Amazon.com

When American audiences first saw Mario Bava's 1963 horror trilogy, it wasn't the same film he had made in Italy. Finding it too terrifying for kids (imagine that!), AIP pictures trimmed it of violence and intensity, rescored it, and renamed it in order to cash in on the success of BlackSunday. New tongue-in-cheek introductions with costar Boris Karloff were added, the segments were rearranged, and one segment was completely rewritten in the dubbing. It was a good film even in its butchered form, but the original Italian version is excellent. The correctly orderedstories begin with "The Telephone," a gripping, ornate thriller that anticipates Bava's later "giallo" horror classics such as Blood and Black Lace. (In the American version, lesbian overtones were removedand the escaped criminal killer was turned into a vengeful ghost.) Karloff stars as a demonic, wild-haired patriarch in the eerie "The Wurdulak," a gorgeous vampire tale shot on misty, menacing sets. The masterpiece of the collection is "The Drop of Water," a chilling ghost story with shiverinducing imagery: the piercing dead eyes of the restless corpse will haunt you long after the film is over. Bava's original framing sequence ends with a playful tribute to the magic of moviemaking and storytelling, a sweet coda to remind us that it's only a movie.

The print suffers slightly from wear and tear and water damage but the colors are sharp and vivid. It's a bit disconcerting to hear Karloff dubbed in Italian, but that's a small price to pay for seeing the film in its original, uncut form. The DVD also features an extensive gallery ofproduction and promotional stills, biographies, and liner notes by Bava historian Tim Lucas. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (48)

ONE OF BAVA'S BEST....
A not to be missed trilogy of horror tales hosted by Boris Karloff and done by Mario Bava. As atmospheric and colorful as you could ask for with the traditional Euro flavor that gives it that off-beat intensity not often found in American films. The stories are diverse: 1.)"The Telephone"--the sexiest with a woman being terrorized by phone calls from a supposedly "dead" lover; 2.)"The Wurdelak"--the most disturbing with a Russian mountain family plagued by an unusual and unforgiving heritage of vampirism starring Karloff himself; and 3.) "The Drop of Water"--the scariest with a turn-of-the-century nurse stealing a ring from an old woman's corpse who happens to be a witch. This is the widescreen European version and is excellently transferred to DVD. The women are beautiful and the thrills are plentiful. A must for any serious horror afficianado.

The Scariest Day of the Week!
One of the best Italian horror films ever made, director Mario Bava's 1963 movie BLACK SABBATH (Italian title: I TRE VOLTI DELLA PAURA) is actually a delicious trilogy of stories, each different in timbre and texture, but each a masterful atmospheric study in unmitigated fear.

In the first short, entitled "The Telephone," a contemporary (circa 1960s) woman is taunted by a series of bizarre and alarming phone calls. But things get really interesting when she learns who it is that's been calling. (Warning: Some viewers may be put off by the lesbian subtext of this story.)

"The Wurdalak," the second entry, is an eerie variation on the vampire legend that is based on the Aleksei Tolstoy novella THE FAMILY OF THE VOURDALAK (SEM'YA VURDALAKA). The action takes place in what appears to be medieval Europe, and the celebrated Boris Karloff (alas, with his dialogue dubbed in Italian) turns in an excellent performance as Gorca, the patriarch of a peasant family. When Gorca returns from assisting in the pursuit and destruction of a Wurdalak--a vampire of sorts that is compelled to feast only upon its own loved ones--his family suspects that he's not quite the man he used to be....

Purportedly an adaptation of story by Chekhov, "A Drop of Water" is the last entry of the trilogy, and it is unquestionably the creepiest. Set in a Victorian manor house, it involves a private nurse who steals a ring from her recently deceased charge and is subsequently haunted by the vengeful corpse. Or is she?

The acting is good, the sets are sufficiently eerie, the stories are well written and creepy, and the women are pretty. But first and foremost, BLACK SABBATH is a superior horror film due to Bava's great vision and direction. He knows what it takes to scare people, and it is his use of stark yet simple imagery, unusual juxtaposition of sounds, and sometimes tenebrous lighting that generates genuine goose bumps and psychological jitters. (Your skin will crawl every time you remember the image of that corpse with the empty, unblinking stare from "A Drop of Water.")

Extant copies of the film are in one of two forms. One presents the film as originally intended (and released in Europe) by the filmmakers. The dialogue is completely dubbed in Italian (with English subtitles available), the stories have not been edited by anyone other than the director and his crew, and the three stories as a whole are vignetted by a Boris Karloff preface and epilogue. However, the other version presents the film after it was vitiated by its U.S. distributor, American International Pictures. In that one, the stories have been edited (one to the point of being unintelligible) and their relative order rearranged, and inappropriately witty intros (featuring Karloff) have been tacked on to each. Also, an English soundtrack has been added, one that was not created with any input from Bava or the original scriptwriters.

Until recently, the AIP re-dubbed re-cut was the only version of the film readily available to American audiences. Though not a totally un-watchable film in AIP's butchered format, it is simply not the masterpiece that Bava's original is. With that in mind, it is recommended that, if at all possible, viewers avoid the AIP version altogether and watch only the original Italian version. And please note, then, that this review refers to that original release--with English subtitles--which IS the version now being offered on the Image Entertainment DVD.

And speaking of the DVD, it is a bit short on true bonus features, and it is possible to see some signs of wear on the print that was used. Still, this widescreen digital transfer looks good overall, with rich and vivid colors and crisp focus. Most importantly, it is fantastic opportunity for American horror fans to finally see--and own!--this excellent scary film in the form in which its creators intended.

Chills aplenty
Italian director Mario Bava (1914-1980) is one of the giants of the horror film genre. Bava's big break into the field came with his 1960 black and white classic "Black Sunday" starring Barbara Steele. This was only the beginning, as Bava churned out a series of gruesome shockers over the next seventeen years; his films always promised great style mixed with scenes of murder and mayhem. Perhaps Mario's biggest contribution to the horror genre was his 1972 picture "Twitch of the Death Nerve," also known as "Bay of Blood." It doesn't take too long to realize "Friday the 13th" shamelessly cribbed from this slasher bloodbath. At least two of the murders in the film appear almost unchanged in the first installment of the Jason Voorhees franchise. That's right-- Mario Bava gave birth to the modern slasher film. But he also dabbled in non-horror films with projects like "Four Times That Night" and the immensely entertaining peplum classic "Hercules in the Haunted World" starring Reg Park as the muscle bound hero. After watching many of his films, I have to express further admiration for this amazing director; he could make an entertaining motion picture no matter what the subject.

"I trevolti della paura," known on these shores as "Black Sabbath," is a great contribution to horror cinema. In 1963, Bava filmed three short stories and packaged them under one title with Boris Karloff introducing each segment. The first tale, "The Telephone," is a claustrophobic tale of horror that takes place in the apartment of Rosy (Michele Mercier). Strange and horrifying phone calls begin streaming into the apartment at the same time Rosy's ex-husband Frank leaves prison. Alarmed that her hubby will try to hurt her, she dials up her pal Mary (Lidia Alfonsi), asking her friend to come over and comfort her. There's an interesting subtext to Mary and Rosy's phone call that the American version apparently cut out of the picture before releasing it that this Image Entertainment DVD restores. Watch to see what it is. Anyway, Mary arrives and, when Rosy falls asleep, writes something down on a piece of paper for her friend to read later. When Rosy wakes up, she learns a few painful truths about both her friend and her ex-husband.

The second story, "The Wurdulak," stars Boris Karloff as Gorca, the patriarch of a well to do Russian family in the eighteenth century. Wurdulaks, what we would call vampires, plague the countryside. Gorca sets out to slay one of them, a fellow named Alibeq, but leaves strict instructions to his family to destroy him, Gorca, if he returns any later than the stroke of midnight five days hence. Gorca reasons that he will be a vampire himself if he has not returned by that time, and his family agrees. Predictably, Gorca returns late and acts very, VERY weird. The family knows something is wrong but agonizes about doing what they know they must do. Their hesitancy has unfortunate results for several members of the family. This story is the best one on the disc; check out the scene where Karloff thunders around on a horse. Very creepy!

The final tale of woe, called "The Drop of Water," finds Nurse Helen Corey (Jacqueline Pierreux) receiving a weird phone call late at night. It seems an old medium died and her servant is too scared to move the body. Corey agrees to help the superstitious assistant but makes the mistake of stealing a valuable ring off the corpse. What follows is classic chills and thrills as a fly follows Corey around wherever she goes, continually alighting on the ring on her finger. The nurse tries to hide in her house where the sound of dripping water drives her to the point of insanity. Again, no reason to spoil the film for you, but wait until you see what happens to Nurse Corey as the tale winds to a close. Note to self: never steal anything from a deceased psychic.

All I can say here is that Mario Bava has done it again. While I still think "Black Sunday" is a better film, "Black Sabbath" nicely delivers the shocks. Getting Karloff to do double duty as the narrator and the star of one of the segments was a nice touch, too. Including this great actor in the project gives "Black Sabbath" a sort of homage feel, a nod to the earlier horror movies of the 1930s and 1940s. It's no mistake that Karloff's segment is the best one of the three. The weakest is "The Telephone," although even this tale works quite well in the suspense department. In "The Wurdulak," you know what's going to happen, but not so in "The Telephone." Plus, Michele Mercier is extremely easy on the eyes. I couldn't help but think of the seminal "Black Christmas" and "When a Stranger Calls" after watching "The Telephone." I wonder if Bob Clark and Fred Walton took Bava's creation as the inspiration for their own, later films. As for "The Drop of Water," well, it's a scary film that doubtless inspired its own imitators years later.

Horror fans would be remiss to pass up this delightful collection. They're not gory in any way, just as "Black Sunday" wasn't gory, but they are nicely done pieces well worth watching. A big thanks goes out to Image Entertainment for releasing the film in its original format. I am slowly working my way through all of Mario Bava's film, and "Black Sabbath" was a huge step towards completing my journey. After watching the movie, check out the production notes assembled by Bava historian Tim Lucas, the trailer, and the Bava biography. If you like horror, you will definitely want to give this one a few hours of your time.

Are You Serious?
With out a doubt, the best horror film ever made. Bava's Black Sabbath, is without question the most complete horror experience ever filmed. With atmosphere like I've never seen, this trilogy starts off with a classic giallo, and progresses to sheer terror by the last installment. Words alone cannot describe "The Drop of Water", a dark, eerie, and ultimately terrifying experince. If the face of death does not make you cringe, nothing will ever affect you! Do yourself a favor and buy this film(the Italian version), shut the lights off and let the terror begin.

classic horror; though tame by today's standard.
This trilogy of terror stars and is narrated by the late Boris Karloff. It would be tame by today's standards; some younger people might say "lame", but this was pre-"Jason" (Friday the 13th), pre-"Freddy" (Nightmare On Elm Street) and relied more on "suspense" than gore. Interesting for those who like "suspense". ... Read more

Amazon.com

Lamberto Bava, son of the Italian horror legend and giallo godfather Mario Bava, teamed up with modern master Dario Argento (cowriter and producer) for this slick gorefest, a triumph of style and special effects over movie logic. Set in a refurbished German movie palace, our hapless soon-to-be victims arrive for a sneak preview of a horror movie only to see the gore unfold in the audience, as well as onscreen.While the exposition remains murky, one patron finds that an infected cut leads to a gooey transformation, and every one of her victims follows suit until the snaggle-toothed monsters outnumber the humans. The survivors, trapped in the tomb of a theater, must fend off attacks à la George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Borrowing liberally from films such as Dawn of the Dead and The Tingler, Demons also anticipates Scream in its cinema-savvy references, not to mention its undeniably Neve Campbell-ish heroine. The blaring heavy-metal-hard-rock soundtrack and the carnival horror-house atmosphere helps remind us that this is all just stupid fun.Despite the overwhelming body count, excessive gore, and rivers of green demon pus, the cartoonishly grotesque killings avoid the sadistic edge of many Italian horror films. By the climax of the film the premise is long forgotten in a ghoul apocalypse, but who's watching this for the story anyway? --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (50)

One Of The Best Horror Films To Come Out Of Italy!
Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava co-wrote this horror film, a huge European hit upon release. The film centers on two young girls who go to a brutal demon movie and begin to notice happenings in theater mirroring the action on screen. Soon, half of the audience have been turned into blood thirsty demons, forcing the remaining patrons to defend themselves from the unholy beasts. Stylish, gory, bleakly funny and reminiscent of George A. Romero's films, DEMONS is a hugely entertaining horror movie. Argento also produced and Bava, son of the legendary Mario Bava (BLACK SUNDAY), directed.

I seen the original release of DEMONS about a year ago and liked it. Then I bought the new widescreen edition. It's still good, but some of the translater's voices are different and/or the same as the other characters. Still this is a great film, because it included some scenes that were cut out of the original release

This has to be Italy's best horror film, because I've seen some of their other films and they had bad quality. DEMONS on the other hand was excellent. This is even considered a classic in Italy. The best scene in the film is the mutation of the character from human to demon. The special-effects are nasty and awesome.

All I can say is DEMONS is a great Italian horror film ... The last twenty minutes of the film are unforgettable and unexpecting. So I suggest you rent this if you like horror a lot.

I hope my review was helpful to you!

surprisngly good
turned out better than expected.. well filmed not like some of the early cheesy italian movies.. storyline not bad. good makeup on zombies...kind of reminds me of The Evil Dead

Dario Argento at his best.
I do not understand some of the reviews dario argento's movies receive. First of all you do not get horror movies with creativity as you do with the Maestro movies.This movie has beautiful color the whole theater thing was just amazing. The guy with the silver mask just was awesome and it clearly shows the artistic ways of dario argento.Anyhow I really love this movie. Also check out Stagefright by Michele Soavi.

Outstanding Horror Film
Demons centers around a woman given a ticket to an unnamed film by a mysterious stranger. After arriving at the theater with many other patrons, a film with no title begins to play that shows a pair of couples finding a demon mask in a crypt that supposedly belongs to Nostradamus. (It is learned that the seer predicted the rise of the demons.) One person puts on the mask and turns into a demonic creature who, in turn, infects others. In the movie theater, a prostitute who scratched her face with an identical mask in the lobby turns into a creature depicted on the film. Horror and mayhem insue as panicked patrons try to leave the building only to find out that the doors have vanished. With enough over-the-top special effects to please any gore fan and horror for fear film buffs, Demons is one of the best horror films to come out of the 1980's.

Demons
I think this is a great premise for a horror movie. It consists of a great story, great gore effects, inventive camera work, and a soundtrack full of 80s rock and metal... what more could you ask for? The plot is straight-forward.(unlike many Italian horror films) and I feel that this is one of Bava's best. If you're a fan of Italian horror or just want to try something different, go pick up a copy of Demons. The sequel is quite good as well. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Stylish Courtroom Thriller Has Precision and Poise
When a deaf-mute homeless man is accused of murdering a federal worker in Washington DC, the public defender assigned to the case assumes he is guilty--until she begins to receive tips about the case from the most unlikely of sources: a member of the jury seated for the trial. Any one even remotely conversant with the law will find the story so full of loopholes that it is more than a little ridiculous, but it scarcely matters: the cast carries it off in fine style, playing the script with exceptional precision and poise and generating plenty of suspense along the way. Cher is particularly noteworth as the public defender assigned to the case. Cher? Playing a Washington D.C. attorney? It's hardly typecasting, but once more Cher demonstrates the depth of her talent: not only is she extremely effective, she is completely believable. The same might be said for both Liam Neeson, who plays the deaf-mute on trial, and Dennis Quaid, who plays the smarmy juror who begins to put two and two together; SUSPECT is clearly Cher's picture, but her co-stars are every bit as good as she.

Although it has its share of courtroom pyrotechnics and suspenseful moments, SUSPECT is a surprisingly low-key and all the more successful for it. When all is said and done we like the characters as people, believe in them, and are glad we met them. While it will never compete with the likes of Hitchcock, SUSPECT is a good, solid, and very unpretentious courtroom thriller excuted with a great deal of style. Those whose tastes run in that direction will be very pleased indeed. Recommended.

One of Cher's best!
I actually prefer this film to Witches of eastwick and Moonstruck! Great thriller that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Cher plays a defense attorney for a deaf/mute & homeless Liam Neeson. Dennis Quaid is on the jury and together, he & Cher must unfold the mystery and prove her client innocent. The ending is extremely suspenseful and will leave you in disbelief. This was during Cher's peak as an actress.

Great twists! Great performances!
Dennis Quaid delivers! As does Cher and Liam! NICE plot, great premise. The viewer gets very invested in the outcome. No gore, but some nice tense moments. Nice chemistry between Cher and Quaid--a surprise there. You will enjoy it.

Above the law
In SUSPECT, Cher plays Kathleen Riley, a defense attourney for the public. When a brutal murder is commited against a Justice Department file clerk, and a homeless man who is deaf and cannot speak is accused of the crime, and Kathleen gets the case. Dennis Quaid plays dairy farm lobbyist Eddie, who is a juror who helps Kathleen with finding evidence. This part of the movie is a little hard to swallow, but the performances make up for it. It's terribly unlikely a juror would become romantically involved with a defense lawyer as well. However the movie was fine otherwise, and one of the last scenes where an unknown assailant chases Kathleen down the hallways of the court house, is quite suspenseful and thrilling. Cher is very believable in this part. Overall, a great flick to rent, very suspenseful and has a surprise twist at the end.

Cher for the defense
This one will hopefully be restocked soon for Cher die-hards who'll find this suspenseful who-dun-it a worthy view. As Washington, D.C. public defender Kathleen Riley, Cher gets appointed by the court to defend a homeless deaf-mute (Lian Neeson, in one of his first substantial roles) accused in the brutal murder of a Justice Department file clerk. Setting out with a presumed guilt for her client, Ms. Riley comes to believe in her client's innocence and sets out to prove it. On the trial jury is dairy farm lobbyist Dennis Quaid who takes a judically improper and unethical active role in proving the defendant's innocence after he develops the hots for the defense counsel. Of course, the likelihood of a juror getting it on with the defense lawyer during trial is ludicrous and, in real life, would probably get both charged criminally and the lawyer disbarred. But the credible acting of the leads helps us to overlook that unlikely scenario and focus instead on who really done it. Anyone with any background knowledge of law, procedure and ethics might wonder about some of the judicial rulings handed down by the trial judge, but they figure significantly in the who and why of who really done it. Cher, by the time she made the film, was firmly established as a leading lady, and she demonstrates here that she can carry the responsibility. "Suspect," despite its unlikely premise, is nonetheless a compelling view, and the solution (and, yes, the defendant is innocent) is a stunner! ... Read more

Description

From the most popular erotic film series of all times! A gruesome cannibalistic slaying at a New York hospital sends the beautiful investigative journalist Emmanuelle into a steamy jungle inferno to track down the last existing cannibal tribe! See Emmanuelle face her greatest carnal challenge. Will Emmanuelle’s erotic charms tame the most savage, flesh-hungry beast? English Subtitles"One of D’Amato’s best, a real corker with enough nudity, sex, and gore to keep genre buffs happy." – Richard J. Taylor, VIOLENT MANIAC’S CAGE ... Read more

Description

A desperate and psychotic criminal targets Jane, a young woman who stands to inherit a fortune.Slashed and scarred, Jane tries to believe it’s only a nightmare but everywhere she turns – in the subway, on the street – the man with knife is there…. A mysterious woman offers to cure her by means of black magic, but the erotic rituals only aggravate her condition catapulting her into a kaleidoscope of psychedelic horror! ... Read more

Reviews (80)

A real jolter!
In Switzerland, an American girl named "Jennifer" ( Played by Jennifer Connelly) is attending a girl school there but unknown to her she has special telepathic powers that communicates with insects. An insane murderer is butchering young girls at night, only Jennifer with her insects, a crippled bug researcher ( played by Halloween's Donald Pleasance) and his Chimpanzee assistant must join together to put a stop to the raving mad killer or else it will find her.

An entertaining and very bloody horror mystery thriller that is completely original and interesting, it's from the mind of Italian horror master Dario Argento ( who did " Tenebre", "Demons" and "Suspiria"). This movie is the debut of Jennifer Connelly before she was a big star, she looks good as ever in this movie especially in the nightgown scene, oh man! Jennifer Connelly is a perfect woman.

This movie is quite smart, scary and gory at times but keeps you on the edge of your seat. Originally released here in the U.S. by New Line Cinema called " Creepers" then heavily cut to 82 minutes, Anchor Bay thankfully has re-issued this movie under it's true name " Phenomena" and with the original length 118 minutes of extra footage not seen in the U.S., if you love good suspensful and gore ridden thrillers then add this to your collection.

Also recommended: " Silence of the Lambs", "Suspiria", "Tenebre", "City of the Living Dead", "Cannibal Ferox", "Caligula", " Day of the Dead", " Re-Animator", "Scanners" ," Making Contact ( a.k.a. Joey)", " Inferno", "Sleepless", " The New York Ripper", " Maniac ( 1980)" " House of 1000 Corpses", " Carrie", " Demons", " Akira", "Firestarter", " The Fury", " The Toxic Avenger", " Battle Royale", " Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky", " Ichi The Killer" and "Audition".

Awesome Argento! Original and Creative!
It's hard to find horror movies that haven't taken some kind of thought or idea from a previous one but Dario Argeto's ("Tenebre", "Susupiria", "Deep Red") Creepers seemed to be in a class all by itself (at least to me anyway).

Jennifer Connelly plays Jennifer, a girl who is sent to a boarding school while her father is out of the country working on a film. Unfortunately for Jennifer and the other girls in the school there is a raving psychopath wandering the grounds and butchering the students. When Jennifer meets up with entomologist Dr. John McGregor, played by the late, great, Donald Pleasance (Halloween) she learns of her great power to control insects. If she is going to survive and save the other girls in the process she'll have to learn how to use her gift to stop the killer.

Creepers is very entertaining and moves at a good clip, it's original and well acted for a horror movie. From reading the other reviews I see that this seems to be a shorter version of Argento's "Phenomena". Where Creepers runs about 82 minutes, Phenomena is 110 minutes. I haven't seen Phenomena yet but plan on it. If your a fan of Argento's or horror movies in general this movie is for you.

Hope you're not afraid of bugs
Dario Argento's "Phenomena" is the story of young Jennifer (a very young Jennifer Connelly), who is sent to a Swiss boarading school for girls. She has a special talent for communicating with insects, especially maggots and flys. And it is a good thing, because she is going to need it to help solve a series of murders in the area. My first problem with "Phenomena" (which was relesed in the U.S. under the name "Creepers") is that it bears a large resembelence to Argento's earlier film "Susperia"; also about a young girl who moves into an all girls boarding school where weird stuff is happeneing. This film is another one of those movies that only work when you are caught up in the moment and do not think too hard about what is going on in the long run. Believe it or not, the fact that Jennifer can talk to animals is probably the most plausable aspect of the movie. Then you start trying to connect the dots, it makes for spotty work at best. For example, the characters seem to be able to make intuitive deductions without much evidence to go on; they seem to show up at the right place at the right time for no appeareant reason. And the pet monkey seems to be able to find a weapon just in the nick of time (I didn't know people just throw away perfectly good, never been used, streight razors all the time in a trash can in the middle of the woods) and know just how and when to use it. The audio mix on the DVD is also a little off, and I don't mean because it was dubbed into English from Italian. The soundtrack (which by the way is very cool, Iron Maidon and Motorhead!!) seems to have been placed in at the most inappropriot places in the movie. The actors just did what they had to do; Jennifer Connelly was playing the Nancy Drew bit to the hilt. Donald Pleasents basicly plays Dr. Sam Lomis (from "Halloween") again, this time wheel chair bound with a monkey and maggot covered severed head for company. The others are pretty forgetable. I did like the photography, it was well lit and the locations and settings were phenominal (no pun intended). So, it is just an interesting foot note in Italian cinema.

Horrors fans only
Occasionally I watch a gross-out horror movie, if I like the actor and it has high reviews. I tend to forget that the high reviews always come from horror fans.

And I have yet to see such a movie that was really good by ordinary film standards. This is no exception. Basically the story and logic is sacrificed for cheap horror effects, like maggot-eaten faces.

The one good thing about it is Jennifer Connelly, who even at this tender age was the prettiest thing on two legs.

4 words...
Jennifer Connelly, Iron Maiden.

That says it all. Any movie with Jennifer and the Maiden in it is just freaking awesome! ... Read more

Reviews (78)

The Last of Fulci's Fun Four
Italian maestro/hack director Lucio Fulci made four fun and gory, over-the-top B-horror films during the late seventies/early-eighties heydays of the genre. The House by the Cemetery follows Zombies 2, City of the Living Dead, and The Beyond as the final film of this outrageous quartet.Catriona (Katherine) MacColl and Paolo Malco play a New York Couple who move to a haunted house in Boston with their young son who is warned by the ghost of a little girl to stay away. They don't, of course, and suffer the formulaic consequences. Basically, it's just a rip-off of The Shining and The Amityville Horror with the usual bad dialogue and gory make-up effects Fulci fans have come to expect and relish. The story structure seems to repeat that of The Beyond which was released the same year.Fulci's films like all the others of this genre, are an acquired taste. It's not Oscar material so if you don't take it seriously and watch it with some friends in the dark, you might have some fun with it. For Fulci fans (like myself) this is a must-see and a must-have addition to your DVD collection. All others with fragile, little minds and weak stomachs may want to reconsider.

Classic (with a reservation for newbies)
Another one of the vaguely Lovecraftian italian horrors from Lucio Fulci (see also Gates of Hell and The Beyond). The format has evolved from his previous outings of hordes of zombies to a spookier, phsychic-ghost story instead. In fact, it's kind of a cheap-skate version of The Shining.

To really appreciate this film (or any of Fulci's horror films) you have to be prepared to forgive a lot of cinematic badness. Dubbing, dialogue, plot coherence, the occasional dodgy special effect (not so bad in this film - no one can forgive the toy spiders in The Beyond) ... as a matter of fact, you may wonder what's so great about this film at all. Well, I'll tell you ... Fulci is a master cinematographic "painter". Scenes look gorgeous, and they really suit the feel of this gothic film. Also, Fulci has a habit of pulling something really shocking out of the hat at a moment's notice (you'll know it when you see it - let's just say in this film it involved a child's head, a door and an axe). But what really turns on the legion of Fulci fans out there is the gore. Set piece, outrageous gore scenes pop up ever fifteen to twenty minutes as minor characters walk on only to get bumped off in various splattery ways. House isn't as gory as his earlier zombie films but it's still pretty hard. (BTW - although the case says Rated: R, this is the uncut version of the film.)

Oh yeah, and Catriona MacColl is in it.

You either "get" Fulci films or you don't. If you're prepared to willfully ignore the technically bad aspects of the film, you'll be rewarded with a rich, bloody, gothic horror classic. Films like this will never be made again.

House By The Cemetery Delivers!!
This was the first Lucio Fulci film I've had the pleasure of viewing! I look forward to seeing his other works! The House by the Cemetery hits on all points of a horror movie! It's creepy, eerie and has some awesome killing scenes and GORE!! They don't call Lucio "The godfather of gore" for nothing! The acting? Well, sub-par at best. Plot? Interesting, but not deep. The dubbing well it's pretty bad but who cares it's a great horror film.

The Boyle family move from their cramped New York apartment into an old mansion near Boston so that the father can do some needed research. The new tenants, unbeknownst to them, have a god awful secret living in their basement. A certain Dr. Freudstein has been housed below since 1879 and has kept himself alive by murdering inhabitants of the mansion and using their cells to keep his body going. Gore, horror, and great special effects makes a visit to the House by the Cemetery a killer stay! A knife through the skull, nice throat ripping and slashing, decapatation, and some maggot spewing make for a "pleasurable" movie for the avid horror fan.

We all know horror movies aren't supposed to be deep with Academy Award winning acting. If we wanted that we wouldn't be watching this type of film. I can't compare this film to Fulci's other works because I haven't seen any others, but to me this was impressive and one I would recommend to fans of the genre!!

It's Dr Freudstein!
I picked up this little gem for about 5 bucks from a local used DVD shop. I would recommend this to fans of older horror movies. True, the dubbing does suck and the acting is questionable, but the last 15 minutes of this movie almost make up for it. Dr. Freudstein is truly one of the most twisted and interesting villians I've yet seen in a horror movie and its easy to see Rob Zombie's inspiration for his Dr. Death character in House of 1000 Corpses. Not to mention, there's a few scenes near the end that push the gore envelope to the max! Love the maggot-stew gushing out of Freudsteins wounds... Truly twisted!! They don't make gore effects like this anymore, i hate CGI gore!!

A Four for Gore says this Fulci Fanatic
The great thing about Lucio Fulci movies on DVD is that you can skip right to the gore without the annoying need to fast forward or rewind those worn out ol' vhs tapes found at your local video store. I assume that if you're searching this movie on amazon, you know about Fulci or you've heard about him from one of your horror-movie buddies and you want to know what all the fuss is about.

Let me fill you in. House by the Cemetary is not Fulci's goriest movie, but it is his most atmospherically directed. Don't get me wrong, there is some good gore, but if you haven't ever seen a Fulci movie before and want to know what all the goreheads are raving about, start with Zombie, The Beyond, or even City of the Living Dead. House by the Cemetary is a good second or third Fulci movie to check out if you dig him.

The plot (as if you care) is this: a family moves into a house by a cemetary (who'd a thunk it!) though the cemetary really never comes into play in the movie. Go figure. The son of the family keeps seeing a red-haired little girl who warns him of imminent danger. The house is full of giant bats and weird noises, and a killer lurks in the basement. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Here's the rundown on the gore (yep, I knew this was what you were really interested in): first scene of the movie, a young woman is stabbed in the head. Later on, another woman is impaled by some kind of metal pole. Cue the capitation. A throat gets ripped out. A bat gets knived in gooey fashion. This, more or less, is the extent of it. For a Fulci film, this is pretty conservative.

Despite his penchant for gore, Fulci has a nice creepy vibe flowing through HBTC, starting early on with the image of the girl standing by a window in an old picture. The woods and tombstones around the house add a nice air of eerie atmosphere. The performances are ok, but the dubbing for the blonde kid is ridiculously annoying.

Some of you may wonder what the deal is with Fulci. For instance, ine one scene Fulci implies that something is going on between the father of the family and the new nanny by cutting between their two eyes peering at one another; however, nothing SEEMS to be going on between them. These sort of weird "what's this all about" camera tricks and moments pop up through the film, but remember this is a Fulci flick. Weirdness is the order of the day, and forget about it.

Despite himself, Fulci has a nice nightmarish quality to his work that, no matter how silly it seems, can seep into your dreams. ... Read more

Description

In this riveting, high-energy suspense thriller, special effects wizard Rollie Tyler (Brian Brown) is enlisted by the Justice Department to stage what will be the most elaborate assignment of his lifetime--if it doesn't kill him first! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Refreshing Suspense Movie
F/X is an abbreviation for movie "special effects." Bryan Brown plays a special effects creator who unwittingly becomes part of a conspiracy. He is supposed to be a pawn who is to be eliminated. Instead of despairing and panicking, he uses his wits and his effects to elude his pursuers, who are not even identified until the end. F/X was produced in 1986, long before the sophisticated computer generated effects ubiquitous today. Yet the movie is not outdated. Rather, it is a classic that will leave you smiling. The clever, maze-like plot, and the great team of Bryan Brown and Bryan Dennehy add up to a refreshing, surprising classic of the 80's.

Sadly, the sequel - FX2 - is a big letdown.

Good Low Budget Fun!
Me and my brother were flipping through the TV channels, and nothing was on, I mean nothing. Anyway we got to the Movie Channel (STAR Movies) and saw what looked like the opening credits, and then big blue words came across the screen reading "F/X." So we watched it, saw if it was any good. Let me say we were pretty surprised! It was pretty obvious that it was shot on a low budget. That made me like it all the more! Becuase you usually get a famous rich director and writers to put together a good action/suspense movie. But those movies, sience the director has alot of money he just figures he'll blow the hell out of everything. It gets pretty annoying. But that is what I love about this movie. Sense they didn't have a lot of money they kept the movie good was the writing and directing. Dispite the name (F/X) it is not what the movie reliys on. It relies on a smart plot and even smarter plot twists. You never know who the villian is. Plus the well mantled suspense is a plus. I cant say the biggest part of the plot, but I can sya what it starts with. This aussie dude who makes special FX for movies (hense the name) is assigned to stage an assination on a gang member (but not really kill him, just make it look like he got killed with his special effect tricks. But after that it just takes so many turns, it makes it into a fantastic whodunit. I reccomend this for anyone who enjoys a well written and directed whodunit that will keep you thinking and guesing till the last bullet is shot.

F/X is a great movie with clever ideas in plot and action!
F/X starring Brian Brown and Brian Dennehy is a great Action/ Suspense thriller! This is about a special effects man who is hired by the Witness Protection program to stage an assination of a crime lord. Rollie Tyler(Brian Brown) was baited to take the blame for the assination and now he must prove his inoccents and must confront the man who framed him. Mason is the guy who hired Rollie Tyler (Brian Brown) to take the fall. Leo McCarthy(Brian Dennehy) is the tough Cop who must find Rollie and figure out who resposible for these deaths. A very ingenious movie! Clever plot with suprises and tricks! Highly Recommended!

A lot of fun
F/X was one of my favorite thriller of the '80s, a genuinely fun action film that takes itself just seriously enough to make its story credible but at the same time remains blissfully free of the delusions of grandeur that have led to so many overproduced, ultimately empty headed and painfully dull "thrillers" over the past couple of years. In short, F/X is the type of unpretentious, engaging film that could never be made by a Michael Bay or most of the other directors produced out of the Jerry Bruckhiemer School For Technocrats Who Like To Blow Things Up Real Good.

The always underrated australian actor, Bryan Brown, plays Rollie -- an independent special effects artist who specializes in creating gore effects for cheap horror and action films. Indeed, when we first meet him, he is working on a film that bares a hilarious resemblance to Brian DePalma's Scarface which, whatever its qualities, is most definitely represenative of the type of film that F/X strives not to become. Brown is recruited by an uptight but reassuringly paternal federal agent (Mason Adams) to help fake the death of a mobster (Jerry Orbach) about to go into the federal witness protection program. Once Brown agrees to help, he finds himself being targeted and pursued by mysterious killers who might be the government, might be the mob, or might be something else.

The film's main selling point is that, in order to protect his own life and clear his name once the police become convinced that he's a murderer, Brown is forced to rely on his expertise in hollywood special effects. While that certainly is true, it also makes the film sound a lot more gimmicky than it actually is. As opposed to its sequel, F/X never allows itself to become reliant solely on that gimmick. Instead, the film concentrates on presenting its fast-paced plot which, over the course of many twists and turns, avoids the common action film fate of collapsing on the wieght of its own complications. That said, the F/X sequences are pretty cool and the film's conclusion provides perhaps the wittiest advertisement for superglue that I've ever seen.

The film's main strength comes from the cast who all seem to be having a good time on screen and bring a surprising sense of conviction to roles that could easily have been played as B-movie stereotypes. Bryan Brown is one of those charismatic, obviously talented leading men who rarely gives a bad performance yet for whatever reason (though making movies like Cocktail probably didn't help) has never become a bona fide star. Playing the lead in this film, he proves that he did have the talent and the charisma to be a leading man and indeed, his low-key but likeable lead performance is reponsible for a great deal of F/X's strength. As the gruff police detective who becomes Brown's ally, Brian Dennehey is -- well, he's Brian Dennehey and, as always, that's more than good enough. That said, he also brings a welcome sense of humor to the proceedings and he proves once again that nobody in the '80s delivered profanity as wittily and skillfully as Brian Dennehey. The rest of the cast is full of character actors who all turn in nicely quirky performances with the standouts being Diane Venora who is sweet as Brown's girlfreind (whose ultimate fate -- if predictable -- is also well handled and rather sad), Cliff De Young who gives perhaps his best variation on his standard Yuppie henchman role in this film, Joe Grifasi as Dennehey's put upon partner, Mason Adams who perfectly captures the essence of everyone's kindly but kinda strange uncle, and the great Jerry Orbach who, playing a mobster with an all-important pace maker, overacts as if the world depending on it but is still a lot of fun to watch because, afterall, he's Jerry Orbach. They all come together to create (without any trendy angst or computerized special effects to show us what animated human beings look like when they get blown up) one of the most purely enjoyable movies of the '80s.

Starts well, meanders into blandness.
Bryan Brown is a special effects man who is caught up in a government conspiracy after a major mishap. This "high-tech" thriller begins fairly well before falling apart with badly choreographed action scenes, predictable twists, and a very underwhelming finale. ... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante) is an American reporter living in Rome who witnesses what appears to be a murder. Trapped by a glass wall, he can't intervene, but does manage to scare off the killer. Wounded, the victim survives, and Dalmas's curiosity drives him to look further into the story, but he soon finds himself and his girlfriend in jeopardy and stalked by the would-be murderer. Director Dario Argento's debut film is a remarkable work, more restrained than many of his later films. Based on an obscure 1950s pulp novel, Bird draws heavily on Hitchcock, as well as on American novelists such as Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich.At the same time, its execution makes it a highly original, inventive, and fast-paced film that plays with the conventions of the thriller genre. As was often the casewith Hitchcock's work, Dalmas is a spectator to the original crime, reflecting the voyeuristic role of the film audience. He's an ordinary guy who unravels the circumstances of the crime until he comes across the most unlikely scenario, a device also reminiscent of Hitchcock. The score, editing, and camera work, however, give the film a distinctly Italian stamp, and established Argento as a stylish, innovative director to watch. The scene in which Dalmas is chased through the streets by a gun-toting assassin, in particular, is a little gem of suspense. Modern-day thrillers should hope to live up to this film's intelligence, energy, and intricate plot twists.--Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Broad appeal for Argento's debut feature
Even those who don't care for writer-director Dario Argento's later baroque extravaganzas may warm to his debut feature "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" (L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo, 1969), a well-received thriller in which an American writer living in Rome (Tony Musante) witnesses an assault on a woman in an art gallery and is subsequently targeted by the would-be assassin, a crazed psychopath who's been terrorizing the city with a series of brutal murders. Typical of an Argento thriller, the hapless hero's investigation unleashes a cycle of violence which culminates in a climactic unmasking that will take some viewers completely by surprise. Loosely inspired by Fredric Brown's novel 'The Screaming Mimi' (filmed under that title in 1958), Argento's first film is a fairly straightforward thriller with horror asides, anchored by a strong narrative, an increasingly bizarre series of supporting characters, and a strong Everyman hero who slots the puzzle together piece by piece before realizing that the most important clue to the killer's identity was there in front of him all the time. Musante is given excellent support by English actress Suzy Kendall as his girlfriend (the scene in which she's besieged alone in her apartment as the killer hacks through the door with a knife is truly the stuff of nightmares) and Enrico Maria Salerno as the cop charged with finding the killer before he/she strikes again.

Despite Argento's prior screenwriting credits, including significant contributions to the script of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" (C'era una Volta il West, 1969), producers were unconvinced of his directorial abilities and wanted to pull him off the picture during the first few weeks of shooting, but Argento persevered under an iron-clad contract and ultimately proved his critics wrong with the finished product, a genuinely engrossing mystery punctuated by scenes of explicit horror. The film puts a late-1960s Italian spin on the kind of movie that Hitchcock had already popularized in America, and is leavened with the same kind of uproarious humor: Salerno gets the best line of dialogue during a police line-up when he despairs: "How many times do I have to tell you? Ursula Andress belongs with the transvestites, not the perverts!" And later, an outrageously camp antiques dealer offers a jaw-dropping description of one of the killer's former victims: "It was said she preferred women. I couldn't care less - I'm no racist, for heaven's sake!" Briskly edited by Franco Fraticelli, and featuring a brief appearance from distinctive character actor Reggie Nalder ("Mark of the Devil", "Salem's Lot") as an assassin-for-hire, "Bird" is arguably Argento's warmest, most humane thriller until "Tenebrae" (Tenebre) in 1982.

VCI's region-free DVD runs 95m 47s (not including the UMC logo at the beginning, which wasn't part of the original film) and restores all of the violence that was cut from the initial US theatrical release. The restored material is derived from a separate source - possibly VHS - and is of lesser quality than the bulk of the film, which offers a bright, colorful rendition of the Cromoscope image, slightly reframed to 2.20:1 (from the original 2.35:1), anamorphically enhanced. VCI were forced to issue a 'corrected' version of the disc when it was discovered that one of the restored sequences - the bedroom murder - had been edited incorrectly. However, both versions offer an unnecessary two-channel stereo 'enhancement' of the mono original which sounds more than a little forced and unnatural, made worse because the dialogue is badly out of sync for the duration of the movie, and while the film relies primarily on Vittorio Storaro's widescreen visuals, the audio blemish provides a hideous distraction during prolonged conversation sequences. Ennio Morricone's lilting, melancholy music score is cut off at the end, just as the last credits disappear from the screen, whereas it continued for almost another minute in the theatrical version. There's a letterboxed trailer and an audio-only soundtrack option, but no captions or subtitles of any kind.

Fast-paced and clever
There are two types of Dario Argento films: those after "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" (excluding "The Five Days of Milan," which was never released in the U.S.) and those before it. "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage," Argento's first film, belongs to the category of the before and includes the noticeable differences between the two. While the entire body of Argento's work is something to admire, his first three films are surprisingly well-plotted, given Argento's notorious lack of interest in matters of narrative structure. "Bird" begins with Sam Dalmas, an American writer living in Rome, witnessing an attempted murder in an art gallery. Though he is unable to do anything, his fortuitous arrival saves the victim from almost certain death. His passport confiscated and at first held as a suspect, Sam is told by the police that this is the fourth attack in one month. The only difference is, the victim, a beautiful woman named Monica Ranieri, was the first to survive. Troubled by the idea that he saw something that didn't quite fit, he soon begins his own investigation, putting both his life and the life of his girlfriend at great risk. Several attempts are made on their lives, and everytime Sam is able to learn of someone who might be able to help him, that person is murdered. Finally, in a double-twist ending, Argento reveals the identity of the killer in a cleverly constructed manner. A pure delight from start to finish, "Bird With the Crystal Plumage" is one of the most entertaining (if minimal) thrillers since Hitchcock. Another attribute is Argento's knack for always creating a cast of wonderfully offbeat characters. Be sure to catch Inspector Morosini's exclamation regarding the "perverts" in the line-up sequence. Black humor is equally interwoven with generous amounts of suspense to create a fast-paced and clever mystery/thriller.

A brillant debut!!!
I saw this movie after seeing many other films from the master of horror Dario Argento and I was a little scared about this one but surprisingly I found it very interesting for a first picture from a new director. The cold colors, the calculating plot and suspense keep you into a nail bitting tension from the start to the end. The only bad thing from the movie is probably the english traduction but this is very often from foreign motion pictures. It`s a must for the fans of Dario but also a great thriller for the others.

His first and arguably one of his best
I really couldn't tell you why I have yet to watch every film in Dario Argento's filmography. A few years ago it was easy to claim ignorance of many of this Italian director's important works because it was often so difficult to find any of them in an uncut form. Fortunately, DVD arrived on the scene and salivating film fans with dollars to spend prodded numerous companies to start churning out any movie they could get their hands on to satiate the masses. It wasn't too long before practically every Argento film arrived on store shelves, with many of these releases being the uncut, unrated editions. Even Troma, the flagship of flaccid filmmaking, released a so-so version of Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome." People outside of the world of Italian horror cinema have most likely never heard of Dario Argento, unfortunately. These days, more people are familiar with the director's beautiful daughter Asia than with the horror maestro himself. What a shame. Argento's films, at least the ones I have seen, are masterpieces of style injected with truly cringe inducing gore. And to think it all started in earnest with this engaging Hitchcockian thriller, "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage." Argento and his fans never looked back, but this is an apt starting point for those unfamiliar with this director's work.

An American reporter staying in Rome witnesses a truly shattering event one evening when he sees a gruesome assault takes place inside of an art gallery. Barred from interfering with the proceedings due to huge sliding glass doors, Sam Dalmas can only look on with horror as two figures, one clad entirely in black and the other a woman, struggle with each other over a very shiny knife. The person in black flees the scene of the crime, leaving behind the hapless woman with a knife wound to the abdomen. When Dalmas does his duty by calling in the police, his story leads the officers to cast a doubtful eye on the concerned American. The police insist that Sam stay in Rome until the investigation turns up some clues, much to the consternation of Dalmas and his pretty girlfriend Julia. It seems that Sam was planning to leave Rome, but all bets are off as more murders occur that the police suspect are linked to the crime seen by Dalmas. Moreover, Julia and Sam start receiving grim phone calls from an unknown person who almost certainly is the figure behind these crimes. Our hero is in a real fix, with his only supporters being his woman and a friend who works at a museum. At least the cops start to come over to his side as the bodies pile up, especially once they listen to those eerie phone calls. A unique sound in the background of one of these calls provides the break Dalmas needs to identify the killer he saw on that fateful night. The conclusion has more twists and turns than a cyclone.

"The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" helped inaugurate the era of the Italian giallo (Italian for yellow), so named because in Italy cheap paperback crime novels came with yellow covers. These are the films with the anonymous, black-gloved killers toting gruesome looking knives while stalking their mostly female prey. The crimes are often seen from the point of view of the killer, giving the audience the impression that they are part of the heinous murders. Argento plays the giallo for all its worth here, matching this disturbing technique with a great score by the inestimable Ennio Morricone and camera work rarely seen in the horror genre. The cinematography here is simply divine, with the director including a shot from the point of view of a man falling from a tall building and an ultra cool scene where the camera points at a lighted doorway from inside a darkened room. All these elements combine to make this film a taut thriller of enormously entertaining dimensions. Moreover, of the few Argento films I have seen to date, "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" contains one of his most coherent plotlines.

Gorehounds might find themselves a bit disappointed with the lack of the trademark Argento gore (no sharp corners to bash a head against here!) in this movie, but the stellar camera work, truly creepy scenes of murder and mayhem, and the strong performances from Tony Musante as Sam Dalmas and Suzy Kendall in the Julia role more than make up for the 'PG' rating. Still, that rating made me wonder a bit about what the people at the MPAA were thinking when they viewed this picture. There is upsetting violence here, along with some truly disturbing scenes that hint at where Argento would go in the future. The way the killer caresses those weird looking blades (one of which, I am almost certain, appeared in a later Argento film called "Deep Red") and the participatory effect the audience feels during the killings makes you wonder how this movie got off with such a mundane rating.

The DVD version of "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage" is strictly bare bones: you get the film and a trailer, which is good considering its relative obscurity but could have been better. As others have said, the audio is quite muzzy at times and the picture quality isn't anything to write home to mother about. After viewing this picture and a couple of other Argento films, I must say I really enjoy how these movies mess with your mind. Just when you think you know what's going on, good old Dario throws another curveball. He does this in many of his films, but he does it here for the first time. What a joy it is to watch it today!

A SUSPENSEFUL THRILLER!!!
THIS FILM HAS THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE FOR A CREEPY THRILLER AND IT KEEPS YOU INTERESTED THROUGHOUT.
THE MOVIE ALSO FEATURES A "SURPRISE" ENDING THAT YOU PROBABLY WON'T PREDICT.
IT'S FAIRLY SAFE TO SAY THAT THIS THRILLER SUCCEEDS ON ALL LEVELS AND IS A GOOD WAY TO PASS 100 MINS. PLUS!!
I ENJOYED THIS HORROR THRILLER AS YOU WILL WHEN YOU SEE IT!!
IF YOU ENJOY THE MOVIES OF HITCHCOCK, YOU MAY ENJOY THIS FILM ALSO!! ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Argento's On A Roll
Argento takes a break from the supernatural to return to his giallo roots. Many fans consider this one of his best and I'd agree with that. As I said before, it's a return to giallo, so the plot isn't 100% original, but it has some original ideas put into it. Plus, with the way Argento films his movies, does it really matter what it's all about? Tenebre is an awesome whodunit slasher flick that actually manages to keep you in the dark about the killer's identity. It's also got some of his most stylishly orchestrated murder scenes(you know which one I mean in particular). I've noticed upon repeated viewing that alot of modern so called "horror" films have freely borrowed from this film. That's an old story coz most Italian horror films have had their ideas stolen for modern horror. But, no matter how young and pretty you make the cast or how much you MTV it up for today's AD&D audience, no one can get close to Italy's style. And it's probably impossible to get anywhere near Argento's in particular. This leaves me totally flabbergasted by the rumors of a Suspiria remake! Think about that for a second, will ya-THERE ARE RUMORS THAT SUSPIRIA IS GONNA BE REMADE BY AN AMERICAN STUDIO!!!

Argento's true masterpice
Absolutely marvelous! Featuring sophisticated, super-stylish cinematography, an engrossing plot, a hauntingly eerie score, and overly gratuitious gore, Tenebre is a must see for any true horror fan. Argento was inspired to write this after an obsessed Suspiria fan sent him a death threat, and the result is a raw, thoughtful piece of Italian horror. Once again, a trademark Argento killer with a predilection for black leather gloves is on the loose...inspired by murders from the protagonist's latest novel Tenebre. Of course, the movie is superbly shot and utilizes suspenseful vouyeristic angles. The music couldnt be more suitable, but the acting could have used some work. Among the most memorable scenes include flashbacks featuring real life transexual Eva Robins; these scenes are beautifully shot and quite vague until the end. Also this film contains the bloodiest axe murder i have ever seen in my eighteen years...it will send shivers down your spine! Granted, Tenebre is an extremely violent and gory film, but make no mistake; the kills are elegantly executed and done with such finesse that one almost forgets that murder is wrong. In comparison, over-top-gore films such as Dead Alive or Dawn of the Dead seem rather crass and childish. Though many consider Deep Red (an excellent film, by the way) to be Argento's masterpiece, I side with Tenebre. The pace is much, much quicker, the camera work is more complex, deaths are more dramatic, and the plot held my attention the whole way through. Deep Red (the full, uncut 126 minute version),with all due respect, suffers from pointless, lengthy dialogue and a few uneventful sequences..great ending though! If you have a choice, pick Tenebre. What Im trying to say is that Dario Argento is unequivocally the master of horror. Don't miss this one!

AWESOME SUSPENSFUL THRILLER!!
This was the first film of Dario Argento I had the privledge of watching and I must say I loved it. The film kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering who the killer was. Interesting, nicely paced plot, decent acting, eerie soundtrack and great killing scenes make for an amazing flick.

I was so impressed with Tenebre that I wanted to check out other Argento works as well but "Suspiria" was the only one I could find around here. So if you have the privledge of seeing any Argento films I would check them out starting with Tenebre. That's how good this movie is!!

one of argento's best
I've seen 7 of his movies total after being very impressed with
the first movie I watched by him suspiria. Out of Suspiria, Phenomena, Deep Red, Stendhal Syndrome, Sleepless and Inferno I would have to say this is one of my favorites. I even own the soundtrack its great !@#

One of Argento's best
This easily ranks among my top 5 from Dario Argento.

This gem tells the tale of a horror author Peter Neal and his newest book, Tenebre. The book is deemed by some to be sick and sexist (since the victims in the book are females). However, a homicidal fanatic is killing people in the same fashion of the book! The movie definately has the stylish touch of Mr. Argento. Also, I found the cast to be rather superb (John Saxon is in it, and he always gives a good performance). A nice surprise ending too (though it would be somewhat copied in Stendhal Syndrome). Definately worth watching. Hell, buy it! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Ahhhh...The Pasta Land Chunk Blowers
Anyone into Italian horror movies during the mid to late '80's should know about the "Past Land Chunk Blowers" from reading Chas Balun's "Piece 'O Mind" column in GoreZone magazine or his other publication, Deep Red. They include such juicy titles as Cannibal Holocaust, Dawn of the Mummy, Burial Ground, Buried Alive, Dr. Butcher MD, and a score of others. Jungle Holocaust (aka Ultimo Mondo Cannibale) was Ruggero Deodato's first cannibal movie, made a few years before Cannibal Holocaust. It's not quite as well known, or notorious, as Cannibal Holocaust, but it does have a pretty good story. A plane crash lands in the jungle. At nightfall the cannibals creep out of the jungle and end up killing all but two of the survivors. They build a raft in order to escape down river, but it crashes on some rocks. The two survivors get separated and the rest of the movie chronicles the capture of Robert (one of the two survivors) by the cannibals. Of course the plot is secondary to the humiliation and torture that the main character goes through at the hands of the cannibals. Near the end of the movie, Robert escapes with the help of a hot looking cannibal babe (played by Me Me Lai, who went on to become a cannibal movie veteran). The tribe eventually catches up to them, and they get some really gory revenge on the traitorous cannibal woman. Here's some other "Third World Cannibal Movies": Cannibal Ferox (aka Make Them Die Slowly, Trap Them and Kill Them (aka Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals), Man from Deep River, White Cannibal Queen, Eaten Alive (aka The Emerald Jungle).

Wow! Dynamite!
Woooo! I wasn't expecting too much,frankly, but I couldn't take my eyes off this real jolt of a cinematic experience. Released in l977, this one-of-a-kind film has played constantly around the world--in a thousand different versions. On this sumptuous Shriek Show DVD production, you're finally watching the uncut version. First of all, my DVD package contained numerous hand-size posters from the movie. They're beautifully reproduced. Then you've got commentary by the film's director/producer, Ruggero Deodato, but best of all--you've got a very recent on-camera interview with the fabulous Massimo Fosche who makes this movie the gem it is. Thirty years after making this movie, Massimo looks amazingly fit, handsome and charismatic. And charm galore. This is what comes across in this supposedly "true" story of an explorer who descends into cannibal hell. You've got to see Massimo to know what I'm talking about. Luckily for us addicts of totally naked machismo, you see all of Massimo for much of the movie. Early on, he's stripped of all his clothes and he stays that way until near the end. His performance is simply stunning. As he and Ruggero state during their commentary/interview, no American actor would have accepted this brutal role. A George Clooney or a Bruce Willis would have demanded a trailer, a private gym, etc. The movie was made in four weeks right in the jungle. They had no stunt people, or special effects wizardry. As Ruggero tells the totally strange interviewer repeatedly, this movie was filmed ALL on location. As soon as he finishes saying this, the unseen interviewer then asks him: "What studio did you film these scenes in?" Huh? Even more bizarre, when the brutal scene of the femme lead--Me Me La--is shown, being butchered and her entrails devoured, the interviewer then thoughtfully asks: "Was this really the actress here?" Even the unflappable Ruggero is momentarily stunned and after a pause says quietly: "No, this was not a real actress. This was a dummy." An on-camera interview with the secondary male lead, Ivan Rassimov reveals an obviously ailing man who looks like Massimo's grandfather. He doesn't even remember where the movie was shot! (It was on location, Ivan, in the jungles of Malaysia). One has to admist that Ruggero does wander a bit in his commentary. In one scene, where the glorious Massimo is being held captive and the native girl uses her hand to, uh, pleasure him, you're dying to know how this scene was filmed. But our wonderful Ruggero has wandered way off the wall as he discusses the New York subway system! Just one personal note: Massimo is pure machismo in the best sense of the word. He's the type of strong, powerful man that you'd definitely want along in the jungle. As he states himself, he loves taking risks and living in the jungle. Next time you go, Massimo, let a couple of thousand of your new fans who've just discovered you via this DVD know so we all go along!

ATTENTION! GOOEY MOVIE ALERT!
Love this flick. Sicker they are, the better I say. Deodato was truly one of the masters of this style. I don't know if I would rank this up there with Cannibal Holocaust, though. Incidentally, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is available on dvd. (...)The name of the dvd website has been edited out. It is the last name of the character Michael Ironsides plays in SCANNERS. Enjoys

early cult fav-o by deodato
unfortunately, cannibal holocaust isn't available yet on dvd that i'm aware of but i have faith shreik show will eventually unleash it to the masses just like they did with jungle holocaust. this has to be one of the finest releases i've seen on shriek show & there are many goodies here. there is a packet of lobby cards for starters, some interviews with the cast & director, & original theatrical trailers for other disturbing cannibal or pyschological films released by none other than wonderful shreik show. muchas gracia shreik show! although i've never seen any of the much talked about cannibal classics by lenzi or deodato, i have to admit this film was quite entertaining & not nearly as sickening as i thought it would be. infact, this is more of an old-fashioned "we braved the wilderness" type of survival story with a bit of a romantic twist. having said that, i couldn't watch this film every anymore than one would watch hannibal lector films around the clock. jungle holocaust has moments of suspense which will literally make your skin crawl & scenes of graphic violence so it's certainly not intended for all viewers but most horror/ action fans will find this to be a real find. the acting here is incredible & i agree with the reviewer who stated that hollywood actors nowadays wouldn't go through what these guys did back in the '70s. jungle holocaust does have a relatively good ending although it's far from being a happy ever after. as you've probably read or heard, the love affair between our protagonist & the lovely phillipina is relatively shortened & doesn't end up very pretty. cannibal holocaust evidentally was based upon a true story from what i've read & is bound to generate atleast an upset stomach after viewing from many a viewer but certainly recommended if you are curious or if have seen other films in this genre. needless to say, i'd definately give ruggero deodato another try after viewing this disc in the future. happy viewings!

awful
I stopped this film half way through and put it in the bin.
There is no excuse for such animal cruelty being passed off as entertainment. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A gory, but definitive classic!
Like the similar 'Last House on the Left', you're either going to love this film, or hate it with a passion - there's no down the middle. Director Ruggero Deodato takes rape, suffering and violence to near-unbearable extremes, almost trying to out-do the terrors we witnessed in 'Cannibal Holocaust'.

This is only going to appeal to a certain crowd, and that crowd involves any serious horror fans, as well as fans of cult exploitation. Often, 'House on the Edge of the Park' is grim, unsettling and horridly disturbing. All in all, it actually does it's job as a horror film - it shocks, chills and disturbs in equal measure, with enough blood-letting to keep many gore fans happy.

The story follows the psychotic rapist Alex (an outstanding performance by David Hess, no matter how the film pans out), who takes his mentally-challenged friend Ricky (John Morghen) to a posh party. After being mistreated by the upper-class yuppies, Alex eventually reaches boiling point, and the party results in a tense and terrifying hostage situation, in which anyone can drop.

'House on the Edge of the Park' is an interesting and sometimes brilliant work, which has the disadvantage of not being everyones cup of tea. The violence is extreme, and uncomfortable to watch. In most respects, this isn't a mainstream film, since it's sleazy feel often makes it hard to sit through.

At the end of the day, this film does have it's flaws, but it doesn't stop it from being a classic of the genre. It's essentially a rip-off of 'Last House on