ma_staffeurorec

Blazing Magnums - one of the most perfect crime movies ever made. Stuart Whitmans best role.

Who Saw Her Die? - Beautiful and shocking giallo with a very convincing George Lazenby.

After The Fall of New York - Non-stop postapocalyptic action directed by Sergio Martino

Blood and Black Lace - The mother of all italian giallos and such a wonderful piece of cinema.

Mannekäng i rött - Swedish inspiration to Blood and black lace. Similar story, style and directing. Thriller - Ultra sexplotation and sleaxe, direct from the heart of land of Sin, Sweden!

The Living Dead Girl - Poor acting and non-existant script, but still the best when it comes to Jean Rollin.

Bay of Blood - Black and bloody comedy from the hands of the master, Mario Bava!

Nightmare City - The best of spanish-italian explotation. Directed with a unsteady hand by Umberto Lenzi.

Inglorious Bastards - a war classic by Castellari. Just action, bad oneliners and a lot of explosions.

Jungle Warriors - German-produced jungle-flick with Sybill Danning and Paul Smith, I never get tired of it. Dellamorte Dellamore - Michele Soavis fantastic movie. So great I can´t explain it.

The ultimate experience in cannibal horror that stands head and shoulders above all the others in terms of sheer impact, this is a film of unparalleled power that disgusts and provokes in equal measure. In detailing the unbelievably horrific fates of four documentary filmmakers at the hands of natives in the Amazon jungle, Deodato lets loose a truly Sadean avalanche of atrocities: animals killed on camera; rapings; impalings; an abortion; bodily dismemberment and disembowelment and much more. It leaves no viewer untouched and no stomach unturned. If the tortoise-killing scene doesn't disturb you, nothing will. I've seen this film dozens of times and I still feel like I've been punched in the gut with each viewing.

Fulci's most straightforward, satisfying and exciting living dead epic. Cannibal corpses run rampant on a remote Caribbean island; an underwater zombie fights a topless scuba diver and a shark; geysers of blood erupt from gnawed necks; hordes of zombies attack and get shot to death. But the all-time classic showstopper is the graphic close-up of Olga Karlatos getting the giant splinter straight in her eye--it's a moment of transcendent cinema that secures this film's status as a bona fide horror classic.

A feverish, frightening, gruesome and ghastly nightmare brought to life as only Fulci can. The suicide of a priest in the small New England hamlet of Dunwich drives the inhabitants mad with fear as we witness a series of bizarre events unified only by their ability to shock and nauseate: zombie invasions, a storm of maggots, a drill through a head. But the all-time gross-out highlight is the gut-barfing scene. Ugh.... Guaranteed to make you lose your last meal. Eerie, gruelling and inexplicably frightening all the way through.

Surely one of the most spellbinding zombie films ever made. Conventional narrative gets thrown to the winds as Catriona MacColl inherits a gloomy Louisiana hotel situated on one of the seven gateways to hell, leading to another series of grisly occurrences: eyes gouged out, a head dissolved by acid, taurantulas eating a face and (of course) a zombie invasion. A film to be surrendered to, not really followed, The Beyond is Fulci's most impressive artistic achievement in the horror genre, thanks to Sergio Salvati's lush photography and Fabio Frizzi's incomparable score.

The 8 1/2 of gore is a delirious, deliciously demented self-portrait of Fulci going crazy from making too many horror movies. Though it largely lacks the stylish and creepy texture of his work from the vintage late-70s/early- 80s period, this film positively wallows in gratuitous gore and vicious violence, making it easy to forgive its shortcomings. With Fulci paying homage to himself as much as he does to other Italian genre directors, this is an undeniably outrageous piece of horror cinema, and a must for Fulci fans.

A masterpiece. The definitive European art-horror film. Terrifying, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, eye-popping, ear-shattering, fascinating, flabbergasting, frightening, sweat-inducing, shocking, stunning, surprising--there aren't enough superlatives for Suspiria.

One of the maestro's most overlooked and underrated films, this insanely weird mystery--which involves a somnambulistic young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who communicates telepathically with insects to find a student killer in Zurich, enlisting the help of paralyzed entomologist Donald Pleasence, his insects, and a razor-wielding chimpanzee--stands out for its excellent score, sexy young schoolgirls and wonderfully panoramic shots of the Swiss countryside. I think it's great, although quicker pacing might have made it even better.

A virtual summation of Argento's cinema, this one's got it all: the mysterious, brutal, leather-gloved killer on the loose, terrorizing a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth; lush, baroque opera house settings; stunning camerawork (the swirling raven's POV shot still makes me dizzy); a soaring, sumptuous score, combining original pieces plus classical and heavy metal; and brilliantly executed murder scenes, staged and realized with the pure passion that only Argento has. Had it been as claustrophobic and terrifying as Suspiria, this would have been a hands-down masterpiece. Still, it's primo Argento.

Vastly underappreciated final feature film from Mario Bava. Chilling terror is in store for a famly moving back into the house where young mother Daria Nicolodi once lived with her drug-addicted husband, who seems to be coming back from the dead through their young son's bizarre behaviour, leading to mind-bending nightmares and hallucinations. Creepy and tense in the best tradition of haunted house movies.

Hilariously sleazy, violently visceral and unrelentingly dumb, this living dead film needs to be seen to be believed. Ancient Etruscan zombies rise from their graves to chow down on the partying guests at a rural Italian estate. Everyone dies horribly at the hands of the rotting undead. Blood flows, guts spill, flesh is eaten, and zombie monks join in the fun. A mother who lets her incestuous living dead son suck on her nipple before he bites it off and eats it is an all-time classic of tasteless movie moments, definitely not to be missed. This is everything a cheap, cheesy, zany zombie movie should be.

Blackened, skeletal, robed, hooded Knights Templar zombies rise from their tombs to seek human flesh and blood in this heavily atmospheric film. The Medieval dead look like something out of your creepiest nightmares, especially when they mount their living dead horses and gallop around in slow-motion. Add the incredible, chanting score by Anton Garcia Abril and you've got one of the scariest zombie films on record. Some scenes feel drawn-out even at fast-forward, but this still exerts a distinctive power that gets under your skin.

Classically textured, highly stylized and consistently compelling, this updating of the Elizabeth Bathory story is a sublime artistic achievement. The isolated, luxurious Belgian hotel setting seems to exist in a world all its own as a honeymooning couple run into Bathory and her servant girl Ilona, leading to sexual liasons and bloody consequences. Heavy on atmosphere and morbid eroticism, this is a definitive Euro-horror.

"The first erotic horror film for necrophiles!" John Waters proclaimed in the ads. Nekromantik is an unrelentingly sleazy, sordid and downbeat film about doomed love and inner torment, constantly focusing on images of decay and bodily functions. The rotted body of a man accidentally shot to death becomes the sexual plaything of a kinky couple; that is, until the girl becomes fed up with her boyfriend and runs off with the corpse! This leaves him alone to brood and sulk until he finally ends it all in what has to be one of the most outrageously over-the-top suicide scenes ever filmed: repeatedly plunging a knife into his stomach as his erect penis spits out semen, then blood. Call it tasteless, call it offensive, it's still corpse-fucking art.

In all honesty, I find this sequel more engaging and enjoyable than the first--though not quite as revolting. Here we get up-close and intimate with a female necrophile who digs up corpses and must choose between loving the living or the dead. Let's say she cheats and gets both in the knockout climax. Far too drawn-out and padded at times, it's still perverse and satisfyingly disgusting, while also being strangely moving and sentimental--an interesting combination I usually don't see enough of in horror.

My personal favourite adaptation of Bram Stoker's legendary tome, thanks to the loony story--Dracula travels to Italy to seek the blood of virgin girls--campy dialogue--"The Count's a vampire, so stop thinking about a wedding and start thinking about how we're going to kill him"--the gorgeous photography of the Italian countryside, and the sleek, lovely young women that Dracula attempts to seduce. The blood of experienced women makes Drac violently vomit in a couple of memorably sickening scenes. The film is augmented immeasurably by the wonderfully romantic, melancholy theme music by Claudio Gizzi that hardly anyone ever praises. Too bad, because it's one of the loveliest film scores I've ever heard.

High-class trash featuring Anthony Perkins in a gleefully demented dual role: Dr. Henry Jekyll by day, who turns into Mr. Jack Hyde at night under the influence of experimental crack-cocaine. Lovely women, bloody violence and hysterical histrionics from the cast is just for starters--superb symphonic music, debauched, orgiastic hallucinations and Kikoine's keen creation of atmosphere and style through photography makes this an unheralded winner.

I think this is the best of the Italian Nazi exploitation films spawned by the success of Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, The Night Porter and Salon Kitty. Though not as rough as other entries, like The Gestapo's Last Orgy or SS Camp 5: Women's Hell, this earns my praise for the ridiculously overblown performance of Salvatore Baccaro as the titular character, who screws women to death (even tearing off and eating a woman's pubic hair at one point) as an experiment conducted by the sinister Dr. Ellen Kratsch (Macha Magall). She loses control over her creature and becomes his last victim at the unforgettable climax. The dirt-cheap production adds to the sleazy fun (you can clearly see the shadow of the camera and its operators in the foreground in one scene), and there's a weird but enjoyable score by Giuliano Sorgini (uncredited).

This easily blows away all of Bava's other horror films (especially the overrated Macabre and A Blade in the Dark) thanks to the clever premise: sneak preview moviegoers get trapped in a bizarre theatre while watching a horror film that comes to life--call it Evil Dead crossed with The Purple Rose of Cairo. The claustrophobic movie theatre setting is used to maximum effect, and there are lots of brutally violent and chaotic fight scenes between humans and demons. Add the great, pounding score by the always-excellent Claudio Simonetti and you've got a great horror film--in spite of some ludicrous plot elements and a hackneyed series of fake endings. Favourite dialogue exchange: "Those screams sound real!" "It's just the Dolby system."

Few people have much good to say about Soavi's second feature, preferring to praise Stagefright and the wildly overrated Dellamorte, Dellamore, but I think it's his best. The story is basically Demons set in the title building: A gloomy, gothic cathedral traps the clergy and a bunch of people within its walls due to an ancient curse. Imaginative visual effects by Sergio Stivaletti, impressive cinematography, and a memorable organ score by Keith Emerson and the Goblins (with added touches provided by Philip Glass and Simon Boswell) greatly add to the effect. The story is a bit scattered at times, but the film still exerts a powerful atmosphere that I can't help but warm to.

This film is the one the started it all for me. Sure I had seen many European horror films in the past, but Suspiria allowed me to have a more focused look into the many different aspects of Italian horror.

Although I viewed this later at a point where I thought I'd seen all the great zombie flicks Europe had to offer, boy was I wrong!

When first viewed this I laughed, but it had the last laugh on me...now It's my favorite superhero/villian caper!

I don't care how many people found this too be a piece of crap, Mattei directs a zombie classic in my books! Loads of dripping gory flesh just oozing all over the place and can't forget Newton's safari dance ;) I first saw this under the old NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES print from Vestron.

My first foree into the wonderful Italian Poliziottsche and of course the highly popular Nico Giraldi series.

Again, this was one of the first zombie flicks I ever saw. Still as good today as it was back in the day.

Again I suffered years with having to view this cut under it's DR.BUTCHER M.D print, thank God for DVD!

Very good example of how the gialli transformed into mainstream horror and maybe ended the traditional way of looking at the gialli of old. Using much more gore and violence then those of the past.

One of those fond moments when you are a teenager first experiencing Franco for the first time. That scene where Kinski is cutting off the old tittie stuck with me!

The Godfather of the slasher genre, I remember searching high and low for a copy of this one!

My first Paul Naschy film and hooked for life! Also my introduction into the career of one of my favorite directors.

I remember during my zombie faze in my teens and renting this under it's REVENGE OF THE DEAD title, one thing came to mind...where were the damn zombies? Didn't matter though, great script and again thanks goes out to IMAGE for releasing this the way it should of the first time!

Classic gorefest from the gore maestro himself! Another film I first saw under it's cut title GATES OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Suspiria (1977) Dario Argento
Stunning use of color and cinematography, a sadistic Fairy Tale that makes the Grimm Brothers look like Walt Disney, and it also boasts the greatest horror soundtrack ever, provided by Claudio Simonetti and the Goblins. Stars Jessica Harper, Barbara Magnolfi, Stefania Casini, and Udo Kier. A true masterpiece, an inspiration, and the ultimate rarity- a flawless film.

Zombie AKA Zombi 2, AKA Zombie Flesh-Eaters (1979) Lucio Fulci
A film as iconic as George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. An unrelenting zombie film and a landmark of Italian gore- with the infamous "splinter in the eye" of Olga Karlatos as its crowning moment. Also stars Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver, and Tisa Farrow.

Black Sunday AKA La Maschera del Demonio (1960) Mario Bava
A black and white masterpiece of witch trials and vampirism starring the    incredible Barbara Steele. Dripping with atmosphere, proving the senior Bava a true Italian maestro worthy of the title "The Godfather of Gore".

The Awful Dr. Orlof AKA Gritos en la Noche (1962) Jesus Franco
On the surface a tried and true "mad scientist" film, in actuality a revolutionary work that introduced eroticism into the horror genre. An excellent opportunity to see Franco in the embryonic stage of his development as a director- at which point he was still nearly a decade ahead of his time.

Living Dead Girl AKA La Morte Vivante (1982) Jean Rollin
A tragic tale of two doomed souls in love, one of whom is forced to feed on the living to survive. Stunning, stark, desolate, depressing, sexy and graphically violent- a culmination of all that makes Jean Rollin's films so seductive- and easily his most accessible work to date.

Cannibal Ferox AKA Make The Die Slowly (1981) Umberto Lenzi
One of the many cannibal films of its era but my personal favorite. An unapologetic exploitation film, with stomach churning special effects by Gino De Rossi and numerous disturbing scenes of animal torture that some viewers may find too offensive to watch. This is purely and simply an act of pure sadism- only the experienced and jaded should risk watching it.

Bird With the Crystal Plumage AKA L'Uccello Dalle Piume di Cristallo (1970) and
Cat O' Nine Tails AKA Il Gatto a Nove Code (1971) Dario Argento
Early giallos by Argento, before his more adventurous fantasy/horror films Both f   ilms lead the viewer through numerous twists and turns, but unlike many in this genre, when the denouement occurs, the plot remains as tight as a gnat's asshole. Highly stylistic, sexy, and violent- a massive raw talent at work.

New York Ripper AKA Lo Squatartore di New York (1982) Lucio Fulci
Ultra-sleazy "travelogue" of New York City, more of a slasher than a giallo. Jack
Hedley plays the hard-boiled cop to perfection, Howard Ross plays a three fingered pimp, Alexandra Delli Colli masturbates in a porno theater, and Francesco De Masi provides a marvelously dated musical score.

What Have They Done To Solange? AKA Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange? (1972)
Massimo Dallamano
Brutal sexual murders take place at a girls school. After a roguish professor (played by Fabio Testi)i s accused of the murder of his coed girlfriend, he reconciles with his wife to find the true killer and prove his innocence. Excellent giallo greatly enhanced by the cinematography of Aristide Massaccesi (Joe D'Amato) and an Ennio Morricone score.

Blood and Black Lace AKA Sei Donne per L'Assassino (1964) Mario Bava
Lingerie models hide deadly secrets, and are knocked off one by one in the process. A highly stylistic giallo, often credited as one of the very first, with enough red herrings and plot twists to keep any genre fan happy- not to mention a wicked twist ending. Easy to see how strongly influenced Argento was by the    late Mario Bava, who mentored him.

Vampyros Lesbos AKA Las Vampiras (1970) and
She Killed in Ecstasy AKA Sie Totete en Ekstase (1970) Jesus Franco
Two extremely sleazy films with sadomasochism, lesbianism, and sexploitation the main attraction- those looking for gore turn elsewhere. Franco's quirky cinematic style which includes bizarre dialogue and nontraditional narrative flow, his beloved exterior shots, and iconoclastic jazz soundtracks are all here, as well as Howard Vernon, the lovely Ewa Stromberg, and the hands-down sexiest woman in Euro horror, Soledad Miranda, in two starring roles filmed just before her untimely death in a car wreck.

The Blind Dead AKA Noche del Terrore Ciego (1971) and
Return of the Blind Dead AKA Ataque de los Muertos sin Ojos (1973) Amando de Ossorio
The first two extremely atmospheric and unorthodox zombie films in a series of four- it is a close call, but I give Return of the Blind Dead a slight edge. The resurrected Knights Templar are missing their eyes, and track their victims by   sound- so the victims would do well not to scream. Sexy, violent, and, for some reason, haunting- they stick with you.

Short Night of the Glass Dolls AKA Malastrano (1971) Aldo Lado
American reporter Gregory Moore (Jean Sorel) lies in a state of suspended animation, between life and death, and through flashbacks, reveals the events that put him there- from his girlfriend's suspicious disappearance to the secret society he uncovers in his investigation. Another excellent giallo, with strong political content and an allegorical social message- it can also be enjoyed merely for its plot, execution, and Morricone score.

Nightmare City AKA Incubo Sulla Citta Contaminata (1980) Umberto Lenzi
A familiar premise- nuclear radiation has wrecked havoc and brought a plague of zombies to modern twentieth century man, whose technology is his undoing.   The military tries to simultaneously contain the outbreak and cover it up at the same time. Hugo Stiglitz and Laura Trotter, a married couple, simply try to survive. What sets this film apart is its nonstop action (as opposed to a focus on   gore and special effects), and a cast of zombies in the hundreds who also defy convention by moving fast, using weapons, and possessing the ability to organize and coordinate their efforts.

The Grapes of Death (1978) Jean Rollin
Pesticides infect the grapes used to make this year's wine, and the provincial French are afflicted with a disease whose symptoms are physical deformity and violent psychopathic behavior- not really a zombie film, although it is often described as such.. Another Rollin film with a beautiful young heroine who is, as always, doomed from the start. Heavy on dialogue and atmosphere, but with a bit more action than most Rollin films. Also features a small but memorable role by the legendary French porn star Brigitte Lahie.

Twitch of the Death Nerve AKA Reazione de Catena AKA Bay of Blood (1971) Mario Bava
Numerous players engage in a high stakes game of intrigue and murder in order to acquire a lucrative bay front property. Could be classified as a giallo, but is more of a slasher- and this is actually the film that inspired Friday the 13th an the entire "backwoods slasher" genre, most notably by its print ads that emphasized the films high body count. Plenty of naked flesh and gore- once again Mario Bava was ahead of his time.

Jungle Holocaust AKA Ultimo Mondo Cannibale (1977) Ruggero Deodato and
Slave of the Cannibal God AKA La Montagna del Dio Cannibale (1978) Sergio Martino
While both these films contain gore, they rely more on plot and character development than others in the sub-genre, and are excellent jungle adventures.   Both feature strong male leads (Massimo Foschi and Stacy Keach) and sexy female co-stars (Me Me Lai and Ursula Andress), respectively.

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) Werner Herzog
This remake of F.W. Murnau's classic silent vampire film is dark, brooding, and   highly atmospheric, from the brilliant German director who is not known for horror films, but whose work is well worth looking into nonetheless. Klaus Kinski has no trouble filling Max Schrek's shoes as Count Dracula/Orlok, and Isabelle Adjani is equally impressive in the Mina Harker/Lucy Westenra role (Herzog flipped the characters in his adaptation).

Zombi Holocaust AKA Doctor Butcher, M.D. (1979) Marino Girolami
Zombies and Cannibals and Alexandra Delli Colli naked on an altar, Oh My! A highly amusing zombie/cannibal hybrid that really defies description, but is definitely a must see. Delli Colli, Ian McCulloch, and Donald O' Brien star- the latter playing an over the top mad scientist. Gory, yet playful and comedic at the same time.

Demons AKA Demoni (1985) Lamberto Bava
Two teenage girls receive free tickets to a midnight showing of a new horror film.   Not twenty minutes into the flick, fellow audience members begin turning into ravenous demons and chaos ensues. The rest of the film is reminiscent of a George Romero zombie film, but set in a movie theater, with a mysterious masked figure- the architect of the destruction- also lurking about. Writer and producer Dario Argento clearly guided the hand of the legendary Mario Bava's son, Lamberto Bava. The assistant director, Michael Soavi, is also another of Argento's protégés. This film is very well executed and can also boast a great eighties metal soundtrack by artists such as Claudio Simonetti, Billy Idol, Motley Crue.