Fulci For Fake

Simone Scafidi's half biopic/half documentary on the life of legendary director Lucio Fulci looks pretty dope.

I'm down!

Lucio's Eyes.

This week, I decided to start out 2019 with some Lucio Fulci and my VHS of his 1977 giallo, The Psychic.

When a vision leads her to a body inside the walls of her husband's former home, Virginia (Jennifer O'Neill) goes about trying to solve the crime.

The Psychic was made right before Fulci's extended foray into the supernatural – for which many consider to have been his best period – with titles that included Zombie, The Beyond, House By The Cemetery and City of the Living Dead. With this one being on the cusp of that era, I actually found myself surprised by how understated this movie was.

With the body count standing at an anemic three – with only one happening onscreen – I would go so far as to say The Psychic was downright restrained. It also didn't help that the aforementioned death scene was an almost shot-for-shot lift from Fulci's earlier film Don't Torture A Duckling.

The Psychic at its heart was a giallo with all the usual misdirects, visual queues and star Jennifer O'Neill put in a solid performance and she wandered from shock zoom to shock zoom. Seriously, there were so many, it would've made Mario Bava blush.

The story owed most of its DNA to Edgar Allan Poe, namely The Black Cat, but with the furry object of its climax switched out for a watch alarm. A pair of things struck me about that, first was how much the final moments mirrored Denis Villeneuve's 2013 film Prisoners and also that Fulci felt the need to revisit this Poe classic less than five years later in 1981, albeit with a better cast and more grandeur.

Though The Psychic may be the weakest of Fulci's giallos, it was still super watchable on the strengths of tried and true formula and a solid score by Fabio Frizzi.

Trailer Tuesdays: The Psychic (1977)

I picked up several VHS last weekend, with this old Lucio Fulci title among them.

I haven't seen this movie, but now that it is in my possession, I expect to rectify that quite quickly. That trailer sure builds it up, but when you've got yourself artwork like that, I can see why it's front and center. Trust me, I know.

Trailer Tuesdays: Cat In The Brain

On the subject of Fabio Frizzi, one of things his band played last Thursday was the score from Cat In The Brain.

I must admit I've never seen this particular film, but now that I know that's what it is about, I will rectify that quickly!

Frizzi 2 Fulci!

Last Thursday, composer Fabio Frizzi brought his show to Toronto and it was pazzo stupefacente bellissimo!!!

Despite being criminally under attended - seriously where was everybody from the Goblin show two years ago??? - Frizzi and his half-dozen accompanying band members (that included vocalist Giuletta Zanardi) put on a stellar show. It didn't seem to bother them at all, as they played through all the Lucio Fulci classics, some stuff from his work on spaghetti westerns and also his pumped up score from Lamberto Bava's Blastfighter.

I, of course, was sitting on pins and needles waiting for one particular piece, and it came early.

You no doubt recognize the man seated next to Frizzi - it is none other than Maurizio Guarini. Even thought the two of them have worked together for decades, this was first time they'd played together on stage. A truly epic night.

Home Sweet Home.

The haunted house horror We Are Still Here was another SXSW darling that was screening at Fantasia this year. After establishing himself as a writer and producer (most recently on The ABC's of Death 2), I was very much looking forward to seeing Ted Geoghegan's first stint in the director's chair.

Grieving parents Anne (Barbara Crampton) & Paul (Andrew Sensenig) retreat to an old house in New England only to find it may be haunted.

We Are Still Here was a very enjoyable affair. Geoghegan is another cinephile who grew up during the home video era and you can tell where his influences lie, most prominently the work of Lucio Fulci. Aside from the neat callbacks to The Beyond – there is no Joe the Plumber, but there is a Joe the Electrician – this film has huge helpings of House by the Cemetery.

I thought this film was really well made and featured a strong core of actors who've worked with some of the most exciting genre filmmakers in the business. In addition to genre veterans Barbara Crampton & Andrew Sensenig, you also had indie icon Larry Fessenden who adds energy to every project he appears in.

Barbara Crampton as Anne in We Are Still Here.

The thing I liked most about We Are Still Here was that Geoghegan was able to incorporate the best of both worlds. The majority of the film was reserved and atmospheric and then built to an explosive crescendo of gore. I have to liken it to Ti West's 2009 effort House of the Devil, except We Are Still Here boasts a satisfying conclusion.

It is more credit to the film that I still had a positive experience despite the obnoxious asshole sitting behind us at the screening. Being enthusiastic during a movie is one thing, hooting and hollering at every little thing is quite another. As my friend put it, it was like he'd never seen a horror film outside of his living room before and had been waiting his whole life to witness one on the big screen. It's a dilemma because can't you really call someone out for being excited, especially when the director specifically encouraged the crowd to be vocal in his intro. I don't know, maybe I'm just an old man shaking his fist at a cloud.

I crush your head!

Regardless, Geoghegan's debut is an impressive little ghost yarn that finds just the right balance between freshness and homage. His intent was to create something that would not feel out of place on a video store shelf circa 1983 and he has done just that.

Trailer Tuesdays: New York Ripper

Hey. I'm back from NYC! Saw the sights, walked the streets and rode the subway, though sadly did not see any giant rats. I also didn't run into Donald Duck, but then, I'm not really his type.

Stay tuned for more, I just gotta get my proverbial ducks in a row.

Trailer Tuesday: Murder Rock

Today's trailer is for 1984's Murder Rock, because today feels like a Fulci kind-of-day.

I have an inkling this might be a good double bill with Night Train To Terror. You know, just in case you feel like overdosing on random eighties dance numbers.

DKTM 194

So, it's the calm before the storm here at The Horror Section. Not only is Toronto After Dark almost upon us, right ahead of the usual insanity of Halloween, but I also have a sizable announcement to make this Friday involving a little project of mine.

In the meantime though, chew on these little morsels of horror goodness!

Old School Scares.

My friend Nate directed me to a series of old ghost tales called Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark the other day. Written by Alvin Schwartz in the eighties, they contained many classic campfire stories and urban legends. Intended for younger audiences, there were three books in the series and immediately caused controversy in the United States due to their sometimes graphic nature and creepy illustrations from Stephen Gammell. I soon discovered that audio recordings of these books are available on YouTube.

I love these. From the way they are written, it is obvious that they were meant to be read aloud around a campfire or to a child tucked in bed. Classic stuff. 

Da-dun... Da-dun.

What's scarier than the iconic poster for Steven Spielberg's Jaws? The motion poster for Jaws! Click on the image below to see it in all its glory via GeekNation.

Evil Eye.

This one's a few weeks old, but I wanted to throw it up here anyway. The indie rock band Franz Ferdinand's new video Evil Eye is chock full of B-movie references to the work of Lucio Fulci, H.G. Lewis & Jörg Buttgereit, among others. Have a gander below.

Trailer Tuesdays: Zombie

With World War Z on our doorstep, I figured I'd throw up a trailer for one of the classics.

While it is a bit much to ask that Forster & Pitt top a zombie fighting a shark, I'm still looking forward to seeing the world's first zombie blockbuster this Friday.

DKTM 178

Hey all. This is a pre-recorded Messenger post, as I am currently recovering from my Shock Stock pilgrimage. Here's hoping I made it back from London okay after that midnight screening. Anyhoo, a lot happened this week...

R.I.P. Richard Brooker.

Richard Brooker 1954-2013.

We lost yet another icon in the horror community this week. Stuntman Richard Brooker, best known for portraying Jason Voorhees in the third Friday the 13th movie, died this week at the age of 58. He was, of course, the first to wear Jason's trademark hockey mask and the only one to kill in 3D! Here below is a sample of his handiwork.

Bellissima!

Here are two things that caught my eye this week. The first is some lovely weaving from artist Sabrina Parolin.

The second is this bad-ass action figure from a company in Japan.

Awesome, right? Yeah, it will only set you back one-hundred-sixty bones!

VHS Drama.

So, a few months ago, Charles Band posted a video about finding a bunch of original VHS big boxes in his warehouse, which he is now selling on his website. It was a find that seemed too good to be true. Well, Paul from VHSCollector.com is maintaining that is, in fact, the case. Earlier this week, he posted this video.

After this damning evidence, some came forward to defend Band, including Fangoria editor Chris Alexander. He posted a video of his own comparing Demoniac releases, as well as getting in touch with Band himself for comment. Soon after, Alexander posted a voice mail of Band addressing the validity of his claims.

In response to this, Paul posted another video, which pretty much shot down those points, as well.

In the end, you have to take Paul's advice and just “look at the evidence and decide for yourself”