Only a few days removed from this year’s annual Italian Splatterfest held at the famous Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA. It’s that one time of the year where yours truly gets to sit amongst the truest form of horror fans the ones who have a love for the Italian gore. This also marked the third year that Horror, Sci-fi & More has been a part of the festivities although we didn’t contribute much but our presence it was indeed fun to be acknowledge at this event by countless people. Truly showing that we have come a long way to get where we are today. We also got to mingle with old friends and made some new ones as well that night, we told jokes, talked about ideas and possible sponsorships and even partook in the sponsors cuisine that being Shorty’s Sunflower Café and Truckstop!
But to begin we simply had to take a lovely trip back to when movies were in black and white, a timeless film genre that’s been overshadowed by today’s blaring colors and computer graphics. Black and white films to us are simply put classics, they’re and will always be our go to for references. But the first film of the night was simply put a classic, a little on the slow side but mostly any film from that generation has that feel with it.
Mario Bava’s tale of witchcraft, gothic horror and use of Barbara Steele as the vampire princess whose supposed death was to be burned at the stake alive after her face suffers the devastating blow of a hammer slamming down onto a mask covered in nails. Her impending death is thwarted that night by the oncoming storm that extinguished the flames that were going to be used to end her life, thus forcing the people to bury her in a tomb where no one was to ever disturb her. But this never happens in a horror movie because a doctor and his assistant stumble upon this tomb and yes, they disturb her remains and bring her back to life.
What follows are the things of revenge people die, villagers light torches and happiness wins out in the end because let’s face it you can’t really end a horror movie from the end of the black and white generation on a sad note.
After that film and a small break we moved onto a sequel from the 1985 film Demons which is directed, co-written and produced by the son of Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava.
Let’s face it Demons 2 can be a little weird when it begins because you’re led to believe that the events of the first film actually happened and the world moved on from that incident but its also a movie within a movie? Yes because the people inside the high rise apartment building are all watching the same movie and that’s how all this stuff happen. The people who venture into the forbidden zone end up reawakening a dead demon with blood and he finds his way through one of the peoples tv’s and all hell breaks loose. Like the last film the cast is widdled down to a young couple who go through hell practically to get to one another. Unlike the first film which ends on a bleak note and leaving us only one survivor of the movie theater massacre this one allows the young couple to survive together with their newly born infant as well. Odd but its Italian horror and nothing really needs explaining. Only downside is the screeching demon child that is more annoying then it was terrifying. This scene is a joke amongst us because upon looking at your left wondering who truly though of that idea.
After this film we were given a nice little 40 minute break to grab some food and check out the sponsors spread. But it was after that we were given another taste of Mario Bava and his helping hands in breaking ground on the slasher genre.
Like I said this film is the ground breaking moment that the slasher genre came to fruition and helped films like The Burning and Friday the 13th come forth. Its common sense to not see this movie and witness a key kill scene in actually look familiar in another film. Often copied and imitated but never duplicated this film comes off slow at first as its more a murder mystery but takes off as a slasher film as you can’t figure out who the killer is until the very last few scenes of the movie. All the way up to the very last scene of the film you are shown what happens when money becomes a fixation, what lengths people would go just to make sure they get what they want. But in the end it comes down to the children and a double gauge shotgun!!! As hilarious as the scene is its truly disturbing how two little children could just easily blow their parents away and not blink an eye. Leaves one to wonder how does this scene make any sense when they were never truly involved in the plot.
After a short break well not really a break at all as they went right into the next film which is more a what the hell kind of zombie movie am I watching here. Pieced together with stock footage and borrowed scores from other horror movies the next film is truly a how the hell….
Now just like any other zombie movie from the 80’s we are given the “this is what happens when chemical become a factor”. Yes our zombie friends are the cause of a green chemical cloud that turns all our dead friends into flesh eating zombies and guess what the world becomes infected!!! It comes down to a rag tag group of military grunts and a reporter and her cameraman. Just our luck they don’t like one another and it becomes apparent that they must rely on one another until they start dropping like flies (Just like the beginning of the movie where you see a fly commit suicide). Now unlike your traditional zombie film chocked full of blood, guts and gore this one seems to be a little bit on the lackluster side and doesn’t showcase these elements. I for one felt the same way I did when I was a kid and I saw it for the first time on VHS and going what the hell did I just watch? Truly not the best film to watch at the midnight hour going into in the morning hours.
Now we have reached our finale. The last movie of the night in glorious 35mm and it so happens to be Lucio Fulci’s “House by the Cemetery”. Only thing was we had to wait 30 minutes and it was already 3 am. But the crew went into this night determined to finish it even though we all knew this wasn’t the best film to end on.
The final film and we end on the final chapter of Fulci’s “Gates of Hell” trilogy. This film if you haven't seen this eh of a film circles around a series of murders that happen around a house that hides a dark and murderous secret. A young boy named Bob is told that the mystery of the house about a doctor who conducted illegal experiments and this leads to people dying and more people dying more gruesome deaths. People getting their throats slashed and ripped out with a poker all making it okay. I for one am not a fan of this film because to me its slightly boring and pointless. But I figure if Fulci had to end his trilogy he ended on a flat note. I will catch hate about this but it is what it is, the film is okay, not great or whatever else you want to chalk it up to be. To me its boring and on the dull side of Fulci's work.
With that we ended our run that night and left discussing what movie was good (Demons 2) which was boring (House by the Cemetery) and what would be an awesome idea for next years event if they can get their hands on it (Stage Fright, The New York Ripper or Don't Torture the Duckling). So til next year I'll talk to you all later!
recapped by Bucky
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