Hello and welcome to a new addition to Popoptiq’s panoply of film related column and blog ideas. For as long as the website has been around, its staff and editors have always had proclivities towards genre cinema in all its finest and worst forms. As such, when the opportunity arose to review the newest home video releases of Scream Factory, the horror-thriller offshoot of independent label Shout Factory, the decision seemed obvious.
What [Fulci] did best within the [horror] genre, he did as well as any other filmmaker…. And arguably his finest achievement, certainly one that perfectly showcases his style and skill, is The Beyond (1981), out now on an extensive 3-disc collectors edition Blu-ray.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. By this point in his career Lucio Fulci was severely running out of steam. His titles were no longer met with any fanfare and even his most ardent supporters had begun to think less of his newer creations. With his best days behind him the once acclaimed director turned towards two different pathways to help keep his filmmaking career afloat.
The etymologic history of the giallo sub-genre is well-documented by now. Giallo, Italian for yellow, refers to the cheap mystery books that at least partially inspired a cross-section of gruesome murder films from the likes of Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Lucio Fulci. Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much from 1963 is commonly referenced …
Lucio Fulci’s Massacre Time is playing at Fantasia in conjunction with the Festival du Nouveau Cinema as part of the The Django Project. The series takes a look at the western genre, as appropriated by other cultures, as it blends with irony, excess and pop-art. Though best known for his giallo thrillers, Fulci’s Massacre Time is an exuberant and exciting spaghetti western. Starring Franco Nero in a role obviously evocative of his work in Django, he plays a prospector who must return to his home and reclaim his family’s ranch from a man named Scott and his sadistic son Junior.
The Beyond Directed by Lucio Fulci Screenplay by Dardano Sacchetti 1981, Italy Sometimes labeled “Fulci’s masterpiece”, The Beyond is loaded with more than enough graphic gore to please the most jaded genre enthusiast: We’re talking acid face-lifts, killer tarantulas. There is even a scene reminiscent of Suspiria (1977), in where a blind girl has …
The Fantasia Film Festival kicks off today with the Canadian premiere of Kevin Smith’s Red State, and now we’re already looking ahead at another major film fest. Fantastic Fest is one of the best film festivals in the states. Held in Austin Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse, the event screens nothing but the best in …
It is the second week of the contest, and this is traditionally when we first start feeling a little horror burnout. This year was no exception, but I managed to trudge through it and watch 13 films, and some were even good. The week started on a high note with Lucio Fulci’s City of The …
“Slow building suspense and foreboding danger play the main tune in this Fucli thriller.” The Psychic (aka Seven Notes in Black) Director: Lucio Fulci Writers: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti, Dardano Sacchetti Starring: Jennifer O’Neill, Gabriele Ferzetti, Marc Porel 1977 Italy | Not Rated | 97 mins Lucio Fulci is probably best known to horror fans for …