Ina's Horror Blog

(giallo) The House With Laughing Windows (1975)

If you liked this:

You'll LOVE "La casa dalle finestre che ridono" (1975) D. Pupi Avati

I was reminded of this movie, which I saw in my British and Italian Horror class, when I heard the news that the Pope had excommunicated the Mafia. La Casa is a somewhat non-traditional giallo, a 20s/30s period production that takes place in in a rural community rather than in the fashion/tourist/modernist worlds that we're accustomed to in Bava and Argento.  Further, the film seems to touch upon social issues within its small, insular, and secretive southern (italian) town (like the southern-feeling New England town in Let's Scare Jessica To Death) where the protagonist feels estranged, and that is controlled by a tiny mayor and cabal dressed in gangsterish 30's garb.  Are they the Black Hand?  I have to revisit it but here's a completely different take on the movie in an article from Bright Lights Film Journal that focuses on the image of St. Sebastian revealed through the restoration of a religious artifact. (btw--this is the same job that lands Donald Sutherland in Venice in Don't Look Now...)

The italian trailer:

 

The subtitled trailer has this ugly frame:

 

Anyone home?

 

 

october's a daily horror halloween reboot!

If I watch something horrific today (October 31, 2013) then I can say I DID it! (Most likely it will be Halloween) But the blogging part between here and tumblr was scary. But here's an attempt at reconstruction of my blog à la Dr. Peter Cushing von Frankenstein!

October is a month full of sad anniversaries for me. As research for my artwork and to challenge and yet to soothe myself and inspired by the horror-movie-a-day blog, I will watch at least one horror movie a day for the month.

October will be a daily horror!

from beyond: the british and italian horror film

A new space to expand my horror blog...

From Beyond: The British and Italian Horror Film : Instructor: John Freitas 

The Horror film, begotten from Gothic Romance, born out of technology and nurtured by God, Freud, and blood, attempts (at it’s best) to encapsulate the individual’s desperate struggle with morality and religion for one’s self, one’s humanity. Two countries whose filmmakers have most notably articulated these complex themes of individual integrity and moral chaos via the horror genre are England and Italy. Themes explored and unearthed include; abjection, colonialism, misogyny, scopophilia and sexual repression with a specific focus on the image and roles of women and religion. In a comprehensive and comparative analysis the course discovers, defines, and discusses a series of great horror films by well known and less-known masters, including Dario Argento, Clive Barker, Mario Bava, Danny Boyle, Alberto Cavalcanti, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michael Powell, Nicolas Roeg, and Jacques Tourneur. 

The British and Italian Horror Film Screening Series 

The following films are screened: Dead of Night (Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer, 1945), Curse of Frankenstein (Terence Fisher, 1957), Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960), The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963),The Witchfinder General aka The Conqueror Worm(Michael Reeves, 1968), Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973), Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987) and 28 days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002); Les Yeux Sans Visage aka Eyes Without a Face (George Franju,1959), La Maschera del Demonio aka Black Sunday (Mario Bava, 1960), La Casa dalle Finestre che Ridono aka House with Laughing Windows, (Pupi Avati, 1976), Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1976) Tu Vivrai Nel Terrore! L’Aldila aka The Beyond (Lucio Fulci, 1981), Sante Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989) and Dellamorte Dellamore aka Cemetery Man (Michele Soavi, 1994).