Geneviève Bujold is ISABEL (1968)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | July 15, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, Actresses, Movie Morlocks, TCM

“You can’t put anything into a character that you haven’t got within you.”
- Geneviève Bujold (Picture from Isabel; 1968)

Geneviève Bujold is one of my favorite working actresses and a recent Netflix search for her name revealed a Canadian horror film titled Isabel (Paul Almond; 1968) on “Instant Watch” that she appeared in, which I’d never heard of before. After searching through numerous books I own and researching the film online I was surprised by how little information about the movie was available. It received positive reviews from TIME Magazine as well as the New York Times when it was originally released but for one reason or another the film has fallen into relative obscurity over the years (especially outside of Canada ) and has never been released on video or DVD in the U.S. When I finally made some time to watch Isabel I fell in love with the film and was amazed by Bujold’s incredible performance. It’s a slow moving, thoughtful horror movie that will probably only appeal to a small audience but I decided to write about Isabel for the Movie Morlocks this week. Here’s a brief excerpt from my post:

“Paul Almond’s ISABEL (1968) begins with a train journey across a snow-covered landscape. We watch as the film’s star, Geneviève Bujold, sits awkwardly in her seat and squirms uncomfortably in front of the camera’s unrelenting eye. She is biding her time by shuffling through a small stack of books and papers in an effort to fend off unpleasant thoughts and feelings. You see, Isabel is a woman haunted by ghosts. These ghosts have hidden themselves deep within the recesses of Isabel’s troubled mind but when she’s asked to return to her family’s ancestral home following her mother’s death, Isabel is forced to confront the phantoms that posses her.”

If you’d like to read more about this fascinating film you’ll find my full post over at the Movie Morlocks:
- Geneviève Bujold is ISABEL (1968) @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

I also created a Flickr gallery of images from the film that you can find here.

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Our Primal Fear of the Primordial Ooze

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 30, 2011

Categories | Horror, Science Fiction, Steve McQueen, Ishiro Honda, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Yumi Shirakawa in The H-Man (1958)

This week at the Movie Morlocks I discuss our primal fear of the primordial ooze and highlight some of the slimy scares to be found during TCM’s Drive-In Double Features tonight. Some of the movies being played during this evening’s line-up are personal favorites and include THE BLOB (1956), THE H-MAN (1958) and X THE UNKNOWN (1955). A brief excerpt from my post:

“Whatever the reasons may be, I definitely have a fear of slime. It’s not a full-blown phobia but when I watch THE BLOB or THE H-MAN my heart starts to race and I get a little jumpy. I find these classic science fiction films genuinely scary. There’s just something incredibly creepy about a giant mass of ravenous slime that deeply unnerves me and I think being engulfed by a thick gooey substance would be absolutely horrifying.. There’s one scene in THE BLOB that I’ve always found particularly disturbing. It takes places in a car garage at night. Ralph Carmichael’s creepy score builds quietly in the background using a two-note progression to create suspense that predates John Williams’ similar score for JAWS (1975) by some 20 years, while we watch helplessly as one of the mechanics talks about his weekend plans to go hunting unaware that he’s been left alone. THE BLOB was a smartly scripted science fiction film and the irony of that scene isn’t lost on me. When the mechanic is hunted down and suddenly consumed by the creeping blob I have to fight the urge to close my eyes and cover my ears so I won’t have to listen to the grown man’s earth rattling screams.”

You can read the entire piece by following this link:
- It Creeps and Leaps and Glides and Slides @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

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Remember My Name (1976) & TCM News

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 2, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, News, Horror, Japanese Cinema, American Cinema, Science Fiction, Anthony Perkins, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Anthony Perkins & Geraldine Chaplin in Remember My Name (1976)

I’ve been really busy lately so please excuse the lack of updates around here. Lately it seems like I only have enough free time to share my Movie Morlock updates and today is no exception. I recently got the opportunity to watch Alan Rudolph’s unusual thriller Remember My Name (1976). I was originally interested in seeing the film because one of its stars was the one and only Anthony Perkins but I was surprised by how terrific the movie was. Follow the link to read my thoughts about this intriguing neo-noir:
- Remember My Name …or else. @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

I also wanted to let my readers know that during the month of June TCM is hosting a bunch of Drive-In Double Features every Thursday night! If I had my way TCM would make these Drive-In Double Features a regular part of their programming schedule but at least me and my fellow monster lovers will be able to enjoy some great movies this month. TCM put together a terrific promo video for this event that I just couldn’t resist sharing. June is going to be a fun month!

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Frankenstein: “It’s Alive!”

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 8, 2011

Categories | Horror, British Cinema, Science Fiction, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Danny Boyle

I rarely get out to see new films for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is my lack of disposable income but my desire to see new films is also limited by my tastes as well as geography. I simply have little interest in what’s currently playing at my local multiplex and very few options to see foreign and independent films. So what finally got me out of the house? Danny Boyle’s stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. To say I’m obsessed with Shelley’s original book is an understatement but in short, I’ve seen every film adaptation of Frankenstein that I could get my hands on and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see Danny Boyle’s take on Frankenstein, which happens to feature an absolutely terrific cast that includes Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting; 1996, Byron; 2003), Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement; 2007 , Sherlock; 2010) and Naomie Harris (28 Days Later; 2002, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story; 2005).

The play is currently a huge hit on the London stage but American audiences have the opportunity to see it performed live in selected movie theaters across the country throughout the month of April. You can find my lengthy look at Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein over at TCM’s Movie Morlocks blog as well as a link to the National Theatre site where you can find showtimes and purchase tickets to this exciting event.
- Frankenstein: “It’s Alive!” @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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An Irish Ghost Story

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 17, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Orson Welles

I’m celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the Movie Morlocks by posting a little something called Orson Welles’ Irish Ghost Story about a short film that Welles appeared in and undoubtedly had a hand in making titled Return to Glennascaul (1953) aka Orson Welles’ Ghost Story. This spooky 23 minute movie has some genuinely eerie moments that should impress classic horror fans. It’s also set in Dublin so if you’re looking fro something to watch while you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day you might want to give it look. Along with my article about the film I’ve shared links to where you can watch it online.
- Orson Welles’ Irish Ghost Story @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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A Decade of Fear

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 20, 2010

Categories | Rants & Raves, Horror, Modern Mondays, Tadanobu Asano, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, David Cronenberg, Louis Garrel, Jim Jarmusch, Danny Boyle

It’s taken me a year but I’ve finally managed to compile a list of my Favorite Films of the Decade: 2000-2009 so I thought I’d share it. My introduction echoes some earlier thoughts about fear and cinema that I shared during Halloween and wanted to expand upon. Besides my alphabetical list of 50 Favorite Films of the Decade I also compiled a list of 10 Favorite Documentaries, 10 Favorite Animation Films and 15 Favorite Female & Male Performances. Naturally I haven’t seen every film produced between 2000 and 2009 so this list is limited to what I have seen and what made a lasting impression on me.

Letʼs just talk about fear. Fear, after all, is our real enemy. Fear is taking over our world. Fear is being used as a tool of manipulation in our society. Itʼs how politicians peddle policy and how Madison Avenue sells us things that we donʼt need. Think about it. Fear that weʼre going to be attacked, fear that there are communists lurking around every corner, fear that some little Caribbean country that doesnʼt believe in our way of life poses a threat to us. Fear that black culture may take over the world. Fear of Elvis Presleyʼs hips. Well, maybe that one is a real fear. Fear that our bad breath might ruin our friendships. Fear of growing old and being alone. Fear that weʼre useless and that no one cares what we have to say.
- Colin Firth in A Single Man; 2009

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself
—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address; 1933

The decade began with a bang heard around the world.

I’m always a little surprised when people write about how “shocked” they were by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. 9/11 didn’t shock me at all but it did horrify and sadden me. As soon a George Bush Jr. was crowned President I was fully aware that we were in for a shit storm of epic proportions that was going to rain reign down hard on us all. What did surprise me was the way that Americans responded to the events that took place on September 11, 2001. At first there seemed to be a genuine sense of unity and compassion among friends, family and strangers. But unity soon turned to fear and compassion transformed into distrust. Fear seemed to spread like a cancer and it ate away at the very fabric of the country while hindering progress of any kind.

The “Naughts” as they’ve been labeled were years when fear seemed to replace reasonable debate and logical arguments. Fear became the weapon of choice for politicians and media outlets trying to sell ideas and products. We were told to fear our neighbors, fear our food, fear teachers, fear doctors, fear plane travel, fear France, fear new ideas and finally to fear ourselves. Whether we want to admit it or not, the terrorists did what they set out to do on 9/11. They terrorized Americans and turned many of us into skittish creatures that jump when we see our own shadow and mistrust the motivations of just about everyone we come into contact with.

During the naughts people over the age of 60 seemed to disappear from public viewing. They were rarely seen on American TV or in Hollywood films except as figures of ridicule and humor. Old age is the last stage before death and people wanted none of it. We ran away from old age and death as if our own demise was somehow avoidable. Plastic surgery became commonplace. What was once a luxury for the incredibly wealthy or a medical procedure for those with debilitating scars suddenly became a beauty option that everyone should consider. It didn’t seem to matter that plastic surgery made most people look like aliens from another planet just as long as it masked their real age. In other words, looking like something from another world was far better than looking like an elderly person here on planet earth.

While we attempted to avoid the inevitable onset of old age we naturally began to obsess over our appearance. Image became everything. The naughts was a decade obsessed with physical beauty but often completely devoid of intellectual curiosity. American’s apparent obesity epidemic got lots of news coverage while anorexia was glamorized or swept under the rug. We were encouraged to shun overweight people and embrace silicon boobs. And no news outlet wanted to cover the rising poverty and hunger occurring in America throughout the decade. Starving children are not easy to talk about or pleasant to look at and you can’t make jokes about them. Where’s the fun in calling malnutritioned kids lazy and stupid?

In this kind of environment the medical, diet and beauty industries thrived like never before while selling their snake oils in-between episodes of Extreme Makeover, Make Me a Super Model and The Biggest Loser. But it wasn’t just our bodies that needed fixing. Our minds were also in desperate need of a makeover and pharmaceutical companies fed on our fears. Having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning? Hate your job? Feeling trapped in an unhappy relationship? Got a bad case of the blues? Take a pill! Over-the-counter drug pushers made record profits in the naughts while praying on people’s depression during one of the countries most depressing decades. There seemed to be a pill made for everything and people bought what the drug companies were selling. Is it any wonder that legal drugs appear to be killing more people than illegal drugs these days?

School systems continued to crumble and the dumbing down of the nation not only became unavoidable, it was celebrated. Everyone became a critic. Everyone started to blog (yours truly included) or visited chat forums where they could express their opinions no matter how vile or ignorant. Whenever they were confronted by something that didn’t fit within their comfort zones they often lashed out with hostility. It quickly became apparent that there were a lot of angry and miserable people sitting at home behind their computers and they all seemed to want to point the finger at someone, something or anything but themselves.

Lots of documentary filmmakers also seemed to enjoy using fear as a tool to win attention and forgo good filmmaking. What they lacked in ideas and information they made up for in scare value. Did you know that gorging yourself daily on McDonalds’ food will make you ill and probably kill you? Were people really unaware of this simple fact before Super Size Me (2004) was released? I guess so because for some strange reason the movie was nominated for countless awards and endless imitators have followed Morgan Spurlock’s lead. Ignorance is killing us and fear sells.

But there was some benefit to all this fear peddling. After two decades of scant thrills and very little chills horror movies finally got scary again. Really scary. They also got really good. Thanks to the rising popularity of Asian horror movies in the late ’90s as well as a new wave of independent horror cinema the naughts began as a decade ripe with possibility and the horror genre blossomed. Hollywood may have kept its head in the clouds while it regurgitated tired scripts and remade classic films into easily forgotten entertainment, but outside of Hollywood and in other countries many filmmakers never let us forget that we were living in extremely scary times. Government sanctioned torture, suicide bombers, environmental disasters, serial killers, domestic violence, police brutality, sexual predators, date rape drugs, mental illness, increasing isolation, infectious disease. . . The list of terrors lurking around every corner grew endless and horror films gave us an unblinking look at them all.

I’ve appreciated the extremely graphic nature of horror films made during the last decade. Americans weren’t allowed to see the dead bodies of soldiers killed in an illegal war fought in our name but we could experience some catharsis through the movies we watched. I identified with the victims and sympathized with their plight because they were reflections of us all and our own fears. I also found myself occasionally stunned by the smart, scary and creative ways in which so many directors were able to infuse the tired genre with life. Violent, chaotic, bloody red and uninhibited life, but life nonetheless. Horror cinema was willing and able to tackle the very real terror that seemed to engulf the planet in the last decade and it also offered up the only constant critique of it. Directors around the world found inspiration in the horror films of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s that were often politically motivated and socially conscious. But like the horror films that came before them it will probably take another 10 or 20 years before these recent horror movies are fully understood and appreciated.

You’ll find that many of the films on my “Favorite films of the Decade” list are horror films made by talented directors like Danny Boyle and Brad Anderson as well as Gaspar Noe, Béla Tarr, Gus Van Sant and Claire Danes. Now I know what you’re thinking. Horror Films?! Most of those directors make art films, not horror film! But my response to that is bullshit poppycock. Film is an evolving art form still in it’s infancy. Thinly defined genres are always changing and assumed boundaries should constantly be re-imagined and tossed aside. If you lack the imagination to see films like Irreversible, Werckmeister Harmonies, Elephant and Trouble Every Day as horror films it’s your loss. Not mine. I embrace these films because of their darker nature and their ability to explore and unmask our fears. So to the horror films of the last decade, I salute you! I’m extremely thankful for all the directors that made my favorite film genre interesting and exciting again.

I’d like to write more in-depth about all of these films in the future and expand on the ways in which horror cinema challenged us and entertained us during the last decade, but that could easily turn into a book length article. I did link to a few articles I previously wrote for some films in 2009 during my “Modern Monday” updates.

50 51 Favorite Films: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle; 2002) UK
2. American Psycho (Mary Harron; 2000) US
3. The Bank Job (Roger Donaldson; 2008) UK
4. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku; 2000) Japan
5. Before the Fall (F. Javier Gutiérrez; 2008) Spain
6. Bright Future (Kiyoshi Kurosawa; 2003) Japan
7. Bright Star (Jane Campion; 2009) Australia/UK
8. Calvaire (Fabrice Du Welz; 2004) Belgium/France
9. Capote (Bennett Miller; 2005) US
10. Cecil B. DeMented (John Waters; 2000) US
11. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves; 2008) US
12. Control (Anton Corbijn; 2007) UK
13. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier; 2000) Denmark
14. The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro; 2001) Spain
15. The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci; 2003) Italy
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry; 2004) US
17. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff; 2001) US
18. Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett; 2000) Canada
19. Gus Van Sant’s Death Trilogy (Gerry, Elephant, Last Days; 2002-2005) US
20. High Tension (Alexandre Aja; 2003) France
21. Hunger (Steve McQueen; 2008) UK
22. I’m Not Scared (Gabriele Salvatores; 2003) Italy
23. Ichi the Killer (Takeshi Miike; 2001) Japan
24. Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic; 2004) France
25. Irreversible (Gaspar Noé; 2002) France
26. Last Life in the Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang; 2003) Thailand/Japan
27. Left Bank (Pieter Van Hees; 2008) Belgium
28. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson; 2008) Sweden
29. Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch; 2009) US
30. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola; 2003) US
31. Love Songs (Christophe Honoré; 2007) France
32. Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay; 2002) UK
33. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch; 2001) US
34. No Country For Old Men (Ethan & Joel Coen; 2007) US
35. Oldboy (Chan-wook Park; 2003) Korea
36. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (Michel Hazanavicius; 2006) France
37. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke; 2002) Germany/France
38. The Proposition (John Hillcoat; 2005) Australia
39. The Quiet American (Phillip Noyce; 2001) Australia/US
40. [Rec] (Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza; 2007) Spain
41. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky; 2000) US
42. A Single Man (Tom Ford; 2009) US
43. Session 9 (Brad Anderson; 2001) US
44. Shadow of the Vampire (E. Elias Merhige; 2000) US
44. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright; 2004) UK
45. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson; 2007) US
46. This Is England (Shane Meadows; 2007) UK
47. Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis; 2001) France
48. Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr; 2000) Hungry
49. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson; 2000) US
50. Zodiac (David Fincher; 2007) US

Honorable mentions: Sunshine (Danny Boyle; 2007), The Prestige (Christopher Nolan; 2006), In Paris (Christophe Honoré ; 2006), Antichrist (Lars von Trier; 2009), Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas.; 2008), Hostel Part: II (2007), Suicide Club (Shion Sono; 2001), Vinyan (Fabrice Du Welz; 2008), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Ken Loach; 2006) and Puffball (Nicolas Roeg; 2007).

10 Favorite Documentaries: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. 51 Birch Street (Doug Block; 2005) US
2. Capturing the Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki; 1003) US
3. Children Underground (Edet Belzberg; 2001) Us/Romania
4. Chris & Don: A Love Story (Guido Santi and Tina Mascara; 2007) US
5. Crazy Love (Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens; 2007) US
6. The Fog of War (Errol Morris; 2003) US
7. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog; 2005) German/US
8. Gumby Dharma (Robina Marchesi; 2006) US
9. In the Realms of the Unreal (Jessica Yu; 2004) US
10. Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (Mary Jordan; 2006) US

10 Favorite Animation Films: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. Blood: The Last Vampire (Hiroyuki Kitakubo; 2000) Japan
2. Chicken Run (Nick Park; 2000) UK
3. Metropolis (Rintaro; 2001) Japan
4. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002; Craig McCracken) US
5. Ratatouille (Brad Bird; 2007) US
6. Samurai Champloo series (Shinichirō Watanabe; 2004-2005)
7. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki; 2001) Japan
8. The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet; 2003) France
9. Vampire Hunter D (Yoshiaki Kawajiri; 2001) Japan
10. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman; 2008) Israel

16 Favorite Female Performances: 2000-2009
1. Asia Argento (The Last Mistress)
2. Maria Bello (History of Violence)
3. Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)
4. Abbie Cornish (Bright Star)
5. Béatrice Dalle (Trouble Every Day)
6. Julie Deply (Before Sunset)
7. Cécile De France (High Tension)
8. Eva Green (The Dreamers)
9. Naomie Harris (28 Days Later)
10. Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher)
11. Katharine Isabelle & Emily Perkins tie (Ginger Snaps)
12. Nicole Kidman (Birth)
13. Eline Kuppens (Left Bank)
14. Julianne Moore (Blindness)
15. Samantha Morton (Morven Callar)
16. Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

16 Favorite Male Performances: 2000-2009
1. Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer)
2. Christian Bale (American Psycho)
3. Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men)
4. Min-sik Choi (Oldboy)
5. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
6. Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road)
7. Michael Douglas & Robert Downey Jr. tie (Wonder Boys)
8. Michael Fassbender (Hunger & Fish Tank - tie)
9. Colin Firth (A Single Man)
10. Louis Garrel (Love Songs)
11. Stephen Graham (This Is England)
12. Viggo Mortensen (History of Violence)
13. Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)
14. Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later)
15. Sam Riley (Control)
16. Jason Statham (The Bank Job)

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Yeti Holiday Fun

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 10, 2010

Categories | Horror, Japanese Cinema, Italian Cinema, Hammer Horror, Movie Morlocks, TCM, SHAG

Xmas card illustrated by SHAG that I sent to friends & family in 2002

One of my favorite monsters is the elusive and mysterious Yeti or Abominable Snowman and during the winter months I always start thinking about my favorite Yeti movies. I decided to compile a brief list of viewing suggestions for Movie Morlock readers this week in case anyone else is interested in exploring the fascinating and bizarre cannon of Yeti films that are currently available on DVD and video. Christmas movies often bore me to tears unless they’re made by Rankin/Bass or directed by Bob Clark so I tend to gravitate towards other entertainment in December. Do you really want to sit through White Christmas or Miracle on 34th Street again? Adding a few Yeti movies to your winter viewing calendar is a great way to mix things up a bit and postpone the winter doldrums. Invite a Yeti to your Christmas party and he’s sure to liven things up a bit!
- ‘Tis the Season… of the Yeti! @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Looking Into the Eye of the Devil

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 28, 2010

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, British Cinema, Actresses, David Hemmings, Bewitching Movies, Deborah Kerr

Sharon Tate and David Hemmings in Eye of the Devil (1966)

Halloween is fast approaching and over at the Movie Morlocks blog we’re counting down the days with an “obscure and offbeat” horror movie blogathon. All week long my fellow Morlocks and myself have been writing about some of our favorite lessor known films and I decided to tackle J. Lee Thompson’s Eye of the Devil (1966), which also became available on DVD this week from the Warner Archives. It contains one of my favorite opening montages and it’s just a great undervalued occult thriller that deserves a wider audience. It also features some of my favorite actors including a very young and very handsome David Hemmings, the amazing Deborah Kerr, a stunning Sharon Tate and the dapper David Niven. With a cast that good you just know the film is worth a look… or two!

More images from Eye of the Devil can be found in my Flickr Gallery.

I hope to share my thoughts about one more “Bewitching Movie” before the month ends so keep an eye on Cinebeats for further updates. In the meantime I hope I’ve given my faithful readers a few good recommendations for Halloween viewing. I’ve really enjoyed the last month but I’m not really looking forward to Halloween. I wish October could last forever. Saying goodbye to my favorite month always hurts a little.

I also thought I’d mention that one of my fellow Morlocks has written about another one of my favorite “Bewitching Movies,” the incredible Night of the Demon (1957). If you haven’t had the chance to see the classic supernatural thriller yet I highly recommend giving it a look. TCM is showing Night of the Demon tomorrow (Friday, October 29th) followed by a mini Hammer film marathon featuring my favorite monster and mad doctor, Frankenstein. For more information on all the horror films being shown this Halloween weekend visit the official TCM site.

- Looking Into the Eye of the Devil @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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The Enchantress and The Hag

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 23, 2010

Categories | Movie Reviews, Horror, Italian Cinema, Bewitching Movies, Damiano Damiani, Richard Johnson

Rosanna Schiaffino and Sarah Ferrati in The Witch (1966)

There are few witches as beautiful and beguiling as Rosanna Schiaffino or as sinister and threatening as Sarah Ferrati in Damiano Damiani’s The Witch (or more correctly, The Witch in Love) aka La strega in amore (1966). In this leisurely paced Italian horror film based on a novel by Carlos Fuentes, Rosanna Schiaffino plays Aura, the daughter of an aging widower (Sarah Ferrati). The two women live alone together in a crumbling old house in the heart of Rome and lure unsuspecting men to their doom with the promise of passion and unimaginable pleasures. After a curious historian named Sergio (Richard Johnson) answers an ad in a newspaper requesting someone to “catalogue manuscripts in a private library” he finds himself face to face with these two mysterious women. Their library is in disarray and they need someone to transcribe the private erotic journals of the long dead master of the house. But their dusty, rat infested, library has been neglected for a very long time and Sergio isn’t the only historian who has tried to put it in order. Before he arrived another man (Gian Maria Volonté) was hired to do the job but it’s not easy to work when the lovely Aura and her domineering mother keep distracting you. Poor Sergio soon finds himself forgetting his duties as well and becoming entangled in the deadly web of secrets and lies weaved by the two women who have entrapped him.

The film is submerged in shadows and light. Surrounded by hazy cityscapes and trapped in a maze of long hallways and twisting corridors. The characters of the film are separated by carefully placed props and bound together by long lingering close-ups. Damiani frames most of the action in windows and doorways so the audience becomes voyeurs as well as observers and the entire production is held together by Luis Bacalov’s brilliant score. Bacalov is one of my favorite composers and I think his soundtrack for The Witch is truly one of his greatest achievements.

The entire cast is terrific and also includes Italian horror film favorite Ivan Rassminov in a brief cameo, but the movie is dominated by the alluring Rosanna Schiaffino as the lovely Aura and her oppressive mother Consuelo (Sarah Ferrati). The enchantress and the hag have populated folk tales for centuries and in The Witch this age old fascination with feminine duality takes center stage. I also appreciate how the film explores the human desire to obtain esoteric knowledge by setting the story in an old Italian villa with an ancient library at its worn down center. The library seems to contain the erotic fantasies of the two witches and Aura and Consuelo use what Aleister Crowley called “sex magick” to control anyone who dares to enter it. Besides a few brief flashes of bare skin no one gets naked in The Witch but it still manages to be a very sensual film mainly due to Rosanna Schiaffino’s seductive performance.

The adult themes and cerebral scares found The Witch will only appeal to a select group of horror fans but I happen to be one of them. I think the film is a wonderful example of Euro-horror and a truly bewitching movie but it will probably disappoint anyone looking for solid shocks and lots of gore. The film seems more concerned with nurturing an atmosphere of dread than anything else and it succeeds beautifully. The horrific moments that take place in the film are subtle but disquieting and occasionally bring to mind the work of other Italian filmmakers as diverse as Mario Bava, Fellini and even Vittorio De Sica. Damiano Damiani was working with an impressive crew on The Witch that included cinematographer Leonida Barboni (The White Sheik; 1952, Divorce Italian Style; 1961, etc.), art director Luigi Scaccianoce (Oedipus Rex; 1967, Fellini – Satyricon; 1969, etc.) and editor Nino Baragli (Mamma Roma; 1962, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; 1966, Django; 1966, Once Upon a Time in the West; 1968, Teorema; 1968, Salo; 1975, etc.) but it’s Damiani’s creative direction that really brings this thoughtful horror film to life. I’ve long thought that Damiano Damiani (A Bullet for the General; 1966, How To Kill A Judge; 1974, The Devil Is A Woman; 1974, etc.) was an underrated talent and if you’d like to see the director at his creative best The Witch is a wonderful place to start.

The Witch is available on DVD in the US but the print is very poor as you can probably tell from my screen shots. I’ve seen other screen shots of the film from an Italian DVD that appears to be in widescreen but I haven’t been able to find any information about it. Hopefully a better quality widescreen print of The Witch will find its way onto DVD in the states soon. In the meantime I think it’s easy to see from these few shots that The Witch is a beautiful looking film and if you’d like to see more images from the movie they’re available in my Flickr Gallery for The Witch.

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