COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR (ARROW BLU RAY BOX SET)
What genres of horror connect with you the least? For me, it has been Gothic Horror. Ever since reading “Rebecca” in high school and my film studies classes in college, I have struggled to be entertained by Gothic Horror. Take CRIMSON PEAK for example. The 2015 Gothic Horror homage from my favorite filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. While there is no “rule” that you have to love every film your favorite filmmaker makes, I make every attempt possible to ascertain something from those you hate that you don’t love. While I can say repeat viewings have increased my appreciation, they never sold me on the Gothic Horror genre. Much of this is willful ignorance. When you don’t like something you don’t seek it out, so while I am a connoisseur of slashers and sleaze I struggle when it comes to Gothic Horror to speak to it beyond a handful of films. When ARROW VIDEO’s new box set, GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR, made it over to the crypt I took it as an opportunity to challenge my own convictions and hopefully expanded my horror horizons. Does this gothic horror quadrilogy turn my tastes or does it still feel stale?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE / LA VENDETTA DI LADY MORGAN (1965)
A young woman is killed by her treacherous husband and returns as a vengeful ghost.
THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER (1963)
The beautiful young daughter of a crazed count fears that she will fall victim to the family curse - to be sacrificed to fulfill an ancient family legend.
THE THIRD EYE / IL TERZO OCCHIO (1966)
A young count, who lives with his domineering mother, spirals into madness after both his mother and fiancée are killed by his jealous servant, who's secretly in love with him.
THE WITCH / LA STREGA IN AMORE (1966)
A womanizing author is lured to a mansion by an old woman under the guise of working as a librarian. Her daughter, Aura, appears out of nowhere and begins to seduce him. Little does he know, Aura doesn't actually exist.
Lady Morgan’s Vengeance
HOW IS IT?
LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE / LA VENDETTA DI LADY MORGAN (1965)
LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE, the first film in this box set, takes a “kitchen sink” to Gothic Horror tropes. Treacherous love affairs, assassination plots, betrayal, and even some good old-fashioned ghosts all make an appearance in this wildly entertaining 60s flick. The first half of the film is very steeped in both period and atmosphere playing out like a soap opera. It wasn’t holding my attention very well until the middle when all the dominoes start to fall. The madness seems relentless as deadly plans play out in the most Gothic way possible, only to lead to a truly wonderful and absurd climax that doubles down on the weird. This is one to watch with others so you can all gasp, laugh, and grin through what is probably one of the more exploitative of the Gothic horror films in this set.
THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER (1963)
In comparison to the back half of this box set, THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER is more akin to the traditional Gothic Horror that I’m familiar with. A period piece involving the most diabolical of familial plots that involve a disfigured patriarch, a mysterious woman in all black, goateés, sinister smirks, and above all some good old-fashioned claustrophobia. This one starts out a bit too slow and melodramatic for my taste, but once it hits the third act things really take a turn for the zany. I ended up liking this quite a bit more by the end, and the gorgeous monochromatic print looks divine and the soundtrack is spectacular as well. A fine example of more traditional Gothic Horror to be sure!
Lady Morgan’s Vengeance
THE THIRD EYE / IL TERZO OCCHIO (1966)
What happens when you mix PSYCHO with sultry mid-60s sensuality is you get THE THIRD EYE. Legendary genre actor FRANCO NERO is Mino, who is basically Norman Bates but far less subtle in his antics. The plot for this is very much a hodgepodge of jealous family, jealous lovers, and repressed sexuality manifested as pseudo-Freudian gothic murder. The twist here is that there are accomplices, and horror is exchanged for absolute lunacy, especially in the third act. A lot happens and it happens fast, so you won’t find yourself too bored if you can go along with some of the audacious characters and happenings. The last act really is something else as we get two people having absolute meltdowns leading to an ending that is absurdly fitting.
THE WITCH / LA STREGA IN AMORE (1966)
Part swinging 60s melodrama part psychedelic thriller, THE WITCH is a mixed bag of lurid sensuality with a hint of occult thrown in amidst a soap-opera style engagement between lovers. The most noticeable aspect of THE WITCH is how striking the cinematography is with the monochromatic film. The shots in THE WITCH are as entrancing as the titular character who lures playboys into her unsuspecting arms only to toy with them like a cat and a dead mouse. In a way, THE WITCH flips traditional predator/prey gender roles but you never once feel for our “protagonist”, Sergio. He’s arrogant, cocky, and takes everything in his life for granted as he sees himself as the absolute center of the universe, especially for the opposite sex. While the middle does drag some, the third act is almost hypnotic in the way it brings all the various threads together for an outstanding climax. There is a lot to unpack with this film, and it’s certainly one I’ll be revisiting in the future.
The Blanceville Monster
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
ARROW VIDEO makes reviewing things like picture quality easy in these box sets largely because their transfers are usually of the highest quality. The GOTHIC FANTASTICO collection is no different as all of these films simply radiate from the screen with crisp, clear, and vibrant images. All of the films are monochromatic and look absolutely stunning on the screen. There is the occasional grain or markings that come from restored films like these, but on the whole, it’s barely noticeable. For all four releases, Arrow delivers brand new 2k restorations of each film all from the corresponding original negative print. Screenshots from the four releases are seen throughout the review and used below:
The Blanceville Monster
The Third Eye
The Third Eye
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
All four of the releases in this set come with their original mono audio tracks included which have been lovingly restored from the original negatives. There is no need for more than what is provided and all of the tracks sound crisp and clear without having the benefit of surround sound audio. It’s a joy to hear these old films in such a vibrant way and the work that companies like Arrow do is not just important for collectors, it’s important for film history preservation.
The Witch
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Given the number of films included I was not able to review all the special features for each release. There are a lot of similarities between each release with respect to the kinds of features included. Most films include an audio commentary, at least one interview, and a video essay narrated by various film historians and subject matter experts. I want to highlight the video essays as absolute stand-outs for Arrow releases. If you are curious about what it would be like to take a truncated version of a film studies course, these video essays are your gateway drug. There is narration paired with moving images referencing not just the titular film(s), but also important historical, social, and mythological contexts helpful for understanding the underlying subtext that may or may not be apparent.
These video essays are usually between 15-20 minutes and are almost like podcasts in that you could just listen to them if you wanted to, but the experience is marginally better with the accompanying slideshow presented. These essays offer a point of view into the academic side of film interpretation that any self-professed film fan would find a fair amount of value in. As someone who spent four years of their undergrad studying film, I often miss the academic discussion and dissection of films and how we receive them. Needless to say, these make me feel like I’m in a classroom again and I simply adore that Arrow puts these on so many of their releases. A full list of special features for each film is listed below:
Product Features
Brand new 2K restorations from the original camera negatives of all four films
High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations of each film
Original Italian and English front and end titles on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
Original lossless mono Italian soundtracks on all four films
Original lossless mono English soundtracks on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
Brand new video introductions to each film by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth
Image galleries
Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti, Rob Talbot, Jerome Reuter, Rod Barnett and Kimberly Lindbergs
Fold-out double-sided poster
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
DISC ONE: LADY MORGAN'S VENGEANCE
Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Brand new video essay on the film by author and producer Kat Ellinger
Brand new video interview with actress Erika Blanc
Newly edited video interview with actor Paul Muller
Newly edited audio interview with director Massimo Pupillo
The complete original cineromanzo, published in Suspense in April 1971
Trailer
DISC TWO: THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER
Brand new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Paul Anthony Nelson
Brand new video essay on the film by writer and pop culture historian Keith Allison
Brand new video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
Opening credits for the US release of the film
Trailer
DISC THREE: THE THIRD EYE
Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Rachael Nisbet
Brand new video essay on the film by author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam
Newly edited video interview with actress Erika Blanc
DISC FOUR: THE WITCH
Brand new audio commentary by author and producer Kat Ellinger
Brand new video essay on the film by author and academic Miranda Corcoran
Brand new video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
The Witch
LAST RITES
Arrow’s GOTHIC FANTASTICO box set is an absolute ‘must-buy for any fans of 60s gothic horror. For those who are not fans, but are feeling adventurous, there is a lot to enjoy across each of the four films in this box set. From traditional to more groovy interpretations of gothic tropes, this box set is a wonderful addition to the film collector’s mausoleum.
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy of GOTHIC FANTASTICO: FOUR ITALIAN TALES OF TERROR and it is available NOW from MVD DIRECT or ARROW DIRECT
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