HOME  -  INTRO  -  REVIEWS  -  FEATURES  -  MYSPACE  -  BLOG  -  STAFF  -  CONTACT

HORROR 101: THE A-LIST OF HORROR FILMS AND MONSTER MOVIES  VOL 1

It’s very hard for me not to get excited about any sort of project dealing with Lucio Fulci.  I’ve enjoyed his movies for decades, collected movie posters and other movie memorabilia from his movies, and also collected and enjoyed reading the few reference books that were on him.  I was even one of the lucky ones to make it out to the Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors convention in New York, back in 1996, only a few short months before he passed away.  In other words, I am a huge Fulci fan.

Being horror fans, we know that most of the films that we love never really get the credit they so richly deserve.  The same can be said for the creators of these types of films.  Especially when it comes to Lucio Fulci.  Fulci had never been giving the credit that he deserved.  What Mike Baronas has done with this new DVD is to do his part in trying to rectify that grievous error.

The great thing about this DVD is that this isn’t filled with fan-boy praise over their favorite director.  The praising comments (some not so praising) comes from the people that knew him best: the people he worked with.  Baronas has compiled a staggering number of interviews with actors, directors, cameramen, special effects artists, and many other people that had worked with Fulci over the years.  Each one of them giving their favorite memory of him.  As we said, some of them are not the most kind.  Most are not only high praise, but some even thank the makers of this DVD for giving them a chance to let the world know that when it came to the filmmaking, Fulci was indeed a master craftsman.

The stories you will hear on this DVD you will never find in any book.  These are stories are first hand, coming directly from the people who worked with him.  And from these, you get a chance to see a glimpse of this very talented and intelligent filmmaker, but who also had a very dark side to him.  As we mentioned, during a couple of the interviews, they thanked the makers of this DVD.  Firstly, for the chance to be able to tell people just how great of a filmmaker that Fulci was.  But more importantly, that that since he’s basically forgotten in the Italian film industry, they seemed very happy to know that Fulci still has a strong fan base in the states.  And that his work is still be admired today.

The DVD is composed of 3 different sections.  The first is Accomplices, which are people who worked with Fulci behind the camera.  Like effects artists (Carlo Rambaldi), musicians (Fabio Frizzi), cameramen (Sergio Salvait), and many more.  The second section is Peers.  Here you get to hear what other Italian directors thought and knew of Lucio.  Directors like Lamberto Bava, Umberto Lenzi, Sergio Martino, Bruno Mattei, Michele Soavi, and more.  The last section, which is really the most entertaining, is Victims.  These are the actors and actresses that were directed by Lucio.  You will hear from people like Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Cupisti, George Hilton, Geoffrey Lewis, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Catriona Maccoll, and many, many, more.

Some might find this DVD too long to sit through, since it’s basically filled with the “talking heads” approach.  But would you rather have footage from the movies and less info coming at you?  As fans, we know the movies.  We don’t need to see them on a documentary, giving up the chances to hear these great stories of this great filmmaker.  So while it might be a little hard to sit and watch all in one setting, it’s broken up into sections that make it very easy to go back and access right where you left off, or jump to a particular person that you might want to hear from.

I guess my only complaint would be there it would have been nice to compile a nice photo and still gallery, showing the wonderful poster art and items from his films.  But once again, I don’t think that’s really necessary for the purpose of this DVD.  I guess I’m just a sucker for those types of things.

Bottom line….if you are even the slightest fan of Lucio Fulci, then you need this DVD.  Even if you are the most die-hard fan, you will learn even more, and get a much better look inside him.  And you will have a much better understanding of this complicated man.  For a student of the horror genre, it's people like Lucio Fulci that need to be remembered for the huge impact that he had made.  Not only in the horror genre, but in the film industry as well.

Major kudos goes out to Mike Baronas for working on something that he is so passionate about, putting years of hard work and sweat, just so other Fulci fans can get to know the director a little better.  Thanks, Mike.

 You can acquire the DVD through the official website HERE.  Just tell them we sent you!