There is no cinema with such effect as that of the hallucinatory Italian horror film. From Riccardo Freda's I Vampiri in 1956 to Il Cartaio in 2004, this work recounts the origins of the genre, celebrates at length ten of its auteurs, and discusses the noteworthy films of many others associated with the genre. The directors discussed in detail are Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Antonio Margheriti, Aristide Massaccesi, Bruno Mattei, and Michele Soavi. Each chapter includes a biography, a detailed career account, discussion of influences both literary and cinematic, commentary on the films, with plots and production details, and an exhaustive filmography. A second section contains short discussions and selected filmographies of other important horror directors. The work concludes with a chapter on the future of Italian horror and an appendix of important horror films by directors other than the 50 profiled. Stills, posters, and behind-the-scenes shots illustrate the book.

This book is the assembly of various texts that are freely available on the web, especially from Wikipedia. The next obvious question is: why buy this book? The answer: because it means you avoid having to carry out long and tedious internet searches. (20 different topics grouped in one book) The topics are all linked to each other organically, and as a function of the subject and, in most cases, contain additional unpublished topics, not found on the web. Moreover, the inclusion of images completes the work so as to make it unique and unrepeatable. (Over 100 poster and film scenes) In addition, each film is linked to Youtube and in most cases the films are viewed in full Movie. Contents of the book: Ten Outsiders of Italian Horror: Aldo Lado, La corta notte delle bambole di vetro, Giorgio Ferroni, Il mulino delle donne di pietra (1960), Massimo Dallamano, Il medaglione insanguinato, Antonio Bido, Solamente Nero, Armando Crispino, L'etrusco uccide ancora, Ubaldo Ragona, L’ultimo uomo sulla Terra, Renato Polselli, L'amante del vampiro, Roberto Mauri, La strage dei vampiri, Brunello Rondi, Il Demonio, Bruno Mattei, Virus. Of each film: Plot, Production, Background and development, Pre-production, Production, Release, Home media, Critical reception, Aftermath and influence, References, Footnotes.

The "Gothic" style was a key trend in Italian cinema of the 1950s and 1960s because of its peculiar, often strikingly original approach to the horror genre. These films portrayed Gothic staples in a stylish and idiosyncratic way, and took a daring approach to the supernatural and to eroticism, with the presence of menacing yet seductive female witches, vampires and ghosts. Thanks to such filmmakers as Mario Bava (Black Sunday), Riccardo Freda (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock), and Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood), as well the iconic presence of actress Barbara Steele, Italian Gothic horror went overseas and reached cult status. The book examines the Italian Gothic horror of the period, with an abundance of previously unpublished production information drawn from official papers and original scripts. Entries include a complete cast and crew list, home video releases, plot summary and the author's analysis. Excerpts from interviews with filmmakers, scriptwriters and actors are included. The foreword is by film director and scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi.

In its heyday from the late 1950s until the early 1980s Italian horror cinema was characterised by an excess of gore, violence and often incoherent plot-lines. Films about zombies, cannibals and psychopathic killers ensured there was no shortage of controversy, and the genre presents a seemingly unpromising nexus of films for sustained critical analysis. But Italian horror cinema with all its variations, subgenres and filoni remains one of the most recognisable and iconic genre productions in Europe, achieving cult status worldwide. One of the manifestations of a rich production landscape in Italian popular cinema after the Second World War, Italian horror was also characterised by its imitation of foreign models and the transnational dimension of its production agreements, as well as by its international locations and stars.This collection brings together for the first time a range of contributions aimed at a new understanding of the genre, investigating the different phases in its history, the peculiarities of the production system, the work of its most representative directors (Mario Bava and Dario Argento) and the wider role it has played within popular culture.

This collection of essays examines the themes and styles that characterize the new millennium work of Italian film directors from different generations. These artists range from Marco Bellocchio, Dario Argento, Marco Tullio Giordana, and Nanni Moretti, who made their name in the 1960s and 1970s, to Oscar winners such as Gabriele Salvatores who forged their careers in the late 1980s. The volume also features essays on Ciprì and Maresco, Emanuele Crialese, Cristina Comencini, as well as work on successful new millennium directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Matteo Garrone whose controversial films examine the nature of interpersonal relations and the individual’s rapport with Italian society today. The essays illustrate the way in which contrasting images of Italy and its provinces emerge in the work of different directors; what links new millennium Italian screen protagonists, film directors, and even individual spectators is often a sense of being at the centre of oppressively converging social, economic, and political forces and having diminishing opportunities and space for self-realization. The contributors to the volume are academics who have also worked as film critics, visual artists, film industry administrators, and, indeed, as film-makers, and the book’s foreword has been written by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith.

This book is the assembly of various texts that are freely available on the web, especially from Wikipedia. The next obvious question is: why buy this book? The answer: because it means you avoid having to carry out long and tedious internet searches. (6 different topics grouped in one book) The topics are all linked to each other organically, and as a function of the subject and, in most cases, contain additional unpublished topics, not found on the web. Moreover, the inclusion of images completes the work so as to make it unique and unrepeatable. (Over 50 poster and film scenes) In addition, each film is linked to Youtube and in most cases the films are viewed in full Movie. Contents of the book: The Director Riccardo Freda: Biography, Film career, Filmography, Notes, References. The Five Horror Masterpieces of Riccardo Freda: I Vampiri, Caltiki: Il Mostro Immortale, L’Orribile Segreto del dr. Hichcock, Lo Spettro and Murder Obsession. Of each movie: Plot synopsis, Cast, Production, Release, Reception, References, Footnotes, Sources and Bibliography.