Halloween viewing- any fans of director Lucio Fulci?
This is one director who perplexes me.
I've watched his films for years and still can't figure out if I like him.
Last night I watch House By The Cemetery, and it's a good representation of his horror output.
On the one hand it has an atmosphere, mood and a sense of growing doom that's sorely absent from many 1980s horror fims.
[image][image][image]On the other hand it lacks any sense of logic, plot points are brought up and then abandoned, and other plot points feels unconnected to the main narrative. There are a lot of wtf? moments.
There's a scene where a character is brutally murdered and dragged across the floor, leaving more blood than I think the human body can contain. Yet the next morning one character cleans up the blood with the nonchalance of wiping up a spilled glass of fruit punch while another character looks on like nothing especially interesting is going on. And that second character is supposed to be terrified to be in the house.
I can never tell if Fulci is being lazy or if he's purposely trying to keep us off balance in some inexplicable way only he understands.
Before his horror films, Fulci directed numerous mainstream dramas and comedies and never comes off lazy or sloppy. So I'm more inclined to believe it's a purposeful approach. But the lack of logical narrative detracts from the film, in my opinion.
The previously mentioned over the top blood is another of Fulci's calling cards that, for me, becomes too unpleasant. It's often very real looking and Fulci's camera likes to linger on it for long periods of time.
[image][image]
The Beyond has a scene where spiders infest a man's face and eat out his eyes. The scene goes on forever.
[image]Yet for all these reasons I shouldn't enjoy his horror films, I find myself going back again and again because the imagery and overall mood stays with me long after I watch.
[image][image][image][image][image][image]
I've watched his films for years and still can't figure out if I like him.
Last night I watch House By The Cemetery, and it's a good representation of his horror output.
On the one hand it has an atmosphere, mood and a sense of growing doom that's sorely absent from many 1980s horror fims.
[image][image][image]On the other hand it lacks any sense of logic, plot points are brought up and then abandoned, and other plot points feels unconnected to the main narrative. There are a lot of wtf? moments.
There's a scene where a character is brutally murdered and dragged across the floor, leaving more blood than I think the human body can contain. Yet the next morning one character cleans up the blood with the nonchalance of wiping up a spilled glass of fruit punch while another character looks on like nothing especially interesting is going on. And that second character is supposed to be terrified to be in the house.
I can never tell if Fulci is being lazy or if he's purposely trying to keep us off balance in some inexplicable way only he understands.
Before his horror films, Fulci directed numerous mainstream dramas and comedies and never comes off lazy or sloppy. So I'm more inclined to believe it's a purposeful approach. But the lack of logical narrative detracts from the film, in my opinion.
The previously mentioned over the top blood is another of Fulci's calling cards that, for me, becomes too unpleasant. It's often very real looking and Fulci's camera likes to linger on it for long periods of time.
[image][image]
The Beyond has a scene where spiders infest a man's face and eat out his eyes. The scene goes on forever.
[image]Yet for all these reasons I shouldn't enjoy his horror films, I find myself going back again and again because the imagery and overall mood stays with me long after I watch.
[image][image][image][image][image][image]
