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While his father Mario probably cast a longer shadow than anyone else in Italian horror cinema, Lamberto Bava has managed to leave a prominent mark on the genre through popular works such as Demons (1985) and Demons 2 (‘86). Today we’re going to rewind the clock to his official directorial debut, Macabre (1980), a truly ludicrous and bizarre film “inspired” by true events. I bet they never happened like this.

Bava Jr. certainly spent his time in the trenches, working for Dario Argento and helping his dad finish Shock (1977); while he wrote the script with friends Roberto Gandus, and Pupi and Antonio Avati as a lark after reading a newspaper story from the U.S., he was given the reins to bring this lurid story to the screen as his official calling card. And bring it he does.

Released three years later Stateside as Frozen Terror, Macabre (aka Macabro) did little business...

Horror, like any genre, contains multitudes of subgenres and styles, and of course our individual tastes will gravitate to some more than others. But do you have a particular subgenre that you feel like you really should enjoy, but in reality, leaves you feeling flat to the point where you feel like you’re somehow watching it the wrong way? For me, such is the case for the giallo, our Italian forefather to the slasher. I love a good slasher as much as anyone, but when I try and translate that to something like Suspiria or Bay of Blood, something is always missing. I’d chalk it up to just not being my thing, but when I hear passionate fans discuss it, I can’t shake the feeling that if I catch one at the right time, the gears will fall into place and the majesty of the giallo will be revealed.