The Monster Of Venice (1965) – Giallithon #4

Creepy is the word you would use most to describe this strange horror/giallo mix from 1965 which is also known by the name The Embalmer but Monster Of Venice is much closer to the original Italian name of Il Mostro di Venezia.

This low-budget film owes an awful lot to the story of the Phantom of the Opera, except here we have a crazy mortician who stalks beautiful women in the canals and catacombs of Venice. He does this by hiding in the water of the canals in full scuba gear, and grabbing them to take down to his subterranean lair. There he changes into a monk’s cassock and a skeletal deathmask, then embalms and stuffs the women to add to his collection.

Sounds pretty grim right?

It’s actually an excellent idea for a film, and themes from this were explored again in other films such as Amsterdamned (1988) and Don’t Look Now (1973). Films based in cities that are composed of many canals are eerie, it’s now a proven fact.

The film itself was written and directed by Dino Tavella, who went onto do precisely nothing after this film. You can kind of see why. Although the film has a brilliant premise, the execution can be extremely lackluster. The characters are either highly annoying, or pretty vacuous. The script is pretty terrible, and doesn’t pull you into the proceedings much. The cast is full of people that didn’t pop up much, if at all again in other films. There are comedy characters that just don’t work, and the women just aren’t beautiful enough to be part of a Giallo.

 

Where the film does excel is creating eerie foreboding atmosphere that peaks in the underground lair of the killer. It’s a rotten place of death, filled with the skeletal remains of dead monks from seems to be an ancient subterranean sect. The Embalmer’s victims are displayed in his trophy cabinet, as he stalks around in the dark kicking skulls from his path.

Tavella excels in some great camerawork, and maybe this is where his real strength lay. It’s a shame that this film didn’t have any involvement from a strong scriptwriter such as Gastaldi, or even a great director such as Bava who really could have made this into a macabre masterpiece of cinema.

As such it’s still an entertaining film that can drag in places, and border on the ridiculous in others. There are moments of brief flashes of genius, especially near the climax where the killer disguises himself by hiding among the corpses of the long dead monks to surprise a potential victim.

There is a decent version of this on DVD from Retromedia/Image Entertainment, but unfortunately the DVD version I own is in the wrong aspect ratio. As you can see from the screenshots it’s 4:3 stretched to 16:9, and therefore everything looks squashed. However it’s a fine print with little damage, and strong blacks so you can easily make out what lurks in the shadows of the catacombs beneath the streets and canals of Venice.

Worth searching out if only to see the creepy climax.

Libido (1965) – Giallithon #3

This was to be the legendary scriptwriter Ernesto Gastaldi’s first foray into the world of Giallo, and here he actually gets behind the camera and directs this early Giallo under the alias of Julian Berry. He actually co-directed this with Victor Storff aka Vittorio Salerno. The script was written by Gastaldi’s wife Mara Maryl, who also is one of the four main stars of the film, the others being Giancarlo Gianni, Luciano Pigozzi (here as Alan Collins), and Dominique Boschero.

This was also the first Giallo to bring up the much used theme in the Giallo genre of a primal scene (thanks Freud), where something that happened to one of the main characters in their childhood goes on to have a big significance in the film.

In this case, our main protagonist is Christian (Giancarlo Gianni) who as a young boy witnesses his sexually depraved father murdering his mistress in his secret sex room full of mirrors. His father then apparently committed suicide by jumping off the cliffs into the sea at the family home… although his body was never found.

 

We then find ourselves back to present day 20 years later (well the mid-60s here) and we have our 4 main characters driving towards the cliff-top mansion of Christian. We have Christian’s fiancee Eileen (Boschero), his best friend and legal guardian Paul, and Paul’s girlfriend Brigitte (Maryl). In the years after Christian’s father killed himself, Paul has taken guardianship of the estate and looked after the interests of Christian. As they head towards the mansion, we find out that Paul has arranged it so that Christian can finally claim his inheritance including the mansion.

 
Cue the worst camel toe ever in a Giallo!

Once we arrive at the house, the trauma of the past events starts to haunt Christian, and his friends start to get dragged into a vortex of sleaze and violence. Can Christian overcome his demons?

The plot is pretty simplistic compared to later Gialli but you have to remember that this was one of the first films to treat this ground, and it does so very well. Gianni perhaps overcooks his acting a bit with a wild and frenzied performance, but the real stars here are the two lady leads. Maryl does the blonde but mysterious role excellently, and the beautiful Boschero is both lovely and tragic.

This is a highly recommended essential early Giallo, and as such must be seen by all fans of the genre. Unfortunately it’s one of those classic titles that still languishes without any DVD release, and the only versions that seem to exist are very ropey hard subtitled VHS rips (as you can see from the screenshots). These are also badly cropped from the original aspect ratio, and are missing the sides of the picture.

It’s criminal that it hasn’t had a proper release yet, and I can only hope that someone who will do it a lot of justice will get hold of a good source and give it the release it deserves.

Blood And Black Lace (1964) – Giallithon #2

There are no two ways about it… Mario Bava’s Blood And Black Lace (1964) is a genre defining classic. Not only did it lay much of the groundwork for many giallo films to come, it upped the ante and included the kind of savagery that came to characterise these films over and above thrillers that were being made in the USA. It also laid the groundwork for a new genre of films, that wouldn’t actually really take off until the late 70s and early 80s… stalk’n’slash, or slashers as they are affectionately known by fans. This was the first film to feature a seemingly unstoppable killer who lurked in all the shadows that stalked and murdered victims in a brutal and vicious way. Bava then further cemented the genre with the excellent Bay Of Blood (1971) taking things a step even further. It was also the first film where the director started to employ point of view (POV) shots from the eyes of the killer, to further bring the audience into the film and help them identify with the killer. Lastly, another of the big giallo genre staples was the killer being dressed all in black, with a black fedora, and black leather gloves. The giallo killer’s favourite weapon was also introduced… the cut throat straight razor.

 

The story follows a seemingly pretty simply premise. Contessa Cristina (Eva Bartok) and Max Marian (Cameron Mitchell) run the exclusive Christian haute coutre fashion house populated with beautiful models and fashion designers. One stormy night the model Isabella (Francesca Ungaro) is murdered on her way into work at the fashion house and is discovered dead in a cupboard. Soon Isabella’s diary is found, which highlights some seedy corrupt goings on at the fashion house. Soon each model that comes into contact with the diary, or seemingly knowns more about what’s going on… are murdered in various gruesome ways. Only Inspector Sylvester (Thomas Reiner) can discover the truth…

 

What ensues is an exhilirating mix of brutal violence, highly stylised visuals, beautiful women, numerous red herrings, and the required unexpected twist (or two). Bava directs with so much gusto and beligerance against the usual standards of the thrillers coming out of the USA, or even the Wallace inspired Krimi films. He deliberately focus on everything that is visceral in the World that his characters inhabit, and fills it with sleaze, violence, drugs, and sex.

When pivotal plot devices are introduced, such as the discovery of Isabella’s diary, he deliberately uses the camera to make everyone look like a suspect. Each character gives uneasy looks, as if they are all hiding some terrible secret. Bava wants his audience to question every little detail he throws in front of them, and to keep them guessing right up to the big reveal (which is only about 3/4 of the way through this film!).

 

Bava was advised to shoot the film in black and white, as he did with his previous The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963). Being Mario Bava, he filmed this film in glorious Technicolor and deliberately filled the screen with as many bright styles and fashions as he could cram on. From the highly stylised opening sequence where we are introduced to each character as the cool jazzy soundtrack from Carlo Rustichelli indignantly blasts forth, to the extremely visceral killings.

 

All the lead performances are very strong, particularly from Mitchell and Bartok. Reinher’s Inspector Sylvester never appears to be ahead of the killer, and always on his heels… and as such he is a much more minor character than you would probably expect. We don’t even really have a main character who is pivotal in the investigation… Bava is quite content to just let things play out in their own inexplicably macabre manner.

There’s not really much that can be said about this film that has not already been said. It is a true classic in every sense of the word, and possibly one of the most influential films of all time. It’s a shame that it’s not heralded a true classic in the Citizen Kane (1941) sense of the word, as it’s every bit as important as that film or even Hitchock’s Psycho (1960).

 

The version under review here is the truly excellent Hande Weg German DVD (as Blutige Seida). This is by far the best transfer of the film available in it’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 presented here anamorphically. Every visceral detail is presented with stunning colour, and great clarity. It’s certainly an improvement from the VCI releases of the film. There are also some great extras including a comparison of the murders from the censored version of the film  and the complete uncut version. It also has 11 great trailers of other classic Mario Bava films. Highly recommended if you can find it, but unfortunately out of print and commanding high prices on such sites as eBay.

 

 

Essential viewing for every giallo fan.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) – Giallithon #1

So starts the Giallithon with the film that arguably started it all, Mario Bava’s 1963 classic The Girl Who Knew Too Much (La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo). Obviously inspired by the pulp fiction yellow (giallo) covered books, even as far as the heroine reads them and is inspired in her investigations by them and other famous crime novels, this is the first film to take a story that could have been lifted from the pages of those books and transpose them onto the screen with lashings of Hitchcock style. In fact it seems that Bava was reluctant to direct this, but it doesn’t show. They weren’t sure what they wanted to achieve with the film. In fact the American release is a totally different beast to this Italian subtitled version under review. The American release was touted as a romantic black comedy called The Evil Eye, a parady of previously released Hitchcock films, and it featured more scenes of humour. These didn’t really fit in with the overall tone of the film (a mystery with horror elements i.e. a proto-giallo), so the Italian release is much more streamlined and all the better for it. This was due to Bava being determined to make this into a serious film, and as a consequence he played down the comedy and boosted the horror. It was a stroke of genius. In this and his next proto-giallo, Blood And Black Lace (1964), he laid down the foundations for the entire Giallo genre.

Starring Leticia Roman and (a young) John Saxon, this was to be Bava’s final film to be shot in black and white, and also was filmed mostly on location in and around Rome. Bava shoots everything using purely natural lighting, and with each and every shot he uses obtuse angles, and an ever encroaching darkness to bring a sense of dread and foreboding to the proceedings.

Roman stars as the lovely Nora Davis, a young naive American who flies into Rome to visit her Aunt Adele. At her Aunt’s place, she encounters the suave and handsome Doctor Marcello Bassi (Saxon) who informs Nora that her Aunt is in failing health, and that he has been keeping an eye on her. That very night Nora sees her Aunt suffer a fatal heart attack. Freaked out by her deceased Aunt’s body twitching (it’s actually her cat trying to get up onto the bed), Nora flees from the house and out onto the big plaza outside. As she tries to make her way to the nearby hospital to fetch Dr. Bassi, she is mugged and knocked unconcious in the street. Nora comes around in a dizzy haze, and as she does, she witnesses a woman being stabbed in the back and dragged away… Did she really see a murder take place?

The rest that follows is a great mix of your giallo staples of red herrings, scenes of peril for our heroine, and bloody murders. Of course these were fresh then, and the elements that Bava brought to proceedings are evident in all the major players in the first wave of giallo and beyond. The black humour and creepy camera angles were no doubt a huge influence on Dario Argento and Umberto Lenzi in their films that followed this.

Saxon and Roman make great leads, and it’s unfortunate that it was reported that Saxon and Bava really did not get on well at all (detailed by Tim Lucas in the included sleeve notes). A strong leading man was unfortunately not a giallo staple, as many of the films feature very dull lead actors indeed. It’s a shame this wasn’t something that continued on through the genre.

This DVD version was released by Image Entertainment in 2000, and has a good transfer in it’s original 1.66:1 ratio presented anamorphically. It has parts where there is some evident print damage, and the contrast looks to be slightly too high in parts, but apart from a few ropey scenes… it all looks very good. It’s in the original Italian language with optional English subtitles. You can also get the film as part of the Bava boxset released by Anchor Bay, or a good transfer from French label Film Sans Frontiers.

A great film and a very worthy start to the Giallithon. Essential Giallo.

Glasgiallo – June 27th – 28th Glasgow Film Theatre

To coincide with Arrow Video’s release of the first three entries in their Masters Of Giallo series (the first time Dario Argento’s Sleepless (2000), Lamberto Bava’s Macabre (1980), and Lucio Fulci’s House By The Cemetery (1981) have been released uncut in the UK), Arrow has set up a special “Weekend of Italian Terror” screening event at Scotland’s Glasgow Film Theatre on Saturday-Sunday, June 27-28.

House By The Cemetery will be shown on the 27th at 9 p.m. Then on the 28th, Deodato’s gruesome gore-soaked jungle action film Cut And Run (1985) will start the evening at 5:30 p.m., with Deodato making his first-ever Scottish appearance to introduce the film and take part in a Q&A with Fangoria writer Calum Waddell. Finally Macabre follows at 8 p.m., with Lamberto Bava also making his first appearance in Scotland for an introduction and Q&A with Calum Waddell. Tickets will be on sale soon at the GFT site linked above.

Here’s the excellent artwork for the three releases:

Giallithon – 162 Gialli In A Row!

Giallithon? What’s that you ask? Well it’s pretty self-explanatory, starting from The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) and ending with Eyewitness (1990) I will be watching 162 giallo films chronologically and reviewing them here. Of course I could go past 1990 as there are more giallo films released after that point in time, like the impressive Sleepless (2000). However that would also mean sitting through some terrible dreck, and I am not that much of a masochist…

So expect the first review from the Giallithon soon!

Argento’s Giallo (2009) to be shown at Edinburgh Filmfest

Dario Argento’s highly anticipated film Giallo (2009), staring Adrien Brody and Emmanuelle Seigner, is going to get its World premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on June 25th.

The two star as an Italian Detective and an American Stewardess who team up in a race against time to find her sister who has been abducted by a maniacal serial killer known only as “Yellow.”

Tickets are on sale as from today (8th May), More details at the Edinburgh Film Festival website:

http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/whats-on/2009/giallo

5 Films yet to have a proper DVD release

With the advent of cult films being released in high definition, and also with the long (long) awaited release (official or not?) of Argento’s Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971), it might come as some surprise to some that many cult classics have yet to see an official DVD release. Some of the great cult films of all time sit languishing in vaults, with only VHS versions of varying quality (usually bad!) existing for people to enjoy them.

So I decided to create a list of five cult classic films that are in desperate need of a proper definitive release either on DVD or (even better) on Blu-ray. So hopefully some upstanding owner of a fine cult film company will see this and give the films the restoration and loving release they so thoroughly deserve! So on with the list:

1. Spider Labyrinth (1988) aka Il Nido del Ragno – A truly disturbing supernatural giallo from the late 80s, this forgotten gem clearly needs a restored uncut version released. Clearly some money was spent on this film as it has superior cinematography and some great special effects for the time. It also triumphantly succeeds in creating a very creepy, eerie atmosphere. It has some vhillingly effective murder scenes, and the final scene is pure Grand Guignol exuberance. The story sees Roland Wybenga playing Professor Alan Whitmore who is sent to investigate strange goings on in a small town. What he finds there is a horror beyond what he could have imagined and where nothing is what it seems.Unfortunately I’ve only ever seen a VHS rip with hardcoded Japanese subtitles on it, and it was fullscreen. It really takes away from what you can tell is some fantastic camera work. It might have that familiar 80s tinge to the picture, but it still should be incredible if a restored widescreen version could be sourced.

   

2. Amuck! (1972) – A giallo masterpiece that mysteriously has never received a DVD release. Directed by Silvio Amadio, this is a beautiful shot and fantastically scripted piece of film. Not only does it feature some ultra stylish setpieces so familiar with classic giallo, but it also features a truly electrifying sex scene between Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri… two of the genre’s finest. The way Amadio shoots the scene is brilliantly done, and it literally sizzles off the screen.Couple all that with one of the best soundtracks to ever grace a giallo, and you’ve got yourself a truly fantastic cult film.So why no DVD release?

   That is a complete mystery as there are only bootleg DVDs around. These appear to be VHS rips and are unfortunately fullframe versions rather than the original 2.35:1 Cromoscope composition it was originally filmed in. It’s a shame as this is bound to look glorious.

   So please… someone bring out a great looking version of one of the first films that made giallo sexy!

3. Thrilling In Venice (1979) aka Giallo a Venezia – Described by even hardened giallo fans as vile, repulsive, disgusting, and utter trash… this film represents the pinnicle in how depraved and sleazy you could make a giallo. Not even New York Ripper or Torso could match this film for sheer depravity.There’s plenty of gore, softcore sex, nudity, and funny late 70s hair cuts on show. It has something for everyone… except those with no stomach for the depraved!I don’t think there’s much chance of this being released in the UK anytime soon, but it is strange that this infamous giallo has never received much attention from any of the major DVD labels. Anything that is so infamously trashy is bound to be a big seller. It ticks all the boxes for gorehounds, sleazeters, and grindhouse fans. I would have thought this was a perfect release for Grindhouse Releasing.

   Let’s hope a decent copy surfaces soon, as the only half decent uncut rip that seems to be out there is a brazillian VHS! Surely there has to be a better source than that?

4. Night Of The Demon (1980) – Talking of grindhouse classics… this has to rank as one of the stars of that genre. The infamous Bigfoot video nasty from 1980. This film takes the well established Bigfoot genre, and turns it on its head by introducing ghaslty deaths, horrific scenes of penis removal by Bigfoot claw, and one of the craziest final 10 minutes of any film… ever! It’s just pure fantastic joyous trash in cult film form. The acting is dire, and dare I say this film is never going to get a pin sharp high definition makeover… but it still deserves far more than it’s got so far from distributors.In fact the only uncut version that seems to be doing the rounds is a copy of when Zone Horror showed it on that channel. It looks very rough though, so this film really needs some much needed attention.
5. Libido (1965) – Perhaps most perplexing of all is how this Ernesto Gastaldi written and directed giallo has not had a proper DVD release! This is one of the very first giallo, and it’s also one of the most accomplished. Shot in black and white, it has a fantastic plot (as you’d expect from the master writer of the genre), and some great acting. It’s very well made and really makes you wish Gastaldi had directed a few more films.Again the only version of this in wide circulation are VHS sourced. There is clearly a great looking film here, shot originally on 35mm, just waiting to burst out onto our home screens. Why hasn’t anyone done this yet? This is a classic by every definition of the word!Get to it please!

Lone Wolf & Cub (1972-1974)

The Lonewolf & Cub sextet of films are a personal genre favourite of mine, blending together everything that’s great about martial arts, OTT blood spilling, Japanese culture, and gorgeous feudal Japan landscapes and women. The series of films is known by many names; Kozure Okami in Japan, Babycart Series, and of course the Lonewolf & Cub Series. Prior to becoming films the story originated from a popular Japanese Gekiga or Manga cartoon strip. They also made some theatrical plays and a television series from it, but I’ve not seen anything of those.

The premise of the story chronicles the exploits of Ogami Itto, the Shogun’s executioner or second. In a time and culture where honour and the way of the warrior is everything, the corrupt shadow Yagyu clan puts into an action that disagraces the house of Itto, and kills his wife. Faced with the decision to either commit suicide to clear the honour of the house of Itto, or to become like a demon and follow the path of the assassin… he (thankfully for us) chooses the latter. He also gives his then baby son, Daigoro, the same choice… the sword or the ball. Choosing the ball would send his baby son to be with his now dead mother, or choosing the sword would mean becoming a demon like his father at the crossroads of hell. Choosing the sword we are left with Lonewolf & his cub. What follows is the most bloody, savage journey through feudal Japan by Itto you could imagine. Pushing a now three year old Daigoro around in a babycart/pram that has a few tricks up its sleeve… seeking revenge on the evil Yagyu clan. The films are really as good as it sounds!

The first three films were all released in 1972, were directed by Kenji Misumi, and produced by Shintaro Katus (the eponymous star of the Zatoichi film series, and also the brother of the star of these films).

These films were later to gain an infamous notoriety, but not in this guise. Shogun Assassin (1980) was produced for American audiences as an English language compilation, edited mainly from the second film, but with 11 minutes of additional set-up footage from the first film. This version of the film shot to fame in the ‘video nasties’ debacle of the early 80s, and was promptly banned from the UK. I’m not a huge fan of this edit, as I feel it leaves out some very important parts of the storytelling that contribute to the entire series. As a standalone no-nonsense action flick though, it is superb. They then decided to release the third film as Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords Of Death to English speaking audiences.

 The last three films were then released over the period of 1972 to 1974, and were produced by Ogami Itto himself… the incredible Tomisaburo Wakayama who is master samurai personified. Never before on screen has someone been so intimidating, and so commanding on the screen. You honestly believe that he can slaughter armies of ninja & swordsman (which he often does!). He despatches his enemies with a speed and cold efficiency that is just breathtaking to behold. Oh boy does he despatch them! Fountains of blood gush high into the air, severed limbs fly, heads roll, entire bodies are cleaved in half. The gore level is simply incredible. If you’ve ever seen the great section in Kill Bill at The House Of Blue Leaves where she has the huge sword fight against the Crazy 88… imagine that, but 10 times more spectacular and gory… and then you’ve got one of the tamer fight scenes in the Babycart series. They’re really that good! You can clearly see where Mr Tarantino got some inspiration from in his film, as he acknowledges in part 2 where the young daughter is actually watching her favourite film… Shogun Assassin.

The first film is Sword Of Vengeance (1972).

 

After the killing of his wife by the Yagyus, Ogami Itto gives his young son Daigoro the choice between instant death (a ball) and the life of the ronin (a sword). As the child reaches for the sword, father and son’s fate is sealed to a life of violence and tragedy. Wheeling Daigoro through the countryside in a pram rigged with deadly surprises, Itto comes to a town held hostage by bandits, where he is to stop a planned assassination of an official. The first film is a little slower than the others, but it sets the tone beautifully. The final duel between Ogami and the Yagyu man at dawn is staggering and also beautifully filmed. Although extremely violent and gore-drenched, the film remains highly stylised and remarkably intelligent.

The second film in the series is the terrific Babycart At The River Styx (1972).

The second installment in the Lone Wolf and Cub saga finds Ogami hired to kill a defecting worker about to reveal the secrets of a prosperous clan’s dyeing process to Ogami’s nemesis Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Little does Ogami know that Lord Yagyu has sent a gang of female ninjas to kill him, and that he will have to fight a vicious trio of brothers sent to escort the informer. The bond between father and son is intensified as Daigoro assists Ogami in his quest, and nurses him when he is critically injured. Boasting more action than the initial installment, Baby Cart at River Styx is also beautifully photographed, with style to spare and great period atmosphere; this episode is considered by some to be one of the best of the series. Not for me though, I consider the next installment to be worthy of that title. This title did however make up the bulk of Shogun Assassin, and contains much of the gore-soaked footage that no doubt led to it being banned.

The third title in the sextet of films is the absolutely incredible Babycart To Hades, which is probably my favourite installment (either this or the fourth).

Ogami hired by a female yakuza to kill a corrupt governor. While wandering the countryside, Ogami stumbles upon a brutal crime being committed by three mercenaries accompanied by the ronin Kanbei. After killing the mercenaries, Ogami refuses to do battle with the ronin, taking refuge in a nearby town. It is there that Ogami meets Toizo and is offered the job of assassinating the corrupt governor Gamba. After exposing the previous leader’s mental illness and exploiting it to his own benefit, Gamba is now the wealthy and powerful leader of the clan. Gamba attempts to hire Ogami to kill the previous governor, then suspects that he is Ogami’s intended target after he refuses the job. His suspicions are confirmed, as Ogami is led into a treacherous series of cat-and-mouse games with Gamba’s men. What follows is an incredible orgy of violence as Ogami single-handedly faces off against an entire army of men, then faces Kanbei on the blood-drenched battlefield.

I love this installment, it has everything. Fantastic fights and battles, beautiful women, and a some interesting developments to the main characters. At times it’s almost like watching a live-action cartoon. I’ve never seen this style bettered.

 

Part four is the thrilling Babycart In Peril (1972). It depends on what day you ask me, but I’ll either say this or part three are my favourite installment.

 

A group of grieving widows hires Ogami to kill tattooed female assassin Oyuki in this noir-ish fourth entry in the popular Lone Wolf and Cub series. After being raped and subsequently desecrating her perfect body with tattoos to detract her foes, Oyuki, an expert with the short sword, seeks vengeance on those who wronged her. As Ogami seeks Oyuki’s father in order to track his hit, Daigoro is separated from his father, encountering Lord Retsudo Yagyu’s vengeful son Gunbei in a compelling sequence. After the resourceful boy survives a burning field, as well as defends himself from his would-be assassin, Ogami comes to the rescue of his son. Ogami later discovers the truth about Oyuki, and allows his sympathetic victim to do battle with the man who wronged her before carrying out his mission. After doing battle with another horde of Yagyu soldiers, Ogami is confronted by none other than Lord Retsudo Yagyu himself. This thrilling battle is notable as the only time the two actually cross swords in the series.

The fifth installment is Babycart In The Land Of Demons (1973).

Five swordsmen hire Ogami, each revealing a portion of his mission as they are defeated in this fifth entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. After defeating the swordsmen, Ogami discovers his mission is to save a clan’s honor by killing its royal family. The senile lord of the clan has substituted his daughter (raised as a boy) to be the heir he never had. In addition to murdering the lord, his concubine, and the girl, Ogami must stop a document revealing the deception from reaching the hands of Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Daigoro is again separated from Ogami in a delicate sequence revealing much about the relationship between father and son, and finding young Daigoro learning to maintain honor in the face of injustice. After seeking out the lord and carrying out his mission in a final battle within the castle, father and son become closer than ever as they follow the road to their final battle. Graced with the finest photography of the series, along with excellent action set pieces, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons is noted as possibly the best (as well as the grimmest) of the series.

 Finally we have the final part of the series, White Heaven In Hell (1974).

In this sixth and final film of the series, Ogami faces his ultimate challenge when all remaining members of the enemy Retsudo clan band together for a face-off on a snowy battlefield. I won’t ruin it anymore than that for you…

I can’t express how truly thrilling and fantastic these films are. If you haven’t already seen them, please do so as soon as possible. I strongly urge you to make sure you watch the films in their original Japanese form with English subtitles. Otherwise you will miss out on the sheer impact the Japanese language has on proceedings. Never before has Japanese sounded so threatening and menacing as when spoken by the mighty Ogami Itto.

Ruggero Deodato plans Gialli trilogy

Infamous cult Italian director, Ruggero Deodata (Cannibal Holocaust, House At The Edge Of The Park) has announced at the recent Fangoria ‘Weekend Of Horrors’ that he is planning a trilogy of giallo films as his next project.

 "I have written the scripts for three new giallo movies. I am especially fond of one of these scripts. It is a more serious take on the giallo – it is not crazy like some of the recent Dario Argento pictures. It is very realistic although it still has the violence which the fans will expect."

Deodato is currently putting his finishing touches to the sequel-cum-companion piece to his infamous 1980 cannibal classic Cannibal Holocaust, appropriately titled Cannibals.