Celebrate Fulci's Birthday With #FulciLivesFilmWeek !
First and foremost, happy 97th birthday to the dearly departed Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci. If you haven’t heard of or even seen a Fulci film, it’s best you stop whatever you’re doing and go watch The Beyond ASAP. It can be hard to pick just one of the filmmaker’s films as a favorite, which is why some amazing folks on the internet have teamed together to celebrate not just one day, but an entire WEEK of Fulci films.
Going on its fourth year, #FulciLivesFilmWeek is a week-long celebration beginning on June 16 and ending on June 23. During the week, you can follow the Instagram accounts of @ilpinguino, @thecabinetofdr.howdy, @mearnzymoviemansion, and @casketkrusher_clay as they go deep into the filmography of Italy’s greatest horror export. We here at Macabre Daily are also celebrating with Managing Editor and Owner, Matt Orozco putting down his five favorite Fulcis!
THE BEYOND (1981)
What else can be said about this film that hasn’t been written, spoken, or yelled at the screen before. A nightmarish and surreal film explaining why you should never take over an old, haunted hotel from your New Orleans family. Filled with some of horrors most iconic imagery, “The Beyond” is a film that defies logic while creating an atmosphere so singular, you won’t soon forget it!
DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972)
One of the director’s Giallo efforts is easily one of the best in the entire genre. A story about a child-killing murderer that cleverly balances the realism of Gialli with the supernatural undertones of a horror film. It’s one of the maestros more metered films, which doesn’t mean it skimps on the violence, it is just more evenly handled here.
CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980)
It is wild to think that just one year before releasing THE BEYOND, Fulci gave us CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. Some could argue it is better than The Beyond, and that’s a valid statement to be sure. City grows on you with each watch, and has one of the best endings in horror. Not to mention some truly ghastly imagery and a more grounded story than the rest of the "Gates of Hell” trilogy.
ZOMBIE (1979)
One of the best zombie films ever made, and inspired by Romero’s unique take on the creature, but with an Italian twist all its own. ZOMBIE has gone by many names, but it is the most memorable zombie film you’re likely ever to see given the obscene violence and audacity to pit a shark against a zombie. It’s a wild movie from beginning to end, and has top-tier Fulci eye trauma!
MURDER ROCK (1984)
Italians loved them some theater kids trapped by a stalking killer, and MURDER ROCK is easily one of the most entertaining examples of this next to Soavi’s STAGEFRIGHT. MURDER ROCK is an odd film in many ways; tonally it can’t decide on humor or horror, the characters are all archetypes for Noe’s CLIMAX, and the music could make one think this is supposed to be an actual musical. It all culminates in a fever-dream of a watch that is peak Italian 80s horror from the godfather himself.
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