Italian Horror and Michele Soavi: a “Shameless” Collector’s Retrospective. Part 1 of 2
An Exploration of Michele Soavi's Cinematic Legacy Through Shameless Films’ Unique Offerings
Classic Italian giallo and horror and a deep dive into Michele Soavi's fimlography in this Shameless Films retrospective. And the everlasting allure of those iconic yellow cases.
Those Yellow Cases… Collecting with a Unique Boutique Vibe
Exploring the Unique Branding and Collector Appeal of Boutique Blu-ray Labels
One thing I love about collecting boutique Blu-rays is getting to know the unique vibe of each label and imprint, along with the movies, eras, and genres they represent. For high-brow films, I turn to BFI or The Criterion Collection. For cult genre films, I browse Arrow Video or Shout! Factory / Scream Factory. If I want Martial Arts and South East Asian cinema, it's 88 Films. While there's genre crossover, these labels can often be reliably classified.
I'm sure many of you enjoy social media posts and YouTube videos showcasing physical media collectors' vast Blu-ray collections, with their carefully arranged discs. Among these collections, you'll spot neat rows of bright yellow DVD or Blu-ray cases, spines marked with striking red film titles in a font reminiscent of an obscure heavy metal band's poster. Often, these collections belong to individuals who look precisely like they'd be fans of such bands!
These discs hail from a boutique label famous for their collectible Yell-O-Ray cases and a catalog of eccentric horror and exploitation films. Shameless Films nails their branding with irony and a tongue-in-cheek style. Even their catalogue numbering, labeled SHAM followed by a traditional SKU number, shows that they certainly know their audience.
Enter: Shameless Films. Discover the Label with a Twist
The UK-Based Label Bringing Lesser-Known Italian Cinema Gems to Avid Collectors
The tantalizing world of Italian horror cinema through Shameless Films' audacious offerings, featuring classics like Umberto Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox and Lucio Fulci's The Beyond.
While other boutique labels battle it out for the distribution rights to largely well known – or at least heard of – cult genre films, such as those from the likes of John Carpenter, George A. Romero and David Cronenberg, the UK based Shameless Films are more than content to provide movie fans with access to the lesser-known delights of Italy’s independent filmmakers. The output of which were often historically banned from distribution in the United Kingdom under penalty of prosecution due to the draconian Video Recordings Act 1984, with certain titles remaining officially unavailable right up to as recently as 2010.
These include gems such as Umberto Lenzi’s ‘Cannibal Ferox’ (aka: ‘Make Them Die Slowly’) - the ‘Shameless Numbered Edition’ of which hilariously comes complete with a custom printed air plane-style “barf approved” vomit bag tucked inside the case where you’d usually find an inlay card – and Lucio Fulci’s incredible ‘The Beyond’ (‘E Tu Vivrai Nel Terrore’). A browse through Shameless Films’ library will open a world of ‘WTF?!’ to anyone curious about what got the UK’s Mary Whitehouse - who spearheaded the campaign to ban these Video Nasties - and the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association’s (NVLA’s) collective knickers in such a twist back in the early 1980s, or anyone interested in what lies beyond the usual 1970s and 1980s USA produced horror movie offerings.
The Italian Horror Rabbit-hole. The Genre’s Storied Legacy Explained
A Deep Dive into the Giallo Genre and the Italian Horror Filmmakers Who Defined It
Discovering Italian Icons
The Essential Names of Italian Horror and Exploitation Cinema: Argento and Bava
Even before committing and dipping your toes into the murky bathwater of Italian horror/exploitation cinema, you’ll have inevitably stumbled upon the works of – or, at least, encountered the name of – Dario Argento, and perhaps Mario Bava. The latter of whom is widely considered to be the godfather of ‘Giallo’; a genre of fiction in literature and cinema that combines murder/mystery, psychological horror, slasher and thriller, often with a hefty dose of sexploitation. Fun fact: ‘giallo’ also means ‘yellow’ in Italian. See what Shameless Films did there? Huh?
Discovering Italian Icons
The Essential Names of Italian Horror and Exploitation Cinema: Argento and Bava
Even before committing and dipping your toes into the murky bathwater of Italian horror/exploitation cinema, you’ll have inevitably stumbled upon the works of – or, at least, encountered the name of – Dario Argento, and perhaps Mario Bava. The latter of whom is widely considered to be the godfather of ‘Giallo’; a genre of fiction in literature and cinema that combines murder/mystery, psychological horror, slasher and thriller, often with a hefty dose of sexploitation. Fun fact: ‘giallo’ also means ‘yellow’ in Italian. See what Shameless Films did there? Huh?
The Influence of Dario Argento
How Argento Became Italian Film Royalty and Boosted Emerging Talent
While Bava’s trailblazing The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) and Blood and Black Lace (1964) set the stage, Argento himself later became synonymous with the genre due to a string of incredibly well regarded films that he wrote, directed or produced – often all three – during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result of those successes, he can very much be considered Italian film industry royalty. He’s sort of like an Italian Steven Spielberg, in that he holds a huge degree of influence over the business in his native country, including the cultivation of the burgeoning careers of up-coming filmmakers and actors alike. While this is still the case today, to some degree, it was especially true back in the 1970s and 1980s during which time many pre-existing filmmakers received some well-deserved recognition from Argento’s interest, and many new filmmakers got their start by working for him.
The Argento Effect
The Ripple Effect of Argento’s Influence on Filmmakers like Fulci and Soavi
So if you were to begin your Italian horror movie deep-dive with Argento himself, you’d very quickly discover, by proxy, the likes of Lucio Fulci, Lamberto Bava (Mario Bava’s son) and Michele Soavi, to name a few. This is certainly not to say that those filmmakers wouldn’t have had careers without Argento’s influence, but in much the same way as having Quentin Tarantino Presents emblazoned across the top of Eli Roth’s Hostel back in 2005 no doubt did him some favours, being a filmmaker in Italy back in the 1980s and having Dario Argento associated with your work would definitely have given you a boost.
Michele Soavi: From Actor to Revered Horror Director
From Actor to Director: Michele Soavi’s Rise in the World of Italian Horror Cinema
Spotlight on Michele Soavi
A Director with a Career Boosted by Argento's Influence
With all of that out of the way, and before this article becomes A Complete History of Italian Horror in Cinema, let’s turn our attention to a particular director who certainly did benefit from his association with Dario Argento, providing his career with a solid upwards kick, and whom is the subject of our latest episode over on The Film Utopia Podcast. The one and only, Michele Soavi.
Spotlight on Michele Soavi
A Director with a Career Boosted by Argento's Influence
With all of that out of the way, and before this article becomes A Complete History of Italian Horror in Cinema, let’s turn our attention to a particular director who certainly did benefit from his association with Dario Argento, providing his career with a solid upwards kick, and whom is the subject of our latest episode over on The Film Utopia Podcast. The one and only, Michele Soavi.
From Acting to Assistant Directing
Michele Soavi's Transition from Actor to Assistant Director on Films by Fulci, Bava, and Argento
Soavi started out as an actor upon graduating from Fersen Studios in Milan, and later appeared in small roles in Marco Modugno’s ‘Bambule’ (1979) and Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (1980). He continued to show up in several bit-parts throughout the rest of the 80s, often uncredited, such as Joe D’Amato’s ‘Absurd’ (Rosso Gangue) in 1981, Lucio Fulci’s The New York Ripper (Lo squartatore di New York) in 1982, and Lamberto Bava’s A Blade in the Dark (La casa con la scala nel buio) and Blastfighter in 1983 and 1984 respectively. During this time, Soavi quickly gravitated to assistant director roles, initially under D’Amato, before being noticed by Argento – who at the time was enjoying what most agree as the apex of his directorial filmography’s run – and was given a stab (pardon the pun) at the Second Assistant Director position on the now-infamous Tenebrae (1982). By 1987, with the support and backing of producer Joe D’Amato and the blessing of his now-friend, Dario Argento, Michele Soavi made his directorial debut with StageFright (aka: ‘Deliria’, aka: ‘Aquarius’, aka: ‘Bloody Bird’, aka: ‘Sound Stage Massacre’).
The Directorial Journey of Soavi
Soavi’s Unique Horror Film Run, Culminating in His Masterpiece: Cemetery Man
Soavi would go on to direct what I personally consider to be a run of highly unique and innovatively shot horror films, starting with the aforementioned StageFright. These included The Church (aka: La chiesa, aka: Cathedral of Demons) in 1989, The Sect (La setta, aka ‘The Devil’s Daughter’) in 1991 and, finally, his magnum opus: Cemetery Man (aka: Dellamorte dellamore) in 1994. In our latest episode, my co-host Steven and I discuss our thoughts on the four films themselves, so if you are interested in Soavi and would like to hear our reviews, I would delighted for you to have a listen here.
Shameless Films and Michele Soavi’s Legacy of Chilling Horror
How Shameless Films Preserves and Presents the Filmmaking Genius of Michele Soavi
Michele Soavi’s haunting tales in all their yellow splendor from Shameless Films: Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man), The Church, and The Sect. A horror fan's must-have posessions.
These days, for those wishing to explore the early works of Michele Soavi from the comfort of their own home, you can’t really go wrong with Shameless Films, who, at the time of writing, still have these four classics available on Blu-ray. And for those of us in the UK, Shameless Films are the only distributor to ever carry these films in HD, with the exception of StageFright (1987), previously available from Exposure Cinema and long out of print.
This article represents as much a love letter to Shameless Films as it does to Michele Soavi and my love of Italian horror/exploitation films in general, as it’s through them that I’ve been able to experience many of these films that have long-fascinated me since witnessing brief moments in late-night clip shows on TV during the 90s.
Of course, there has been the odd VHS tape floating around in second hand shops over the years. But for these types of films, that format had its own issues – and I’m not talking about the obvious. Old European exploitation movies on VHS are invariably plagued with poor quality, artifacts and intermittent tracking issues during nude scenes and/or violence/gore scenes from some perv or psycho former owner making ample use of their VCR’s ‘A/B Repeat’ function in years past. Thankfully, those days are over and we now have optical media to enjoy!
Alternatives to Shameless Films: Exploring Diverse International Releases
Exploring International Releases for Higher-Resolution Viewings of Soavi’s Works
Internationally there are alternative distributors for each of Soavi’s four classic horror films on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD. Even as recently as last year, Severin Films in the USA released long overdue 4K Blu-rays of The Church, The Sect and Cemetery Man, with StageFright still being available on Blu-ray from Blue Underground since their 2014 release.
I am very interested in taking a look at the Severin 4K Blu-rays, particularly as the transfers come with Soavi’s personal approval, but I’m also apprehensive about the films looking perhaps too sharp in 4K? I often think that a certain ‘caliber’ of film loses some of its charm in high resolution and I usually prefer to reserve that medium for modern big budget extravaganzas or beautifully cared for restorations of stunningly shot classics such as The Third Man, or Spartacus.
I will see you all here very soon for Part 2 of this retrospective where we are going to plunge into the wonderful chaos of Michele Soavi's horror work. Prepare for the mayhem of StageFright, where an owl-headed killer brings terror to a theatrical troupe trapped in their own theatre. Then we will delve into The Church, where ancient evils lie dormant beneath a cathedral’s eerie grandeur. Next is The Sect, a twisted journey into cult horror with spine-chilling rituals and haunting imagery. And we are going to wrap things up with Michele Soavi's masterpiece Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) where Soavi fearlessly melds dark humor with existential dread amid a backdrop of the undead.
But that's a thought for another day! For now, at least, let's keep things yellow!
Co-host of Film Utopia
With a core team of three film fans plus occasional contributors; the Film Utopia podcasts and commentaries offer fierce hot talk on various film and film related subjects