Tom Jolliffe goes back to the 80s to look at a crazy, gore-filled period in Italian horror cinema… There’s a great legacy in Italian horror. Most famously, the giallo films which rose to prominence through the 60’s and 70’s (led first by Mario Bava, and taken to new heights via Dario Argento) put Italian horror […]
Second Generation Directors: The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
Tom Jolliffe takes a look at directors following in their parents’ footsteps… Undoubtedly the influence of your parents plays a big part in shaping you as a person. In the almost surreal world of cinema and movie-making, there will be a kind of magical allure at the power a film director can wield. Offspring of […]
October Horrors 2019 Day 2 – Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Blood and Black Lace, 1964. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Eva Bartok, Cameron Mitchell, Thomas Reiner, Arianna Gorini and Mary Marden. SYNOPSIS: After a model is brutally murdered by a masked killer, a fashion house becomes the centre of a mystery as police and the house’s staff try to figure out who among them lurks […]
Blu-ray Review – Kill, Baby… Kill! (1966)
Kill, Baby… Kill!, 1966. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Erika Blanc, Fabienne Dali, and Piero Lulli. SYNOPSIS: In the early 1900s a remote village is cursed by the ghost of a little girl. Despite the misleading title, Kill, Baby… Kill! is not a slasher or a giallo but is a Gothic chiller […]
DVD Review – Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959)
Caltiki, The Immortal Monster, 1959. Directed by Riccardo Freda & Mario Bava. Starring John Merivale, Didi Sullivan, Gérard Herter, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Gail Pearl, and Daniela Rocca. SYNOPSIS: A group of scientists investigating the disappearance of an ancient Mayan civilisation discover a remnant of an alien species that infects one of their crew. Caltiki, The […]
Blu-ray Review – Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970)
Five Dolls for an August Moon, 1970. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring William Berger, Ira von Fürstenberg, Edwige Fenech, Howard Ross, Teodora Corrá, Edith Meloni, Helena Ronee, Maurice Poli and Justine Gall. SYNOPSIS: A group of people trapped on an island discover there is a killer in their midst. The romantically-titled Five Dolls for an […]
Blu-ray Review – Blood and Black Lace (1964)
Blood and Black Lace, 1964. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner, Mary Arden, Ariana Gorini, Francesca Ungaro. SYNOPSIS: A fashion house full of beautiful models becomes the setting for a bloodbath at the hands of a mysterious killer. The film most recognised as kickstarting the giallo genre, Mario Bava’s 1964 […]
Blu-ray Review – The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963)
The Girl Who Knew Too Much, 1963. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Letícia Román, John Saxon, Gianni De Benedetto, Valentina Cortese, Titti Tomaino, Luigi Bonos and Robert Buchanan. SYNOPSIS: A young American witnesses a murder while visiting Rome and inadvertently stumbles upon a serial killer nicknamed the ABC murderer – and her name begins with a […]
Blu-ray Review – Rabid Dogs (1974)
Rabid Dogs (aka Cani arrabbiati), 1974. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Ricardo Cucciolla, Lea Leander, Maurice Poli, George Eastman, Don Backy, Maria Fabbri and Erika Dario. SYNOPSIS: A ruthless Roman gang conducts a violent kidnapping and car-jacking after a botched robbery leaves death and destruction in their wake… Rabid Dogs, or Cani Arrabbiati in the original […]
Blu-ray Review – The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963)
The Girl Who Knew Too Much, 1963. Directed by Mario Bava. Starring Letícia Román, John Saxon, Valentina Cortese and Titti Tomaino. SYNOPSIS: A young tourist becomes involved in a police investigation after witnessing a murder by a notorious serial killer. His final black-and-white production, Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much sees the Italian […]
