DIFANOIDI VENGONO DA MARTE aka Diaphanoids, Bringers Of Death (Italia 1966) Directed by Antonio Margheriti (IMDB)

54. I PIANETI CONTRO DI NOI aka The Planets Against Us (Ita/Fra/Germany Est 1962) Directed by Romano Ferrara (IMDB)

55. LA VENDETTA DI LADY MORGAN (Italia 1965) Directed by M. Pupillo (IMDB)

56. LA COLT ERA IL SUO DIO aka God Is My Colt .45 (Ita/Germany Est 1972) Directed by Luigi Balzella/Joe D’Amato (IMDB)

57. UN DETECTIVE aka Ring Of Death (Italia 1969) Directed by Romolo Guerrieri (IMDB)

58. E COSI DIVENNERO I TRE SUPERMEN DEL WEST aka Three Supermen Of The West (Ita/Spa 1973) Directed by Anthony Blod (IMDB)

59. KARAMURAT LA BELVA DELL’ANATOLIA aka The Magic Man (Ita/Turchia 1976) Directed by E. Hofbaver (IMDB)

60. LA LUNGA CAVALCATA DELLA VENDETTA aka Long Cavalcade of Vengeance (Italia 1972) Directed by T. Boccia (IMDB)

61. NEL MIRINO DI BLACK APHRODITE aka Black Aphrodite (Ita/Greece 1979) Directed by Guido Zurli (IMDB)

62. NOVELLE GALEOTTE D’AMORE (Italia 1972) Directed by Antonio Margheriti (IMDB)

63. L’OCCHIO DEL RAGNO aka The Eye Of The Spider (Ita/Austria 1971) Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero (IMDB)

64. QUANDO L’AMORE E’ SENSUALITA’ aka When Love Is Lust (Italia 1973) Directed by Vittorio de Sisti (IMDB)

65. A CENA COL VAMPIRO aka Dinner With A Vampire (Ita 1988) Directed by Lamberto Bava (IMDB)

66. DENTRO (UNA NOTTE AL) IL CIMITERO aka Graveyard Disturbance (Ita 1987) Directed by Lamberto Bava (IMDB)

67. FINO ALLA MORTE aka Changling 2: The Return (Ita 1987) Directed by Lamberto Bava (IMDB)

68. LA CASA DELL’ORCO aka Demons 3: The Ogre (Ita 1988) Directed by Lamberto Bava (IMDB)

69. LA RAGAZZA DI CORTINA aka The Girl From Cortina (Ita 1994) Directed by Maurizio Vanni (IMDB)

70. AL CALAR DELLA SERA (Ita 1992) Directed by Maurizio Lucidi (IMDB)

71. FEMMINE INSAZIABILI (Ita 1969) Directed by Alberto De Martino (IMDB)

72. FOLLIA DI UN MASSACRO aka Massacre Mania (Ita 1967) Directed by Paolo Bianchini (IMDB)

73. GIALLA A VENEZIA aka Mystery In Venice (Ita 1979) Directed by Mario Landi (IMDB)

74. I RAGAZZI DELLA ROMA VIOLENTA (Ita 1976) Directed by Renato Savino (IMDB)

75. IL COMPLOTTO aka The Conspiracy (Fra 1973) Directed by René Gainville (IMDB)

76. IL FIORE DAI PETALI D’ACCIAIO aka The Flower With Petals Of Steel (Ita 1973) Directed by Gianfranco Piccioli (IMDB)

77. IL TUO DOLCE CORPO DA UCCIDERE (Spa/Ita 1970) Directed by Alfonso Brescia (IMDB)

78. IL VIZIO HA LE CALZE NERE aka Reflections In Black (Ita 1975) Directed by Tano Cimarosa (IMDB)

79. INTERRABANG (Ita 1969) Directed by Guiliano Biagetti (IMDB)

80. L’AMANTE DEL DEMONIO aka The Devil's Lover (Ita 1972) Directed by Paolo Lombardo (IMDB)

81. L’ARMA L’ORA IL MOVENTE aka The Weapon, The Hour, The Motive (Ita 1973) Directed by Francesco Mazzei (IMDB)

82. L’INTERROGATORIO (Ita 1970) Directed by Vittorio De Sisti (IMDB)

83. L’OCCHIO DIETRO LA PARETE aka Eyes Behind The Wall (Ita 1977) Directed by Giuliano Petrelli (IMDB)

84. L’ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR HICHCOCK aka The Horrible Secret Of Dr Hichcock (Ita 1962) Directed by Ricardo Freda (IMDB)

85. L’OSCENO DESIDERIO aka Obscene Desire (Ita/Spa 1978) Directed by Giulio Petroni (IMDB)

86. L’UOMO PUMA aka Puma Man (Ita 1980) Directed by Alberto De Martino (IMDB)

87. LA LUNGA NOTTE DI VERONIQUE aka The Long Night Of Veronica (Ita 1966) Directed by Gianni Vernuccio (IMDB)

88. LA MANO CHE NUTRE LA MORTE aka The Hand That Feeds The Dead (Ita/Turkey 1974) Directed by Sergio Garrone (IMDB)

89. LA MORTE BUSSA DUE VOLTE aka Death Knocks Twice (Ita/Germany 1969) Directed by Harald Philipp (IMDB)

90. LA MORTE SCENDE LEGGERA aka Death Falls Lightly (Ita 1972) Directed by Leopoldo Savona (IMDB)

91. LA MORTE VIENE DAL BUIO aka So Sweet, So Dead aka Penetration (Ita 1972) Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero (IMDB)

92. LA NOTTE DEI DANNATI aka Night Of The Damned (Ita 1971) Directed by Fillipo Walter Ratti (IMDB)

93. LA NOTTE DEI DIAVOLI aka The Night Of The Devils (Ita 1972) Directed by Giorgio Ferroni (IMDB)

94. LIBIDO TERROR aka Libido (Ita 1965) Directed by Ernesto Gastaldi & Vittorio Salerno (IMDB)

95. MADELEINE ANATOMIA DI UN INCUBO aka Madeleine, Study Of A Nightmare (Ita 1974) Directed by Roberto Mauri (IMDB)

96. NO IL CASO E’ FELICEMENTE RISOLTO aka No, The Case Is Happily Resolved (Ita 1973) Directed by Vittorio Salerno (IMDB)

97. NON AVER PAURA DELLA ZIA MARTA aka Don't Be Afraid Of Aunt Martha (Ita 1988) Directed by Mario Bianchi (IMDB)

98. NON SPARATE SUI BAMBINI aka Don't Shoot On Children (Ita 1978) Directed by Gianni Crea (IMDB)

99. SETTE ORE DI VIOLENZA PER UNA SOLUZIONE IMPREVISTA aka Seven Hours Of Violence (Ita 1973) Directed by Michele Massimo Tarantini (IMDB)

100. L’UOMO PIU’ VELENOSO DEL COBRA aka Human Cobras (Ita/Spain 1971) Directed by Bitto Albertini (IMDB)

101. SUGGESTIONATA (Ita 1978) Directed by Alfredo Rizzo (IMDB)

102. TESTA IN GIU’ GAMBE ALL’ARIA (Ita 1972) Directed by Ugo Novello (IMDB)

103. TRHAUMA (Ita 1980) Directed by Gianni Martucci (IMDB)

104. UN BIANCO VESTITO PER MARIALE’ aka Spirits Of Death (Ita 1972) Directed by Romano Scavolini (IMDB)

105. UN OMBRA NELL’OMBRA aka Ring Of Darkness (Ita 1979) Directed by Pier Carpi (IMDB)

106. UNA JENA IN CASSAFORTE (Ita 1968) Directed by Cesare Canevari (IMDB)

107. OSCENITA’ (Ita 1980) Directed by Renato Polselli (IMDB)

108. RIVELAZIONI DI UNO PSICHIATRA SUL MONDO PERVERSO DEL SESSO aka REVELATIONS OF A PSYCHIATRIST ON THE PERVERSE WORLD OF SEX (Ita 1973) Directed by Renato Polselli (IMDB)

109. DIAVOLO IN CORPO aka Devil In The Flesh (Ita/France 1986) Directed by Marco Bellocchio (IMDB)

110. ANNA QUEL PARTICOLARE PIACERE aka Anna: The Pleasure, The Torment aka Secrets Of A Call Girl (Ita 1973) Directed by Guiliano Carnimeo (IMDB)

111. LO STRANO VIZIO DELLA SIGNORA WARDH aka The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh (Ita 1971) Directed by Sergio Martino (IMDB)

112. LA CODA DELLO SCORPIONE aka The Case Of The Scorpion's Tail (Ita 1971) Directed by Sergio Martino (IMDB)

113. GIOVANNONA COSCIALUNGA aka Giovannona Long-Thigh (Ita 1973) Directed by Sergio Martino (IMDB)

114. CASTA E PURA aka Chaste And Pure (Ita/Spain/France 1981) Directed by Salvatore Samperi (IMDB)

115. IL BIANCO IL GIALLO IL NERO aka The White, The Yellow, The Black (Ita/France/Spain 1975) Directed by Sergio Corbucci (IMDB)

116. IL CONSIGLIORI aka The Counsellor (Ita/Spain 1973) Directed by Alberto De Martino (IMDB)

117. LUCREZIA GIOVANE (Ita 1974) Directed by Luciano Ercoli (IMDB)

118. ARIZONA SI SCATENO’ E LI FECE FUORI TUTTI aka Arizona Colt Returns (Ita/Spain 1970) Directed by Sergio Martino (IMDB)

119. SEI GIA’ CADAVERE AMIGO TI CERCA GARRINGO aka Dig Your Grave Friend... Sabata's Coming (Spain/Italy 1971) Directed by Juan Bosch (IMDB)

Here's hoping that Mya get them all released and that they are as high quality as their early releases. Fantastic label, they deserve your support!

Just to finish it all off, here's a list of their current catalogue and imminent releases:

001: The Blind Woman Of Sorrento
002: Provocation
003: The Virgo, The Taurus And The Capricorn
004: The Maniacs
005: The Inveterate Bachelor
006: Door Into Darkness
007: Bread, Love And Dreams
008: Scorpion With Two Tails
009: A Policewoman In New York
010: Four Flies On Grey Velvet
011: Fatty Girl Goes To New York
012: Top Girl
013: Craving Desire
014: Passion
015: The Revenge Of The Crusader
016: Return Of The Gladiator
017: The Legend Of Blood Castle
018: The Sweet Pussycats
019: Island Of The Fishmen (June 30th)
020: Monika (June 30th)
021: Horrible (June 30th)
022: Ubalda, All Naked And Warm (June 30th)

The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

2009-03-06T16:09:00.001Z

Right, what we have here is pure sleazy Giallo fun from 1971. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is one of two Gialli made by director Emilio P. Miraglia, the other being the absolutely fantastic The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. However, it has always been this film that has been the more infamous of the two.

The basic plot of the film is a bit muddled, and ultimately seems to have a few gaping plot holes. What it lacks in a coherant plot it more than makes up for with beautiful women, garish 60s-meets-70s style, nudity, sleaze, violence, a sexy slick Bruno Nicolai score (which is more Morricone than his usual style), and even gore! How many films do you get to see a family of foxes eat someone including graphic scenes of them pulling out intestines?(!) If you like great looking red-headed women, this film is for you! If you're a fan of the gorgeous Christina Hendricks then you will love the range of gorgeous, curvy redheads on display.

Back to the plot, and we find ourselves in England at the start of the 70s. Anthony Steffen plays wealthy Lord Alan Cunningham, a man haunted by the memory of his deceased wife Evelyn. Lord Alan's grieving is not what you would call normal. Instead he takes a series of redheaded women (who remind him of Evelyn) back to his rotting, dust-encrusted castle where he procedes to pay them to indulge in his perverted games in his chamber full of torture devices and medieval weaponary. Once his games get underway, he becomes haunted with visions of his wife cheating on him in the past (a nice flashback to slow-motion garden nudity!). This enrages him and invariably leads to him killing the redhead! So our Lord Alan of Rotten Castle is not a nice guy!

We also find out that one of Lord Alan's best friends is Psychologist Dr. Richard Timberlane (played by Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) that knows all about Alan attacking the redheads, and believes this is just Alan's way of fighting his demons from his dead wife (I'd actually call it murder!).

Also living in the Rotten Castle estate are Albert (Evelyn's brother and the gamekeeper), Aunt Agatha (confined to a wheelchair and supposedly paralysed), Farley (who I still have no idea what he does on the estate other than give stern looks at everyone), and occasionally Lord Alan's playboy cousin George (who likes to wear big hoop earings).

Dr. Richard Timberlane tells Lord Alan that he must marry again to help heal his slowly decaying mind, and eventually Lord Alan is introduced to Gladys (Marina Malfatti). After one night of passion, Lord Alan proposes to Gladys and they are married. They head to the Rotten Castle (which has now miraculously been restored to all its stylish early 70s glory!) and set-up their new life together (complete with 5 maids sporting identical blonde afros!).

However, soon Gladys realises that not all is right in the kingdom of Lord Alan, and starts to dig a little deeper...

As I said earlier, there are massive plotholes in the film. For a start, Lord Alan is a cold-blooded killer who murders women who remind him of Evelyn. However, by the end of the film he is the hero! Not something that will go down well with those concerned with the explotation of women. The film seems to conveniently forget that he's somewhat of a bastard. The film also provides many plot tangents that are never explained properly (if at all!). These include why does paralysed Aunt Agatha stand-up and walk just before she is brutally despatched? Why do the maids have to be identical? Surely as long as they're not redheaded, there would be no stirring of the evil Lord Alan beast? Why does Gladys get involved with the subtefuge, when she seemingly seems to be none-the-wiser about anything going on? Who was Evelyn having an affair with, and did she actually have one?

Many plotholes and some point towards maybe some heavy editing before the film was even released to shorten it (it does have a long runtime already for a giallo). I'm sure some of the nonsense would probably have been explained by some potentially trimmed dialogue. However none of this detracts from the fun of the film, and the overall sense of style. The nudity is gratutious and plentiful, the actors all look great and carry the film well. The most infamous scene of the film is Erika Blanc's coffin striptease.
The dancing is some of the worst seen on screen until we got to Lenzi's Nightmare City (even the zombies couldn't take that disco dancing), but you can't deny the sex appeal of the whole scene. My favourite appearance is the gorgeous Maria Teresa Tofano who appears as the first victim, Polly. Her naked cavorting around Lord Alan's dungeon of perversion simply has to be seen to be believed! It's a shame that her only other appearance is in Pupi Avati's creepy Zeder (1983).

The version I watched was the full restored, uncut NoShame Films release that came as a double feature with The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. It's an astonishingly good transfer and looks sumptious. The garish colours of the fashions and styles leap out of the screen. There is a wealth of detail on show, and even the dark scenes have plenty of detail. It's presented in its full 2.35:1 widescreen glory, and I am sure has not looked as good since its original theatrical run. It's very much worth your time to pick up this double-feature, if you have not already done so!

Very silly fun, but definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of Italian style'n'sleaze!

The Beyond (1981)

2009-03-05T16:55:00.001Z

Well we couldn't very well start off a blog entitled 'Eibon: Do Not Entry' without first looking at Lucio Fulci's infamous The Beyond aka 'E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà' or 'Seven Doors Of Death'. Certainly many consider this to be his finest work, however my own personal tastes have always favoured his excellent Giallo contributions... particularly Lizard In A Woman's Skin and Don't Torture A Duckling. It's certainly my favourite of his supernatural films, and definitely the superior of the unofficial Gates Of Hell triology (along with the earlier City Of The Living Dead & House By The Cemetery). I'm also a huge fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and there's more than a subtle Lovecraftian influence in The Beyond. Not least the fact that it features the book of Eibon, which appeared in several Lovecraft stories.

The film was originally to be a haunted house story, focusing on a woman who has moved into a hotel that was built upon one of the seven gates of hell. Fulci is often criticised that his films don't really make much sense, and that they skip around from one violent shocking scene to another. As a result, critics are often quick to label his films as badly edited and dubiously plotted. If these critics were to look a little deeper they would see the one of Fulci's all time greatest influences is the playwright Antonin Artaud, a prominent advocate of Surealism. The plays of Artaud were not primarily concerned with linear plots, and concentrated more on "cruel imagary & symbolism" that would shock his audiences into action. This is what Fulci originally wanted to achieve with The Beyond. It was to be a number of shocking scenes around the hotel with little to link it together.

However, Fulci's plans were scuppered by the German distributor of his films, who wanted him to continue the zombie craze that was still sweeping the cinemas. So Fulci rewrote his film and added in a hospital, in which he wrote many more scenes of action, shootouts, and zombie attack!

The end result was a genuinely atmospheric, and highly creepy film that really encapsulates the best of Fulci's zombie'n'gore period. It has all his trademark agonising slow deaths, animal attacks, and of course eyeball mutilation!

The film starts off showing us a flashback to Louisiana in 1927. An artist named Schweick is using the book of Eibon to open one of the seven gates of hell in his room at the Seven Doors Hotel. An angry lynch mob storm in and claim him to be Warlock. Schweick claims that he is trying to save them all from hell itself, but the mob want blood! What we see next is a graphic and brutal whipping with chains, crucification to the hotel wall with nails, and eventually covering the poor artist with quicklime to burn off his flesh! Nice people in these lynch mobs.

The level of atmosphere that Fulci manages to generate during the runtime of The Beyond is fantastic. The hotel feels like it was lifted directly from the pages of a Lovecraft story, and transported to the 80s. The dark, flooded, and deadly cellar area feels like the stuff of nightmares. The walls drip with the sense of dread and evil that is so crucial to the strengths of this film.

It wasn't just Fulci behind all the elements that make The Beyond such an effective horror film. There was of course the great performances by MacColl and Warbeck (who provide great commentary on the DVD, just before Warbecks untimely death from cancer). They have extremely good chemistry on screen together, and this is illustrated perfectly (if not intentionally) by the brilliant scene in the elevator in the thrilling finale. Warbeck is clearly seen trying to reload his gun by putting the bullets into the barrel... only for MacColl to desperately try to stifle a smile as the elevator door closes!

The real maestros at work were behind-the-scenes. Sergio Salvati provided some breathtaking cinematography that took viewers into the hotel, that made them feel the dark evil was ever further encroaching on them. Special effects were courtesy of Gianetto De Rossi, and let's face it... these are what made the film so infamous. He delivers eye gougings, face meltings, acid burnings, zombie attacks, and those nifty little flesh-eating spiders. He doesn't hold back on the gore, and even after repeated viewings, they still make you wince!

Not least of all was an absolutely stellar soundtrack by one of my alltime favourites, Fabio Frizzi. Poor Fabio had his score removed from the initial (heavily cut) US release of 'Seven Doors Of Death' and ultimately, when it was restored back into the film, fans realised just how cheated they had been. The music is some of the greatest of any horror film, and compliments the extremely visceral nature of the film beautifully. I urge you to hunt down the soundtrack if you don't already own it!

Bizarrely enough, if it wasn't for Quentin Tarantino, a guy named Bob, and Sylvester Stallone's son Sage... we might never have seen The Beyond in all it's 2 perf Techniscope 2.35:1 widescreen glory, nor heard Fabio Frizzi's masterful score! Previously the only way to see it uncut in all its original glory was to either have the original film reels, or to have the Japanese laserdisc (or one of the many rough bootleg copies). Sage Stallone and film editor Bob Murawski were big fans of euro cult classics and grindhouse cinema, and set-up the company Grindhouse Releasing. When they sought to re-release The Beyond to US audiences, they didn't just grab a copy of the heavily cut transfer and port it to laserdisc/DVD. Oh no, they flew to Italy to meet with Fulci and his daughter and not only secured the rights to distribute it, but also the original film negatives. They took these and lovingly restored them in a high definition transfer. Although Grindhouse Releasing have as yet not released their own DVD of the film (they have sold on their restored version to be released by Anchor Bay), they did release the film to the midnight matinee market at cinemas across the United States. Although derided by mainstream critics (they just aren't meant for these films!), it was met with huge acclaim from horror afficianados Worldwide... largely thanks to the theatrical release being masterminded and promoted by Tarantino and his film company in conjuction with Miramax. The rest, as they say, is history. The film rejuvenated interest in Italian horror and other related genres. Slowly but surely, other Italian classics were given the same loving treatment by other afficianados who set-up similar companies to Grindhouse Releasing (Noshame, Shameless, Severin, Blue Underground, and Shriek Show to name a few). Even now many classics are languishing without a good DVD release.

I'm sure most of you reading this will be very familiar with this film, so I will be preaching to the converted. For those of you who have not yet witnessed the splendidly gory tour-de-force that is The Beyond I urge you to hunt down either the Anchor Bay DVD (even better is the wonderful special edition tin - this has a wealth of postcards with alternate art and great inner notes), or to get the Grindhouse Releasing version (if it ever comes out!).

This next part contains some spoilers, do stop reading here if you have not seen it!

Many people are left confused by the ending of the film, and there are many weird and wonderful explanations circling. However, I feel it's best left to Fulci himself to explain it:

"What I wanted to get across with this film was the idea that all life is often really a terrible nightmare and that our only refuge is to remain in this world, but outside time. In the end, the two protagonists' eyes turn completely white and they find themselves in a desert where there's no light, no wind, no shade, no nothing. I believe, being Catholic, that they have reached what many people imagine to be the afterworld." - Lucio Fulci, 1993

What we must not forget though is that this is fun Italian cinema, it's by no means all a master-stroke of genius... but a great blend of the right elements and pure hokum. Not least best illustrated by the other title of this blog: DO NOT ENTRY