Taken from a chat session over at Cinema Nocturna. 3 years ago while writing for Bloody Italiana I got chance to have a brief chat with the one and only John Morghen (Giovanni Lombardo Radice). I have decided repost it here as the future of Bloody Italiana is still unknown.



James: I'm sure you've been asked this a million times but. What was it like working with the great Lucio Fulci?

Johnny: Fulci was great, a great person, but very sad.

James: Why was he sad? If you know?

Johnny: He had had a tragedy in the family, One of his daughters fell from a horse and either died or was injured for life I can't remember. But that was before the movie [City of the Living Dead]. I don't know why but he sort of felt responsible. And then I was resentful not being loved by Italian critics. I loved him, I used to know him socially before shooting. We were both friends of Duccio Tessari.

James: A director that I find very underrated of whom you worked for was Antonio Margheriti.
How did you get to know him?

Johnny: Antonio??? I worship his memory. The noblest man who lived in the tides of time - W.Shakespeare & Julius Caesar. He called me for the movie, I think he had seen the previous ones. I Didn't audition, I was just asked in.

James: And John Saxon, how was he?

Johnny: Professional and not very happy with the movie I think. Didn't spend much time with him outside the set. You see I never led the actors life NEVER. Always out with the locals wherever.

James: Did you know Antonio before doing Cannibal Apocalypse?

Johnny: No.

James: It's nice that the movie brought you two together.

Johnny: It did and for life. I'm still in touch with his son and daughter. And used to call on him at least once a year, until he died, I Spoke with him by the phone a few months before his passing.

James: What was it like working on the set of Cannibal Ferox? and also working with Umberto Lenzi?

Johnny: Do you have in mind what you do in the morning in the bathroom? It's Four letters brownish and smelly :)

James: It was that bad?

Johnny: WORSE I love shitting actually.

James: Are you happy with the film at all?

Johnny: No James I watched it for the LAST time recently.

James: Oh.

Johnny: I'm terrible in it overacting all the time and their movie is fascist and even paedophiliac. I forgot about the scene with the two young natives. DISGUSTING!

James: How were the other actors and actresses and yourself treated on set and by Lenzi?

Johnny: Lenzi shouted to those allowing him to do so. Not Me. He was shouting at the crew mostly. Fascism first rule. Do pester the weakest.

James: Okay, Your work with Ruggero Deodato and The House on The Edge Of The Park.

Johnny: Great it was my first big emotion. I was young. For the first time on a set after some years on stage.

James: How was it like working with him as a director?

Johnny: He was a sport. Very Nice. Shouting but with a merry side always. Very sure of what he was doing. A great man to have as your first movie director.

James: Did you get along with David Hess?

Johnny: DAVID!!!! FOR PRESIDENT. He helped me a lot I will always be grateful to him. I have a picture of me and him always on my desk.

James: What was it like working with Michele Soavi on The Church? Which I am yet to see.

Johnny: He's like a brother to me. He's a great director. He has something more in the line of fantasy and culture.

James: It was great speaking to you, thanks for your time.

Johnny: Ciao James be a good boy.

http://www.giovannilombardoradice.com/
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Umberto Lenzi's diabolical native-sploitation, zombie cash-in madness. Being Lenzi's only true entry into the zombie genre it's a bit of a mixed effort; he's gone on record denying Nightmare City (1980) to be a zombie film and while you can agree or disagree with that, it is in essence more akin to the likes of Romero's The Crazies (1973), Cronenberg's Rabid (1977), or even David E. Durston's I Drink Your Blood (1970), as a bit of a generalised outbreak type film.

The plot consists of three students who are vacationing / traveling through Brazil. We're introduced to two Americans Dick (Joe Balogh), his sister Jessica (Sonia Curtis) and her British boyfriend Kevin (Keith Van Hoven). Dick attends a top secret voodoo ceremony, so secret that he needs to be being blindfolded for the duration of the car ride to get there.

The ceremony sequence is actually quite a bit of fun, detailed and not-unbelievable. As the ritual becomes more intense and frenetic, Dick passes out, but not before hitting record on his tape recorder. Upon awakening we, the audience, learn that he's more than a little bit possessed. He records the ritual on a dictaphone, as we see him becoming slowly entranced by the drums and the native's chants the camera cuts to a set of graves which suddenly burst open, followed by black decaying arms reaching up to grasp the surface soil. One shot in particular is extremely reminiscent to the hand rising up from the ground in Lucio Fulci's voodoo zombie epic, Zombi 2/Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979).
For absolutely no reason other than to inject a bit of action to the flick, the tombstones inexplicably burst into flames and the dead slaves slowly begin to rise from their graves. Slightly dodgy effects aside, the sequence is actually fairly well done, there's a decent amount of atmosphere present and while cheesy is not entirely cracked.



The student's jeep breaks down near a small plantation in the jungle near Rio. Which just so happens to be the site of a slave rebellion 150 years ago. Dick somehow using his newly acquired powers forces these black slaves to return from the grave...with a vengeance. Taking cues from yet another film this time Andrea Bianchi's Burial Ground (1981), the zombie slaves begin using tools/weapons to help gain entrance to the house and dispatch their living foe.

Alongside the story's gradual progression, so does Dick's possession; beginning with the voodoo ceremony, he becomes more and more enthralled by whatever force it is that's possessing him. Dick turns on his sister when she realises that he's "one of them."



The movie really comes together in the last 20 minutes with the students being besieged by the zombified slaves. Unfortunately the film suffers from a sluggish pace, too little happens between "events" to really get too excited and it takes quite a while until you even catch a glimpse of a zombie, or some poor fucker getting their eyeballs poked-out in a wonderfully grotesque fashion.

I feel that Black Demons is a huge missed opportunity for Lenzi, there's a considerable amount of potential that this could have been a standout movie. It's replete with stunning backdrops of the jungle, surprisingly good zombie makeup and better than average gore effects. There's a nice amount of atmosphere throughout, plenty of spooky mist and smoke, unfortunately the film is really hindered by the performances of the entire cast, everybody sucks, the standout performances are each of the black dudes covered in make-up & contact lenses, portraying the titular "demons". Bravo, sirs!



It kinda goes without saying that Black Demons is a must for any fan of zombie cinema, there's no real "demons" so to speak of - so don't be fooled - this is an out-and-out zombie movie. Would honestly pair nicely with Andrea Bianchi's Burial Ground: Nights of Terror / Le Notti del terrore (1981) for a double bill of Italian zombie splatter, both are of a similar calibre and if you dig Burial Ground you'll probably get a kick out of Black Demons.
Also a must for any Lenzi fans, or those who have a real penchant for Italian gorefests.

Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s Silent Night, Deadly Night. Riding in the same sleigh as Christmas Evil (1980), a controversial seasonal slasher in which a deranged 18 year old, dressed as Santa takes it upon himself to dish out severe punishment to those he deems 'naughty'.

Upon the film's original release it was apparently one of the most controversial films of the 1980s due to the killer being dressed as Santa Claus. Even the PTA fought to get this film removed from theaters. Critics; Siskel and Ebert condemned the film as well, as mobs of angry parents forming groups around theaters to protest against the film. The original distributor; TriStar Pictures pulled ads for the film six days after its release, shortly after that the film was fully withdrawn. Ironically all of the above acts as marvelous publicity for a film that without it, probably wouldn't have reached the cult status it holds today.

The initial set up begins Christmas Eve, 1971 with a young Billy Chapman visiting his catatonic grandfather who resides in a mental hospital. His parents briefly leave him alone with Grandpa who suddenly snaps out of his state and begins to educate Billy about the frightening truth to the legend of Santa Claus. Explaining how Santa not only rewards the good boys and girls handsomely, but punishes the naughty ones. As soon as Billy's parents return to the room Grandpa conveniently slips back in to his catatonic state. Upon leaving the mental hospital Billy seems somewhat shaken by Grandpa's tale and is now worried about being punished by Santa, his mother reassures him that Grandpa is just crazy.



Sadly just around the corner is a petty criminal who holds up a convenience store, dressed in a full Santa Claus suit. He kills the clerk by blasting him twice in the chest and once in the head before raiding the register and exiting, only to exclaim 'Thirty one bucks? Merry fucking Christmas!" - a clear example of this film's sheer grittiness. Cutting back to Billy and co. on their drive home, they happen to run in to the criminal Santa. What follows is a vile scene involving Billy's father being shot in the head causing the car to stop and allowing Billy to escape, running to hide on the opposite side of the road. He then watches his father's corpse flop from the car to the asphalt as his door is opened, his mother is then chased down, her shirt ripped open exposing her breasts during an attempted rape, she however resists and then ends up having her throat slit by the maniacal thug. Frequently throughout the scene there is an overdubbing of Billy's baby brother's screaming, creating immense sensations of unease and displeasure.

Three years pass. Billy and his younger brother are living in a Catholic orphanage. Clearly haunted by his parent's deaths he draws a graphic picture of Santa Claus who's been stabbed to death alongside a decapitated reindeer. Sent to see Mother Superior (sounding like something reminiscent to that of an Argento trilogy), who confines Billy to his room as punishment. The situation becomes progressively worse at the orphanage for Billy, as we see another series of run-ins with Mother Superior who teaches him that "Punishment is necessary, punishment is good". An interesting piece of satire on Catholicism and possible religious child grooming.

Leaping in to the year 1984, Billy is now 18. The sympathetic Nun at the orphanage; Sister Margaret is assisting him in his search for a job. Eventually finding a placement at Ira's Toy Store. Things go well for Billy until once again it's Christmas time and a co-worker, set to dress up as Santa has been injured leaving it to Billy to don the Santa costume, he rather reluctantly and with no real other choice, accepts. Later that night the staff are throwing a party, co-worker Andy takes Pamela (another co-worker of Billy's who he has a crush on) in to the stockroom and attempts to rape her. Billy enters a few minutes after and snaps, as the attack brings back memories of his mother's demise. Since he is still wearing the Santa costume he believes he has the power to punish the naughty and so ensues Billy's killing spree.

Teeming with grimy and fiendishly inventive deaths, prominently an unforgettable deer antler impaling scene featuring scream queen Linnea Quigley places this right next to Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974) in my opinion. So admittedly the acting is sometimes weak, but it's what we as an audience, especially in this area of film have come to expect and see past.

So sod watching Will Ferrell as Elf this Christmas. Smack Silent Night, Deadly Night in your DVD player instead.

DVD: Anchor Bay
Running Time: 85 Mins
Extras: Audio Interview with Director Charles E. Sellier, Jr., Theatrical Trailer, Poster and Still Gallery, Santa's Stocking of Outrage.

Feeling it necessary to take a load off my mind, I turned to the aid of Andrea Bianchi's Strip Nude for Your Killer/Nude per L'Assassino.

Prior to my original viewing of this film I had a brief conversation with fellow blogger Nigel about it. How it could go either way, on one hand it's a stylish & sleazy giallo which I'm sure to lap up, the other it's a Bianchi film so it could turnout to be a complete mess. Post-viewing I realized it's not all bad but quite enjoyable in actual fact.

Beginning with a fashion model dying during an abortion, the doctor then takes her back to her house and leaves her in a bathtub. A sequence that is vital to the killers history. Soon begins a string of murders, starting with the doctor before moving to the fashion agency she worked for.
The killer's attire breaks the Giallo mold slightly, trading the traditional black trench coat and fedora style hat for leather clad motorcycle gear and helmet. A look I'm willing to experiment with come Halloween.

Strip Nude for Your Killer is, truth be told, a sleazy effort. Primarily dealing with an ideology of sex, as a road to alienation. Misogynistic at heart, however the film can quite often set its target towards male sexuality and how utterly pathetic it can sometimes be. Originating with the arse watching photographer and gradually progressing to the guy who can seemingly never make it with a real woman because he's in love with a blow up doll. Bianchi's uncompromising and less than subtle approach towards exposing manhood in it's most raw and pathetic nature no doubt tugs on a few strings with audience members, myself included.

The acting is surprisingly good, with an exciting performance from the adorable Edwige Fenech. I approached this picture with very few expectations. When it ended I was left feeling surprised and confused by the obligatory red herrings as expected, but also impressed by Bianchi's use of subtexts and stylish direction.

Though definitely not a gorefest there are a few scenes of bodily carnage towards the climax. Many of the death sequences are terribly dull, sometimes nothing more than a quick stabbing. I am compelled to give this a thorough recommendation to lovers of Gialli. It's interesting characters, intelligent subtext, enjoyable plot give it, in my opinion some real re-watch value.

As Edwige said, “Someone has stolen my legs”.
I say, "Nice Snatch!" Boom tish.

DVD: Blue Underground
Running Time: 98 Mins
Extras: Strip Nude For Your Giallo - Interview with Actress Solvi Stubing and Co-Writer Massimo Felisatti and Theatrical Trailer.

Returning with another one of my personal favourites, a film that in my belief shares a dignified stature alongside Friday the 13th (1980) and The Burning (1981) for Summer Camp themed slashers. Robert Hiltzik's Sleepaway Camp has gained an amazing cult following over the years and it's not surprising why. Unlike other slashers and most notably their sequels Sleepaway's plot is considerably interesting and through a combination of good direction, script and above all acting. You actually begin to care about the kids involved. That aside the film's sequels; Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988, directed by Michael A. Simpson) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989, directed by Michael A. Simpson) are pretty dire. Pamela Springsteen, younger sister of the legendary Bruce Springsteen, assumes the role of Angela in both films. Sadly she doesn't do the role justice and her performance flops. Felissa Rose will, in my mind, forever be remember as Angela of Sleepaway Camp. In regard to the more recent sequel; Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008) which was also directed by Hiltzik, it is a direct sequel to this one and has nothing to do with 2 & 3. The ending to that is rather predictable but still an enjoyable film none the less, it's also interesting to see how much the returning cast members have aged.

Opening in the summer of 1975, a sequence which is absolutely crucial for the development of Angela's character, played by an incredibly young Felissa Rose. The scene involves Angela, her brother Peter and her dad John at a lake. Their boat capsizes throwing the trio in to the water. As they're beginning to make their way back to the shore we begin to notice the teenager's boat heading towards them, obviously failing to see the trio it hits them, killing both John and Peter. Angela is then sent to live with her creepy aunt Martha (Desiree Gould) and her son Richard/Ricky (Jonathan Tiersten).



Eight years pass and Angela and Ricky are sent to Camp Arawak by Martha. Ricky and Angela have formed an almost brother/sister bond and upon arrival to the camp Angela begins to get bullied because of her introverted and borderline mute personality. There's a lot of subjects dealt with in this film through Angela. For instance, she loses her father and brother in a boating accident. When she goes to camp she suffers extreme ridicule and exclusion from fellow campers and a controversial event that kick-starts the violence in the film, an attempted sexual abuse/attack by the camp's cook.
It appears that those who pick on Angela turn up dead, including an interesting sequence when one of the bullies is locked in a washroom stall and a beehive is dropped over the top. Suspicions arise as to who the killer is, and Ricky is the prime suspect.

A film dripping with blood and controversy as it's primarily kids being picked off in various gruesome fashions and a twist ending that could be considered one of the most shocking and iconic endings in cinematic history. Making this an important and defining staple in the slasher sub-genre.

An interesting gialloesque thriller by Pupi Avati. La Casa Dalle Finestre Che Ridono (1976). Starring Lino Capolicchio who portrays Stefano, an expert painter/restorer who travels to a small and remote Italian village to begin work on restoring an unfinished painting inside the village's church. The painting itself is composed upon a dilapidated wall and depicts the slaughter Saint Sebastian.

Taking cues from The Wicker Man (1973) with the bizarre locals, and the 'outsider' Stefano coming in to town. He heads to the church to take samples and begin working on the restoration. While at the village he begins to mingle a little with the locals. Their normality is somewhat unsettling, allowing curious minds to wonder whether the townsfolk are being deceptive. An small instance of Avati's clear direction. Soon enough he falls in love with an incredibly attractive teacher, Francesca (Francesca Marciano).

Lacking any substantial on-screen violence it's difficult to believe Stefano is in any danger as all we see Stefano do is essentially stalk around the town, conversing with various locals. Until he witnesses the death of his friend who falls (though it appears he was in fact pushed) out of a window. The Police write off his death as an accident, How convenient? This pushes Stefano to begin his own investigation of the town's dark secret. Before long we're slowly submerged in to a mystery involving of a maniac painter and his two sadistic sisters who kill people while their brother paints the demise.

A recent re-watching doubled up with a less naive approach towards Italian cinema, my perception of the film has been changed.
Avati conforms to a few of the usual Giallo cliches; stylish shots dripping with tension etc. Sadly, I feel that there is no real pay off here. The plot almost loses itself, either that or I lost it with the plot. Admittedly slow and awkwardly paced this is certainly odd entry. I do understand why fans of Italian cinema are attracted to this as it generally breaks most Gialli codes and conventions. In my opinion, had Avati molded this like any Giallo I may be more in favour of it. I also felt at times the acting was uninspired and I personally never felt compelled to care about any of the central characters.
Though certainly not one to avoid, basing that purely on the film's batshit climax this one is more for the Gialli completist.

On a side note:
If you do opt for this release (Italian 20th Century Fox release) be warned that the extras are in Italian language with no subtitles. So only go for it if you understand Italian. I began watching the first extra on the disc this one is a little easier to understand for non-Italian audiences as it basically has someone showing the restoration process to the print of the film, clearing up various scratches and print damage. The second extra is what seems to be a 'making of' documentary featuring interviews with the director Pupi Avati and others, I didn't watch too much of this due to not understanding a word or even what they are going on about. Plus side to this release is you get a snazzy slip case.

DVD: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - 25th Anniversario, Italian Release.
Running Time: 110 Mins
Extras: Special "Dietro le quite del restauro" and Documentario "25 anni di culto"

It has become something of an annual tradition for me to sit down with George Mihalka's heavily underrated ice-cold slasher, My Bloody Valentine.

Set within the fictional Canadian mining town of Valentine Bluffs, the film follows a group of 20-somethings trying to bring back the town's traditional Valentine's Day dance, after a 20 year suspension.
20 years ago, five miners were trapped after an explosion, the result of two foremen leaving early to attend said dance, neglected to check the methane levels. 6 weeks later the rescue team find one survivor, a man named Harry Warden. He survived by eating his fellow miners, but his mind was irreparably damaged, succumbing to complete insanity. Harry spends the next year at an institution, managing to escape on Valentine's Day and returning to the town to reap his revenge. Killing the two foremen responsible for the disaster, carving their hearts out and leaving them in Valentines candy boxes, with a note warning the town to never hold the Valentines Day Dance again or he will return to the town again and commit further killings.

Jump forward 20 years to the present and the legend of Harry is wearing a little thin with the younger generation, who take it upon themselves to arrange a dance. All is prepared and everyone is excited, that is until someone dressed in full mining regalia starts to mercilessly off the townsfolk in gory and imaginative ways. The town's mayor and sheriff immediately associate the murders with the return of Harry Warden and attempt to stifle panic within the town going to such lengths as downplaying one death as a 'heart attack'. In the middle of this we have T.J. (Paul Kelman) and Axel (Neil Affleck), two guys who are in love with Sarah (Lori Hallier). A device which adds further tension between the characters as they are torn between love and survival. The film manages to create a credible level of atmosphere and suspense, while leaving you guessing who among the cast might be the killer, or if it is indeed the ghastly return of Harry Warden. It features some genuinely brutal kills, with heads being detached, skulls penetrated by pickaxes, and a severely mutilated body flopping around inside a washing machine; this film is firmly and forever in my top 5 slashers. Essential.

David E. Durston's I Drink Your Blood is widely considered to be a classic from the 'Grindhouse' era, a notion that is strongly seconded here at 42nd Street Cinema. It perfectly encapsulates everything exploitation filmmaking is about; an insanely memorable and attention-grabbing title, a plot overflowing with lunatic characters, marketed garish with promotional materials brimming with phrases to get arses into theatre seats, and released as a double bill with an older film. Paired with Del Tenney's unreleased 1964 horror Zombies, retitled to I Eat Your Skin by Jerry Gross after purchasing the rights, I Drink Your Blood was produced, marketed and distributed by Jerry Gross through his company Cinemation Industries. Jerry strongly believed that the key to success was a good title and a solid ad campaign, if anything the way I Drink Your Blood took off is proof of just how right he was.

Picking up from the work of Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast [1963], Two Thousand Maniacs [1964]), Andy Milligan (The Ghastly Ones / Blood Rites [1968]) and George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead [1968]), David E. Durston's early outbreak-themed horror is a brooding piece filled with social commentary; ruthless hippie cultists crash into small-town Americana with bloody and uncompromising results. Also noteworthy for marking the first on-screen appearance of cult film legend, Lynn Lowry, although her role is uncredited. In tern, I Drink Your Blood likely served to inspire  several future outbreak films including; Romero's The Crazies (1973), David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977). David E. Durston would also return to the outbreak theme himself for his 1972 drama / thriller, Stigma; a film about a doctor who comes up against a sheriff after uncovering a syphilis outbreak amongst an isolated island community. I know it sounds wacky, but it's full of exploitation charm and gritty social commentary; a really out-there picture featuring an extremely early appearance by future Miami Vice star, Philip Michael Thomas.

Starring: Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury (as just "Bhaskar"), Jadin Wong, Rhonda Fultz, George Patterson, and Riley Mills.

I Drink Your Blood is a twisted yarn concerning a small soon-to-become ghost town besieged by a group of Satan worshipping hippies and their enigmatic leader, Horace Bones (Bhaskar), aping the then still recent crimes of the "Manson Family".

Following a botched ritual which leaves a local girl raped and beaten, the hippies stop-off at a small rundown town. The hippies break-in to a vacant hotel infested with rats, upon entering the building Horace declares a game: "who can catch the most rats for the barbecue?" Probably not the most pleasant choice of parlour game one could hope for, yet here we are.
Rollo (George Patterson) wins and becomes the supreme ruler of Sados for one night, whatever that means, he spends the next few minutes speaking some Satanic mumbo jumbo.



We learn that the previously mentioned local girl is the granddaughter of an elderly veterinarian and sister to a young boy, Pete (Riley Mills). The grandfather confronts the group only to suffer a severe beating, before being fed LSD. Pete comes to his rescue and decides to enact his own brand of revenge by injecting rabies-infected blood, from a dead dog he shot earlier, into some meat pies. He serves up the pies to the hungry hippie freaks, seemingly to reacting with the LSD already in their systems, sending them completely crazy. One of the infected hippie chicks panics and runs off into the night. She's chanced upon by a bunch of nearby construction workers, who take her back to their lodgings where they party and she has sex with some of them. Spreading the disease among the men. Once both factions; the construction workers and the hippies, begin to show their symptoms the town is completely overrun with rabid lunatics.

After this act the movie becomes as frenzied as those who are infected, a testament to the pacing. There's rarely a dull moment in I Drink Your Blood, really has enough going on, except for any actual blood drinking, there's plenty of strained facial expressions, foaming at the mouth (kinda looks like toothpaste, doesn't it?), amputation by electric carving knife, decapitation, hydrophobia, and a dead goat being dragged around by a maniac with a machete.



"Let it be known that Satan was an acid head" - Horace Bones (Bhaskar)

As is the case with several films of the era, I Drink Your Blood isn't without animal cruelty and although it's not as severe as what is present in Italian cannibal movies and some of the Hong Kong offerings, it can still be very upsetting. This is your only warning.

I have to admit though, it kind of bugs me that there's still an ongoing discussion about animal cruelty and exploitation film. We all know it's abhorrent, distasteful and unpleasant to watch, but back then, especially in certain corners of the world, animal welfare was not a priority if even a thought at all. I see fewer people complaining about horses being severely injured during the production of Westerns, than& what folk have to say about Cannibal Holocaust (1980) or Calamity of Snakes (1982). It shouldn't be a point for judging exploitation, or world cinema, it is a symptom of a bygone era of filmmaking, and there's enough information at one's fingertips to be thoroughly informed about a movies content before sitting down to watch it.

I Drink Your Blood is exploitation gold; gore-geously photographed with a batshit story to boot. At times distasteful, it's a no-budget flick with cheap gags, effects and dire acting, but these are the reasons I love it. If you're of a similar disposition you'll surely lap this up.
It's also a great starting point for those ready to veer off the beaten path of horror towards the wild terrain of exploitation.