Italian Horror Film Directors

Italian Horror Film Directors

Author: Louis Paul

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-06-08

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 0786487496

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There is no cinema with such effect as that of the hallucinatory Italian horror film. From Riccardo Freda's I Vampiri in 1956 to Il Cartaio in 2004, this work recounts the origins of the genre, celebrates at length ten of its auteurs, and discusses the noteworthy films of many others associated with the genre. The directors discussed in detail are Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Antonio Margheriti, Aristide Massaccesi, Bruno Mattei, and Michele Soavi. Each chapter includes a biography, a detailed career account, discussion of influences both literary and cinematic, commentary on the films, with plots and production details, and an exhaustive filmography. A second section contains short discussions and selected filmographies of other important horror directors. The work concludes with a chapter on the future of Italian horror and an appendix of important horror films by directors other than the 50 profiled. Stills, posters, and behind-the-scenes shots illustrate the book.


Italian Horror Films of the 1960s

Italian Horror Films of the 1960s

Author: Lawrence McCallum

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2024-10-14

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1476605076

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Until I vampiri (The Vampires) in 1956, Italian filmmakers generally eschewed horror in favor of fantasy films and big screen spectacles. In the 1960s, the subjects became as varied as the filmmakers, ranging from the comic strip flavor of The Wild, Wild Planet (1966) to the surrealistic mixture of horror and social commentary of Fellini's "Toby Dammit" segment of Spirits of the Dead (1969). Arranged by English title, each entry includes Italian title, studio, running time, year of release, work the film is based on (when appropriate), and cast and credits. These data are followed by a lengthy essay, blending a plot synopsis with critical commentary and behind-the-scenes information.


Italian Horror Story

Italian Horror Story

Author: Paolo Prevedoni

Publisher: Bibliotheka Edizioni

Published: 2019-02-26T00:00:00+01:00

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 8869344975

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A cursed villa, a mystery buried in the past, a writer of horror novels to whom a book on bloody events was commissioned. Events that, over the years, have ravaged Miraniente, a small town in the province of the Po Valley. A novel that gets under the skin thanks to a style that is capable of conveying the sense of mystery, of the thrill and of restlessness. Prevedoni masterfully mixes all the best of the dark imaginary of the last forty years: the Buffalora of Tiziano Sclavi (Dellamorte Dellamore) and the Derry Clowny portrayed by Stephen King (IT) marry with the thriller of Argento's memory (Profondo Rosso) and the Gothic Padano of Pupi Avati (La casa dalle finestre che ridono). The gore atmospheres of Lucio Fulci (L'aldilà) go hand in hand with the sarcastic drifts of the 80's horror film (An American Werewolf in London) and come together in the Carpenter tones of Il seme della follia. A small masterpiece of horror literature that is unmatched in our publishing scene, which is able to remind us of the meaning (perhaps lost) of the word fear. Translation of Simone Scimia.


Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979

Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970-1979

Author: Roberto Curti

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-09-11

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1476629609

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Italian Gothic horror films of the 1970s were influenced by the violent giallo movies and adults-only comics of the era, resulting in a graphic approach to the genre. Stories often featured over-the-top violence and nudity and pushed the limits of what could be shown on the screen. The decade marked the return of specialist directors like Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda and Antonio Margheriti, and the emergence of new talents such as Pupi Avati (The House with the Laughing Windows) and Francesco Barilli (The Perfume of the Lady in Black). The author examines the Italian Gothic horror of the period, providing previously unpublished details and production data taken from official papers, original scripts and interviews with filmmakers, scriptwriters and actors. Entries include complete cast and crew lists, plot summaries, production history and analysis. An appendix covers Italian made-for-TV films and mini-series.


Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969

Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969

Author: Roberto Curti

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-03-27

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1476619891

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The "Gothic" style was a key trend in Italian cinema of the 1950s and 1960s because of its peculiar, often strikingly original approach to the horror genre. These films portrayed Gothic staples in a stylish and idiosyncratic way, and took a daring approach to the supernatural and to eroticism, with the presence of menacing yet seductive female witches, vampires and ghosts. Thanks to such filmmakers as Mario Bava (Black Sunday), Riccardo Freda (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock), and Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood), as well the iconic presence of actress Barbara Steele, Italian Gothic horror went overseas and reached cult status. The book examines the Italian Gothic horror of the period, with an abundance of previously unpublished production information drawn from official papers and original scripts. Entries include a complete cast and crew list, home video releases, plot summary and the author's analysis. Excerpts from interviews with filmmakers, scriptwriters and actors are included. The foreword is by film director and scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi.


The Book of Hidden Things

The Book of Hidden Things

Author: Francesco Dimitri

Publisher: Titan Books (US, CA)

Published: 2018-07-03

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1785657089

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Four old friends confront their darkest secrets in this fantasy steeped in nostalgia, folklore, religion, and the seductive landscape of Southern Italy—by the Italian Neil Gaiman. “A tale of adventure, mystery, friendship and heart-wrenching beauty that will make you re-examine what is holy, what is true, and what is beyond the realm of possibility.” —BookPage Four old school friends have a pact: to meet up every year in the small town in Puglia they grew up in. Art, the charismatic leader of the group and creator of the pact, insists that the agreement must remain unshakable and enduring. But this year, he never shows up. A visit to his house increases the friends’ worry: Art is farming marijuana. In Southern Italy doing that kind of thing can be very dangerous. They can’t go to the Carabinieri so must make enquiries of their own. This is how they come across the rumors about Art—bizarre and unbelievable rumors that he miraculously cured the local mafia boss’ daughter of terminal leukemia. And among the chaos of his house, they find a document written by Art, “The Book of Hidden Things”, that promises to reveal dark secrets and wonders beyond anything previously known. Set in the beguiling and seductive world of Southern Italy, Francesco Dimitri’s first novel in English is a story friendship, landscape, love, betrayal, and mystery that will entrance fans of Elena Ferrante, Neil Gaiman, and Donna Tartt.


The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1

The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, Volume 1

Author: Pilar Pedraza

Publisher: Valancourt Books

Published: 2020-12-08

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9781948405645

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What if there were a whole world of great horror fiction out there you didn't know anything about, written by authors in distant lands and in foreign languages, outstanding horror stories you had no access to, written in languages you couldn't read? For an avid horror fan, what could be more horrifying than that? For this groundbreaking volume, the first of its kind, the editors of Valancourt Books have scoured the world, reading horror stories from dozens of countries in nearly twenty languages, to find some of the best contemporary international horror stories. The stories in this volume come from 19 countries on 5 continents and were originally written in 13 different languages. All 20 foreign language stories in this volume are appearing in English for the first time ever. The book includes stories by some of the world's preeminent horror authors, many of them not yet known in the English-speaking world.


Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1980-1989

Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1980-1989

Author: Roberto Curti

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1476635242

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The Italian Gothic horror genre underwent many changes in the 1980s, with masters such as Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda dying or retiring and young filmmakers such as Lamberto Bava (Macabro, Demons) and Michele Soavi (The Church) surfacing. Horror films proved commercially successful in the first half of the decade thanks to Dario Argento (both as director and producer) and Lucio Fulci, but the rise of made-for-TV products has resulted in the gradual disappearance of genre products from the big screen. This book examines all the Italian Gothic films of the 1980s. It includes previously unpublished trivia and production data taken from official archive papers, original scripts and interviews with filmmakers, actors and scriptwriters. The entries include a complete cast and crew list, plot summary, production history and analysis. Two appendices list direct-to-video releases and made-for-TV films.


Argento Series

Argento Series

Author: Kevin Killian

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 98

ISBN-13:

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In his first collection of poetry, novelist Kevin Killian views the horrors of the AIDS pandemic through a narrow prism, the films of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento. Argento Series is structured like a horror film, populating deadpan reportage with badly drawn "characters" whose grisly deaths nevertheless come as an apocalyptic shock. For twenty years Killian's friends have been dying like flies--four flies on gray velvet, to borrow one of Argento's titles. And not only his friends, but millions of untold strangers, a catastrophe of such enormity that poetry itself gasps in its wake, deaf, blind, and speechless. Killian's poems are deceptively simple, quiet, and lyric, until the creaky melodrama of the giallo makes its entrance, screaming, like a virus--then the language shrieks and trembles. Argento Series is a testament to human suffering, a curse on the bureaucratic blindness that allows it to spread and grow, a call to political action unlike any other.