January Giallo at the Music Box

Back in January of this year, Chicago’s Music Box Theatre offered up a series of Italian films from the giallo sub-genre, giving fans a chance to see some amazing titles on the big screen. Next month, they are continuing that tradition, giving us 5 more titles, but not just from Italy this time, showing the international influence of this intriguing sub-genre. You’ll still get 3 titles from Italy, once again showcasing some of the best gialli from that country, but also one from Spain and even one from here in the US, starring a very famous actor/director. Check out the titles and the dates below and start making your plans. These will all be screening in the main theater, with 3 from 35mm and 2 from DCP. For all the latest info about this series, just click HERE.

Nightmare Industry – Italian Horror Documentary

From the producers of the In Search of Darkness documentaries comes a new one that looks to be just amazing! Nightmare Industry is a new documentary coming out soon that is going to cover the Italian horror film industry. With Phillip Escott and Eugenio Ercolani as the co-directors and producers, I have a great feeling that this is going to be essential viewing. According to Escott, they want to “tell the ultimate story about Italian horror cinema.” He also states that their goal for this project is for fans to learn something, which has my support right there! Escott said “I want them to be entertained. I want them to have fun, because that’s what Italian horror cinema is all about. But I also want them to walk away enlightened. I want them to learn. A lot about what went into making these incredible movies.”

January Giallo

For the last several months, I’ve been honored to be part of the podcast Kicking the Seat, hosted by Ian Simmons, which he has been going through a bunch giallo films and discussing them with myself, as well as Dr. AC aka Aaron Christensen, and Bryan Martinez from The Giallo Room. The episodes are called Accademia Giallo and we’ve covered a wide range of titles from some familiar ones and some more obscure titles, so if you’re a fan, or want to learn more about this sub-genre, check these out.

Giallopalooza at the Drive-In!

How would you like to be able to see 8 classic Italian giallo films over two nights on the big screen? Then start making your plans to go to this fall’s Drive-In Super Monster-Rama on Sept. 17th & 18th for their Giallopalooza, taking place at the Riverside Drive-in in Vandergrift, PA. The titles have have announced are some of the best of the sub-genre and are going to give fans a wide range of entertainment, from the over-the-top exploitation style of Sergio Martino (Torso & Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key) or classic giallo like masters like Dario Argento (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat O’Nine Tails & Deep Red), Mario Bava’s (Blood and Black Lace), and Lucio Fulci (Lizard in a Woman’s Skin).

Giallo Canvas: Art, Excess and Horror Cinema

Here’s another volume for the library of giallo fans. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas has just released the cover of her newest book, The Giallo Canvas: Art Excess and Horror Cinema, which sounds to be much different look at this popular sub-genre of films. While most books on this sub-genre covers everything from the production and making of, sexual subtexts, and a huge focus on style, this title “explores an overlooked yet prevalent element in some of the best known gialli – an obsession with art and artists in creative production, with a particular focus on painting.” Sounds like a very interesting read, that is for sure. Plus, I love that this is something new to consider about these films, focusing on the art used in these movies. The author will be exploring art that is used by some of the masters of Italian giallo cinema, such as Mario and Lamberto Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi, and Michele Soavi. 

This will be publised by McFarland, but there is no release date as of yet. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

Book Review: Darkening the Italian Screen

Darkening the Italian Screen
Published by McFarland, 2019. 334 pages
By Eugenio Ercolani

As fans of Italian genre films, we all know the names of Argento, Bava, Soavi, and (hopefully) Freda. But there were so many that worked in the industry in the ’60s through the ’80s, that so many get lost in the shuffle. Maybe we’ve heard of them, or maybe we know a movie or two they did, but that’s it. That is what I love about this book, that it brings light to more than a few people that had connections to some of the films we love, but maybe didn’t know as much about them.

Going through the list of names interviewed in this book, there were a few that I was familiar with, such as Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Enzo G. Castellari, and Sergio Martino. But even with these guys, there were plenty of interesting and sometimes downright amazing stories to be learned within these pages, especially when we learn about their beginnings in the industry. Other names like Alberto De Martino or Mario Caiano, I was somewhat familiar with, but not a lot. Then there were names that I wasn’t as familiar with at all, such as Giulio Petroni or Franco Rossetti. But the great thing about if you’ve been a fan of the Italian film genre for any length of time, you will have at least heard of the films they are talking about, if you haven’t seen them already.

Movie Review: Suspicious Death of a Minor

Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975)
Directed by Sergio Martino
Starring Claudio Cassinelli, Mel Ferrer, Lia Tanzi, Barbara Magnolfi, Gianfranco Barra, Patrizia Castaldi, Adolfo Caruso, Roberto Posses

There were a few things that got my attention right away when this disc came in the mail. First and foremost, it is directed by Sergio Martino, who has made more than a few films that I have really enjoyed over the years. I mean, let’s face it…the man is a god when it comes to the giallo! Secondly, it would be the first of five times that Claudio Cassinelli would appear in one of Martino’s films, before dying in a tragic helicopter accident. My first introduction to Cassinelli’s work was in Martino’s Island of the Fishmen (1979), co-starring Richard Johnson and Barbara Bach. He always seemed to have fun playing the good guy and did it well. So he’s always a welcome site for me when he appears on screen.

The Tale of Two 24-Hour Horror Movie Marathons…Part 1

When I tell some of my non-horror friends that I am going to a 24-hour horror movie marathon, a few might be slightly intrigued, while most give me that strange look of “why in the hell would you want to do that?” If you are a horror fan, then you know exactly why we’d do it. If you’re not, then I’m not sure I could explain it. It is something that each year I tell myself I’m getting too old to do them, but then the next year, I’m right back there for more madness.

Two Free Tickets to Horror! The Music Box of Horrors!

Just how big of a horror fan are you? One that can withstand 24 hours of terror? Then you need to come to the Music Box of Horrors this Saturday at Chicago’s own Music Box Theatre! The onslaught of fright flicks starts at noon, with 12 features playing through the day and night and into the morning. Check out the full lineup below, so you can start making your plans of which features you want to make sure you’re awake for.They will also have directors Gary Sherman, who gave us Dead and Buried and Raw Meat, and Jim Muro, the man who directed the cult classic Street Trash!

But how would you like to win a free ticket to this event? Just read on.