I’ll admit I am no expert on Italian Horror films but as I read through the fantastic Italian Horror by Jim Harper, I was surprised at just how many of these films I had seen. I chalk that up to two things: First having a girlfriend in the 1980’s (who is now my wife) who loved horror films, and second, having a number of drive-in movie theaters in my area which always made for a cheap date for a young guy on a budget.
Whether you are an Italian Horror aficionado or just a casual fan, you’ll definitely enjoy Jim Harper’s book because he IS an expert in the genre. Harper begins “Italian Horror” from Midnight Marquee Press, with a detailed history of the industry and it is a wonderful primer for fans of the genre. We learn about Italian horror pioneers like Mario Bava, Antonio Margheriti, Dario Argento, and Ovidio G. Assonitis. Heavily influenced by American films, these early Italian horrors quite often worked on themes presented previously in their American counterparts with takeoffs on movies like “The Exorcist” “The Omen”, “Alien” and “The Amityville Horror”. What many casual fans like myself recall about the Italian films were the sub-genres: Cannibal films, zombie films, slashers, and others. They ended up becoming their own cottage industry, building on what American directors like George Romero, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter created, and doing so on budgets so tiny they make “Halloween” look like “King Kong”. As harper points out, American films typically had advertising budgets that were bigger than the budget of many Italian films!
While Harper goes back to the 1950’s with his history, the main thrust of the book is Italy’s peak period of horror from 1979 through 1994. Harper clues readers in on this rise and eventual fall of horror in Italy with American films helping to lead to the decline because they were simply cheaper for Italian TV networks to show than their native counterparts.
The bulk of the book is a nearly 200 page guide to Italian Horror featuring over 100 films complete with title (as well as any alternative title names), year of release, cast and major credits, synopsis, and Harper’s critique of each film which is the major reason to buy this book. These films range from the Argento classics like “Inferno”, “Opera”, and “Tenebrae”; Lamberto Bava’s “Demons”; and Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie to bottom of the barrel stuff like “Hell of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Mummy”.
I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of “Dellamorte Dellamore” which I didn’t realize was an Italian film. You probably know this film by its American title “Cemetery Man” that is one of the most quirky and fascinating horror films I’ve ever seen and stars Rupert Everett.
“The Gates of Hell”, “The Seven Doors of Death”, “The Church”…they are all here in this great book. The book also features bios of the major Italian directors, screenwriters, and technicians and a comprehensive bibliography. Harper sheds the spotlight on a genre that has been overlooked, and often disregarded by critics. You’ll have a great time tracking down some of these great films for your own viewing.
– Tim Janson
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
