EXHUMED FILMS AND PHILADELPHIA FILM SOCIETY PRESENT: SPAGHETTI SHOCKERS
April 29 | 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Film Center
UPDATE ON SPAGHETTI SHOCKERS
As a heads up for our audience, we have some bad news and some good news regarding this weekend’s event. The bad news is that, due to technical difficulties beyond the control of Exhumed Films, we will not be able to screen the 2K restoration of FRANKENSTEIN ’80. The good news is that we have found another bit of Italian nastiness to take its place, one that is at least as shocking–if not more shocking–than the film it has replaced!. Even better is that the title will be projected on film, making our “Spaghetti Shockers” screening an entirely 35MM marathon!
Exhumed Films and Philadelphia Film Society are serving up a frightening feast for the gory gourmand: SPAGHETTI SHOCKERS is an all-day buffet of Italian horror rarities! See five seldom-screened shockers in their original, unedited versions. Most titles are being projected from original Italian language 35MM prints, and have in all likelihood never been screened theatrically in this country. For fans of Euro Horror obscurities, this is a marathon not to be missed!
General Admission – $40 | Members $32
No Refunds or Exchanges, all sales are final.
Individual Films not available; admission only via Spaghetti Shocker Marathon.
PHENOMENA
DARIO ARGENTO | ITALY | 1985 | 110 MIN | ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 35MM
PHENOMENA is one of the most interesting–and unusual–entries in the filmography of legendary horror director Dario Argento. The movie received a 1985 theatrical release in the U.S. in drastically edited form under the title CREEPERS. In addition to excising nearly 30 minutes of footage, the CREEPERS cut also ditched the original score by progressive-rock powerhouse (and frequent Argento collaborators) Goblin in favor of a soundtrack filled with ‘80s heavy metal hits. This screening of an original Italian-language film print marks perhaps the first time that PHENOMENA has ever played in its original 35MM format in the states. The story follows a young girl named Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly) who has the unique ability to communicate with insects. Jennifer is sent to a boarding school in Switzerland, where she soon finds herself caught up in a string of murders committed by an apparent serial killer. With the help of a forensic entomologist (Donald Pleasance), Jennifer sets out to use her unique gift to track down the killer and put an end to their reign of terror.
THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS
PUPI AVATI | ITALY | 1976 | 110 MIN | ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 35MM
THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS is an impressive, atmospheric giallo from director Pupi Avati (ZEDER). A young art restorer is commissioned by the mayor of a small village to restore a fresco on the local church wall. As he takes up residence in the home of the deceased artist who created the fresco, he learns of the man’s sordid history and begins to delve further into the village’s mysterious history. However, a spate of murders of those close to the protagonist lead him to suspect that someone is trying to prevent his uncovering the full truth behind the artist and his ominous legacy within the sleepy community. Viewers, though, shouldn’t sleep on this rarely screened classic of the genre!
WOMEN’S PRISON MASSACRE
BRUNO MATTEI | ITALY | 1983 | 85 MIN | ENGLISH DUBBED | 35MM
WOMEN’S PRISON MASSACRE is a notorious exploitation/gore film directed by Italian schlockmeister Bruno Mattei (RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR, HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD). The film seems to serve as an unofficial entry in the “Black Emanuelle” series of softcore exploitation films, with the plot centering on an investigative reporter named Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) who is set up by a corrupt official and sent to a brutal women’s prison. There, she suffers the abuses of sadistic prison guards and savage inmates, ultimately resulting in a violent and bloody confrontation between the female prisoners and their oppressors. WOMEN’S PRISON MASSACRE is as cheesey and as sleazy as grindhouse cinema gets, but it is the gruesome gore content that makes this Euro Horror trash-terpiece a true Spaghetti Shocker! Be warned, though: due to its grueling, graphic depictions of sex and violence, WOMEN’S PRISON MASSACRE is not for the faint of heart!
ANTHROPOPHAGUS
JON D’AMATO | ITALY | 1980 | 88 MIN | ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 35MM
Oh boy. Here we go. Few Italian horror movies are more infamous than director/provocateur Joe D’Amato’s gory Grand Guignol, ANTHROPOPHAGUS (aka THE GRIM REAPER). D’Amato (the professional pseudonym for Aristide Massaccesi) had a varied career in Italian cinema, to say the least, serving as a writer, director, producer, or cinematographer on everything from spaghetti westerns to erotic comedies to horror films to hardcore pornography. ANTHROPOPHAGUS is surely one of D’Amato’s most popular horror titles, and is another film that was only released in edited form for its U.S. theatrical run. Like PHENOMENA, we are excited to present it here projected from an uncut Italian 35MM print. The plot concerns a group of tourists (including ZOMBI 2 star Tisa Farrow) as they vacation on a secluded island. However, they soon discover that they are not alone on the island when they encounter a crazed and cannibalistic man known as “The Anthropophagus.” As the group attempts to flee from the island, they are relentlessly pursued by the deranged killer who will stop at nothing to satisfy his insatiable hunger for human flesh. The film’s graphic scenes of violence and cannibalism leave little to the imagination and are not for the faint of heart.
THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW
ANTONIO BIDO | ITALY | 1978 | 109 MIN | ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 35MM
This 1978 Italian giallo thriller directed by Antonio Bido (WATCH ME WHEN I KILL) tells the story of a young pianist, Stefano, who travels to a remote island to visit his brother, a priest. Upon arrival, he discovers a series of gruesome murders of young girls have taken place on the island. With the help of a local professor, Stefano begins to investigate the murders, but he soon finds himself a target of the killer. As the investigation progresses, more secrets are uncovered, and Stefano realizes that the killer may actually be someone he knows! THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW is an underrated giallo that stars Lino Cappolichio (who also played the lead in our previous feature, THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS) and Italian horror favorite Stefania Casini (SUSPIRIA, BLOOD FOR DRACULA).
No Refunds or Exchanges, all sales are final.
Individual Films not available; admission only via Spaghetti Shocker Marathon.