Exhumed Films and the Lightbox Presents….
Natale Giallo! In Italiano!
3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 1 PM – 10 PM
Doors/pre-show at 1 PM, screenings begin at 2 PMWe’re dreaming of a “yellow” Christmas! Join Exhumed Films for our annual holiday party/screening on Sunday, December 9, starting at 1:00 PM. For this year’s X-mas show, Exhumed Films is giving Euro-horror fans an amazing present: “Giallo Natale” features four classic giallo movies, projected from original Italian language 35mm prints and subtitled in English! Most of these films received very limited (and dubbed) theatrical releases in 35mm in this country, and have screened only rarely (if at all) here in the states over the last 30+ years, so viewing these films in their original form truly makes this program a “must see” event.
OPERA
1987 / 35mm / Dir. Dario Argento / 107 min / Subtitled
Dario Argento, the master of Italian horror and suspense movies, gave a giallo twist to the classic “Phantom of the Opera” story with this, his final work of the 1980s and–in the mind of some critics–perhaps the last truly great film in his oeuvre. A young opera singer named Betty is given her big break when she steps into a role vacated by an injured diva. But the accolades she receives for her performance also bring about the attention–and obsession–of a mysterious psychopath who seems to bear a connection to Betty’s traumatic past. Full of the stylish camerawork and gruesome setpieces he is famous for, Argento’s OPERA is a lavish and lurid entry in the giallo genre.
A BLADE IN THE DARK
1983 / 35mm / Dir. Lamberto Bava / 108 min / Subtitled
As the son of legendary horror/fantasy filmmaker Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava was able to hone his directorial skills by working with the best in the business, assisting his father on classic works such as PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES and TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE, and later working with Dario Argento as assistant director on his films INFERNO and TENEBRE. Lamberto Bava’s second feature as director, A BLADE IN THE DARK, is an effective shocker that stands up to the works of either of his mentors. A film composer (Andrea Occhipinti) secludes himself in an opulent villa to concentrate on his score for an upcoming horror movie. While there, he becomes embroiled in a mystery revolving around the previous inhabitant of the villa, an enigmatic woman named Linda. As odd occurrences–and brutal murders–begin to pile up, the composer realizes that the key to solving the mysteries and uncovering the murderer may actually lie within the horror film he is working on!
FORMULA FOR A MURDER
1985 / 35mm / Dir. Alberto De Martino / 96 min / Subtitled
One of the final films from HOLOCAUST 2000 and THE ANTICHRIST director Alberto De Martino, FORMULA FOR A MURDER is an over-the-top thriller starring fan favorite David Warbeck (THE BEYOND, THE BLACK CAT). A young girl is attacked by a mysterious maniac dressed as a priest, and during her escape the child is injured and permanently crippled. Years later, the girl is now a wealthy heiress who plans to use her fortune to build a sports center for paraplegics (!) and to support her local church. But strangely, all the people who stand to benefit from her money start falling victim to a brutal slasher. It’s almost as if someone wants to claim the invalid heiress’s fortune for themselves! But who could be the killer? Is it her sports coach (Warbeck), with whom she is enjoying a budding romance? Is it her weirdo doctor? The motorcycle riding priest? Or is some other mysterious figure behind all the murders? This extremely rare giallo has never received a U.S. video or DVD release, and we are excited to present what is likely its first theatrical screening in over thirty years.
INFERNO
1980 / 35mm / Dir. Dario Argento / 106 min / Subtitled
Dario Argento’s supernatural giallo SUSPIRIA is often considered his masterpiece, but the 1980 semi-sequel INFERNO is a worthy follow-up, containing the same stunning visuals/cinematography and a thrilling score by progressive rock giant Keith Emerson. INFERNO tells the story of an American music student living in Rome who returns to the states in order to investigate his sister’s disappearance. His search for answers leads to the discovery that his sister’s apartment building in New York City was once the home to “Mater Tenebrarum,” a powerful witch and one of the infamous “Three Mothers” who rule the supernatural realm. Before long, the musician is caught in a web of occultism and violence that threatens both his life and his soul. Though INFERNO is often screened in repertory cult programming across the country, this screening marks perhaps the first time that the Italian language version of the film will have been shown in the U.S. in 35mm.
