My reviews

One of the worst "movies" i've ever seen.lousyyy!!and tom welling...bbrrrr...a disgrace!! this remake is an offence against the great Carpenter.

I usually don't like musicals but this one is amazing. Dark, bloody and entertaining at the same time. What a wonderful gothic picture!

"No Movie for All Men".
A modern western. Strong, violent, intense, harsh, silent, cynical, irrational.
One of the best films of the Coen Brothers, maybe their greatest one for the form!

One of the strangest & craziest love stories i've ever seen on screen.
A funny black comedy and a great performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

MIIKE Takashi is a genial whacko who enjoys torturing psychologically his viewers and this psycho-horror is a proof!

It was hard to keep awake during this movie! Boring,depressing, too slow and structurally repetitive. Plot and dialogues are not much original. So, although the dramatic scenes and the intense performances by the main characters, I felt no emotion or tension watching it. Two stars just for Hoffman.

"People are frightened by what they don't understand" - John Merrick

This British movie (Robert Fuest, 1970) is a little cult in the suspense genre, not well known. Anyway it's a good thriller, located in the rural France, and despite the title, it takes place totally in the daylight. The plot is very simple, the rhythm is kinda slow and without excesses...but I found it cool for the suggestive atmosphere, the sensation of claustrophobia and desolation, due to the isolate rural location and the strange and ambiguous characters.

A clever and genuine comedy, full of references and symbolism. Loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, it tells the journey (in this case, the escape from a prison) of a modern Ulysses across the Southern U.S. during the Great Depression. His country is not Ithaca, but a little town in Mississippi. His loved wife doesn't wait faithfully at home, but she's going to marry another man. "Polyphemus" is an unsuspicious member of the KKK and the "Sirens" seduce by offering forbidden whiskey.
In a comic vein, this film tells the hard conditions around this time, like poverty, racism and segregation, bank robberies and penal colonies.

One of my favorite Coen movies, with an original and hilarious plot, funny soundtrack, great direction and, above all, gorgeous cinematography.

Absolutely brilliant!!! It's hard to describe a movie like this, so complex, powerful, ambiguous and visionary. It mixes violence and cruelty with moments of romanticism and melancholy. All is ambivalent and confused.
Park brings to the screen a dark story of obsessive and inexorable vengeance, which conceals a secret sin. A secret revealed slowly, until the shocking ending...touching and terrifying ending!

Great 80's b-movie! It's a mix of zombies, alien invasion and elements of teen comedy, but above all, is a tribute to the horror genre: from the 50's Sci-fi to the contemporary Horror. Several and evident references, some good splatter effects, alot of hilarious quotes and comic situations make this film really enjoyable. And Tom Atkins is memorable!

Ultra gory low-budget movie directed and acted by Lucio Fulci. In spite of its faults (bad acting, rough splatter effects, almost inexistent plot), I really enjoyed this crazy and bizarre film.
Fulci plays himself, or rather a horror director who after many years of making bloody and violent films begins to suffer from terrific hallucinations. He decides to contact a psychiatrist who, unfortunately, reveals to be a psychopathic serial killer.
Thanks to this movie Fulci can finally show his strong dislike for Psychoanalys and reply with sarcasm and black humor to those theories which accuse horror movies to be a dangerous inspiration for murders and rapes.

This grotesque noir concludes "The Vengeance Trilogy" of Park Chan-wook. As Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it's a tale of revenge and sin, that this time turn to redemption and purification. Less strong and original than Oldboy, but nevertheless another electrifying and visually impressive masterpiece. Darkness, violence and perversion are still present, but are portrayed in a more refined style. The creativity of this director is truly surprising: I fell in love with his film from the first frame.

Avoid this "film" like the plague...unless you're some sort of masochist.
And please, don't ask me why I saw it.

Amenábar makes his debut writing and directing a very interesting low-budget thriller.
In a clever and original way, he deals with an extreme subject, such as snuff-movies. Urban legend or reality? In a more general sense, this film is a reflection on the cult of violence in our society. How media celebrate it and why people feel repulsion and, at the same time, are attracted to scenes of violence and death.
Little Big Film. Simple, realistic, suspenseful, involving.

This sort of bizarre "documentary" about the St. Petersburg's Hermitage is a magnificent tribute to European Art. An oneiric and aesthetic travel through Russian history and culture, where past and present melt together. In a single take that lasts 90 minutes, camera moves through the sumptuous corridors and the vast halls of the Museum. While visitors are contemplating the works of Raffaello, Rembrandt, Canova, Van Dick and Tintoretto, historical characters continually appear and disappear from the scene.
A "difficult" but surprising and hypnotizing film, with a beautiful metaphoric ending.

nice psychedelic 70's thriller by Luciano Ercoli

An unforgettable portrait of the misery and the social degradation in post-war Italy. A heartbreaking story of old age, loneliness and human indifference, perfectly told by the master of Italian neorealism Vittorio De Sica. But also a story of dignity and hope.
Minimalist, crude and intense masterpiece, with splendid music and photography.

Another funny and stylish thriller by Ercoli. Not a great movie but a little cult for fans of Italian Giallos. Rich in humour, sensuality and suspense.

One of the first Italian detective movies ever made. Political thriller but also psychological and surreal drama, it's probably the best in its genre. In a grotesque way, director and writer Elio Petri perfectly portrays the political and social contest in 70's Italy, period of violent civil demonstrations and heavy repression by authorities.
At the centre of the movie is a gorgeous Gian Maria Volonté, who plays the f*ckest fascistoid and schizoid policeman ever seen on a screen. His omnipotence delirium is such that, after having committed a crime, intentionally leaves clues everywhere just to prove he's an untouchable citizen above suspicion. Volonté in his most intense and charismatic role!
The film is also remarkable for the original screenplay by Petri with Ugo Pirro and the amazing score by Ennio Morricone.

Enigmatic supernatural thriller based on classic giallo.
Not as involving or suspenseful as other Fulci's works, it differentiates from the rest of his filmography for the almost complete absence of gore. This movie is definitely more oneiric and parapsychological rather than violent and bloody. Plot flows quite slowly and tension explodes just near the end.
Anyway, it's a very good thriller. Elegant and refined, with beautiful shots and particular attention to small details. Lucio considered "Sette Note" one of his best and favorite films.
Its strong points, besides direction: an intriguing mysterious story, a genial macabre ending (in spite of its predictability), a grim atmosphere, partly due to effective cinematography , sound effects and music score by Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera. Memorable is the carillon theme ("7 Note", recycled by Tarantino for Kill Bill-vol.1).

The first work of the Fulci 'Trilogia della Morte' (which also includes 'The Beyond' and 'The House by the Cemetery') is surely the most extreme and disturbing among the three.
A tale of curses and living dead, with Catholic connotations, which takes its inspiration from Lovecraft, Poe and Romero. A cool mix of dark, foggy and claustrophobic atmospheres with some crude, sometimes disgusting, gory effects, that leave no space for imagination: we have heads drilled, brains ripped out, eyes crying blood, bowels vomited out, maggot storms, people buried alive... A feast for the eyes for gore fans!
The story is quite incoherent and without a logic, but it takes a back seat to the creepy, delirious and visionary atmosphere. The amazing cinematography and scenography with some gothic elements, the rough but effective special effects and the gruesome make-up, plus the suggestive score by Fabio Frizzi, make this movie one of the best italian horror cults. Keep in mind that everything was made with a really small budget.

A masterpiece of visionary Horror from the poet of gore Lucio Fulci, and in my opinion the best chapter of the trilogy.
Once again, the story is not one of the most original (witchcraft, gates of hell, ghosts, zombies) and numerous are the references to other authors (Henry James, Lovecraft, Artaud and Argento), but Fulci can astutely mix these elements and bring them to the screen with a personal and original style, creativity and technic.
As often in his movies, script is not perfect and not much linear, but that is not important since the director prefers to surprise with imagination, macabre atmospheres, surreal images, voices, whispers, faces zoomed and his usual spectacular splatter effects. This time, we have the "pleasure" of watching a man tortured and crucified, bodies dissolved in acid, a head exploded, a killer dog, flesh-eating tarantulas... However, the gross and extreme gore effects combine with the refinement and accuracy of cinematography, sound and direction. The whole is crowned by a magnificent and apocalyptic ending.

A.K.A. "Dracula cerca sangue di vergine... e morì di sete!!!" :)

A provocative and controversial 1971 movie written and directed by Elio Petri, better known for 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion', who distinguished himself by his socially and politically engaged cinema. This film is a bitter and satirical portrait of the hard working-class life in 60's-70's Italy , among exploitation of factory workers, inhuman conditions, continual strikes, political clashes, general hysteria and alienation.
In comparison with 'Investigation', 'The Working Class goes to Heaven' is less technical and aesthetic, but more sincere and realistic; the ironic and grothesque tones are still present, tho.
Even once in a Petri's work, the music is composed and directed by Ennio Morricone and the leading actor is Gian Maria Volonté, who superbly plays another extreme character. In this case, a neurotic, passionate and logorrhoeic worker, on the border of madness, who is first a real stakhanovite, and then a rabid activist.

A classic giallo rich in innovative and highly experimental ideas, either for the technical aspect or for the development of plot. The murder scenes, characterized by acrobatic camera movements and memorable close-ups, are truly well-done. The plot is very intricate, but flowing and exciting, and psychologically well thought out. Truly suspenseful and fascinating. Tenebre is one of the most violent and bloody Dario's films: razors, daggers, axes and even paper as murder weapons, used against a dozen victims. Nevertheless, the murders take place in the daylight, or anyway in very bright places, in an unusual Rome, aseptic and almost futuristic. Plus, irony is often present in the dialogues and in several situations.
Definitely one of the best works directed by Dario Argento, assisted by Lamberto Bava and Michele Soavi, who also have a cameo in the film.

It's curious how the first official Italian Horror ('I Vampiri', 1956) started life as a bet of the filmaker Riccardo Freda who wagered with two Italian producers that he could shoot a film in only two weeks. Well, he won since 'I Vampiri' was finished in just 12 days. Actually, Freda left the set after ten days due to a dispute with the producers, and the movie was completed (and probably modified) in two days by Mario Bava, who worked here as director of photography and creator of the special effects.
The result is a fascinating and atmosferic horror movie, inspired by the case of the bloody countess Elizabeth Báthory, which melts the classic gothic elements, with some elements of giallo and science-fiction. Not a real masterpiece but an important and pretty innovative work, that should be seen and remembered not only for being the milestone of the horror genre in Italy but also for its qualities, especially the incredible set design by Beni Montresor and the stunning black and white cinematography by Bava. Not to mention the great performance by the beautiful Gianna Maria Canale, perfect in the role of the cold-hearted evil duchess, obsessed with eternal youth. One negative point is surely the corny ending imposed by the producers, who also censored some dark and gothic parts of the Freda's screenplay. Damn! By the way, I love this flick.

Highly recommended American made-for-tv movie, about the investigations that led to the capture of the Ukrainian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, alias The Butcher of Rostov, who killed 52 victims between 1978 and 1990. The main value of this movie is that it manages to be involving without "spectacularizing" the murders, thanks to an accurate screenplay, very close to the real events, the Chikatilo's psychology and the ineffective Soviet police methods, hampered by authorities and incompetence.

After his masterpiece "La casa dalle finestre che ridono" ("The House of the Laughing Windows", 1976), Pupi Avati directed another fascinating horror movie - "Zeder" (1983) - a sort of "Pet Sematary" located in the 80's northern Italy. Now, I don't know if Stephen King was inspired by this movie, but there are some incredible similarities between the two works.
However... far from being as great as the other Avati's film, "Zeder" appears a bit dated and has several plot holes, but it's still good. Involving, misterious, with some terrific scenes, oppressive atmospheres and suggestive and original locations.

http://www.horrormovie.it/news/leggi_news.asp?id=370

The project sounds amazing: unknown actors, not a remake, not a prequel or a sequel of 'Cannibal Holocaust', no production pressure...simply a new story with new cannibals!
I'll keep my fingers crossed...

E bravo Ruggerino!

Classic Soviet horror, based upon the homonymous novel by Nikolai Gogol. A fairy-like and folkloristic tale of witchcraft, demons, possession and Russian myths, with a remarkable visionary ending, rich in simple but effective special effects.