Tag Archives: Tenebrae

8 Shots From 8 Films: Special Dario Argento Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to one our favorite directors, the great Dario Argento!  It’s time for….

8 Shots from 8 Dario Argento Films

The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Vittorio Storaro)

Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Luigi Kuveiller)

Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Luciano Tovoli)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Romana Albani)

Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Luciano Tovoli)

Phenomena (1985, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Romano Albani)

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Giuseppe Rotunno)

Sleepless (2001, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Ronnie Taylor)

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To In August

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi there!  Welcome to the wonderful month of August!

August is traditionally one of my favorite months.  August is when I plan out my final vacations of the year.  Usually, at some point in August, I spend a few days up at the lake.  August is hot but it’s usually not as hot as July and, perhaps most importantly, each passing day in August is another day closer to the holiday season!  I imagine that I will be spending the majority of August getting ready for the holidays and especially for TSL’s annual Horrorthon!  In order to try to give our readers the most reviews ever, I’ve started writing and scheduling my Horrorthon posts in July.  I can’t wait for you to see them in October!

Here are a few things that I’m looking forward to in August:

1. A Thousand Years of Longing — Idris Elba!  Tilda Swinton!  George Miller, making his first film since Mad Max: Fury Road!  Critical reviews that have run the gamut from hostile to reverent!  How couldn’t I be looking forward to this?

2.  Prey — It’s a new Predator film!  For some reason, though, it’s called Prey.  I guess the idea is that we’ll care more about the people being hunted than we’ll care about the creature hunting them.  That really doesn’t sound like the Predator fans I know.  Just about everyone that I know is Team Predator.  Well, anyway, we’ll see how this one goes.

3. Spin Me Round — This film is due to be released on August 19th.  It really hasn’t gotten much promotion but it’s directed by Jeff Baena and it stars Alison Brie and I really liked Horse Girl so I’m looking forward to seeing what their next collaboration will be like.  Plus, my girl crush Aubrey Plaza is in it!

4. The Tenebrae Blu-ray Restoration — Synapse is celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of Dario Argento’s greatest films with three-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray 6,000 piece Limited Edition boxed set!  Invest in physical media, especially when it comes to the work of an artist like Argento because you just know that the latest group of moral scolds are going to come for him eventually.

5. The Better Call Saul Finale — Be careful, Jimmy/Saul/Gene!  Seriously, I’m so nervous about how it’s all going to end.

6. Watching Lots and Lots of Horror Movies — October’s coming up, you know!  It’s never too early to start getting ready!

7. Writing About Lots and Lots of Horror Movies — Again, it’s never too soon to start!  In my perfect world, I would write all of my reviews for October, November, and December in August and September and then I would spend the last three months of the year on an island somewhere.  But, that may not be a realistic goal.  Still, I can’t wait to share this year’s Horrorthon with all of you!

8. I Am Groot — I Am Groot is set to premiere on Disney+ on August 10th.  Oh, c’mon, Groot’s adorable!

What are you looking forward to in August?

4 Shots From 4 Daria Nicolodi Films: Deep Red, Shock, Inferno, Tenebrae

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

RIP, the amazing Daria Nicolodi.

4 Shots From 4 Daria Nicolodi Films

Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

Tenebrae (1983, dir by Dario Argento)

6 Trailers For October 30th

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

 

Halloween comes closer and that means that it’s time for another holiday edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers.  Today, we have 6 of my favorite Italian horror trailers!

  1. The Beyond (1981)

I’ve always liked the trailer for Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond.  It does a good job of capturing the dream-like amtosphere of Fulci’s classic film.

2. Raiders of Atlantis (1983)

Raiders of Atlantis is hardly my favorite Ruggero Deodato film but I do really like the trailer.  Add to that, I think this might be the only Deodato trailer that’s actually safe for work.  The trailer for Cannibal Holocaust features that body being found with the stake driven through it.  The House on the Edge of the Park trailer features the scene with straight razor.  Meanwhile, the trailer for Raiders of Atlantis has fun music and a laser-shooting statue!  It also has Tony King shouting, “Come on, come on, come on!”

3. Zombie 5: Killing Birds (1987)

This movie sucks but, for some reason, I’ve always found the trailer to be very effective.  I think it’s the scene with the woman smiling despite being pinned to the wall and apparently dead.  That’s pure nightmare fuel.

4. Spasmo (1974)

This is from director Umberto Lenzi.  I sometimes feel as if I’m the only person in the world who likes this film.  As for the trailer, I just enjoy the anguished cries of “Spasmo!  Spasmo!”

5. Lisa and the Devil (1973) 

This is one of my favorite Mario Bava films.  Yes, some of it is because the lead character is named Lisa.  I’ll admit it, I like my name.  However, it’s a really good film as well!

6. Tenebrae (1982)

And finally, here is the trailer for Dario Argento’s brilliant, Tenebrae!

Seriously, if you want to have a truly wonderful Halloween, watch some Italian horror!  If you haven’t already discovered Bava, Fulci, Argento, Lenzi, Soavi, D’Amato, and all the rest, now is the perfect time to do so!  Do it now before their work gets canceled by the online puritan mob.

(Always remember: invest in physical media.)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Dario Argento Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today is not just Labor Day!  Today is also Dario Argento’s birthday!

The maestro of Italian horror is 80 years old today!  Needless to say, we’re going to celebrate with 4 Shots From 4 Films.  It was a real struggle narrowing it down to only 4 shots.  Argento is one of the most visually impressive directors of all time.

You’ll notice that, with one exception, the four shots below are from the first half of Argento’s career.  Don’t read anything into that.  I’m a fan of Argento’s work, period.  There’s a tendency among some cultural critics to be dismissive of Argento’s post-Tenebrae films and I think that’s a bit unfair.  In fact, it’s so unfair that I think I’ll devote at least a bit of our upcoming October horrorthon to defending the later works of Dario Argento.

Finally, do you remember that movie Juno?  Most people were shocked when Jason Bateman’s character turned out to be a sleaze but I knew it was going to happen as soon as he said that he thought Herschell Gordon Lewis was a better director than Dario Argento.  I mean, Herschell Gordon Lewis was great but c’mon …. ARGENTO!

For now, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films

Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996, dir by Dario Argento)

4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films: Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebrae

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

I can’t let this October pass without paying tribute to one of my favorite directors.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films

Profondo Rosso (1975, dir by Dario Argento)

Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

4 Shots From 4 Daria Nicolodi Films: Deep Red, Shock, Tenebre, Opera

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films.  As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

Today is Daria Nicolodi’s birthday!

Daria Nicolodi has been called the “unsung hero of Italian horror” and it’s an apt description.  Along with starring in several of the films that Dario Argento directed during the first half of his legendary career, Nicolodi also was responsible for the story of and co-wrote the script for Suspiria.  (Nicolodi has always said that Suspiria was based on a true story involving one of her ancestors.)  Argento’s decision to give the lead role in Suspiria to Jessica Harper, instead of Nicolodi, is often cited as the beginning of the end of their relationship.

(It’s also a shame — actually, a more accurate description would be to say that it’s a goddamn crime — that Nicolodi apparently will not have even as much as a cameo in the upcoming Suspiria remake.)

Nicolodi also appeared in films directed by Mario Bava, Luigi Cozzi, Michele Soavi, and several other distinguished Italian directors.  In Scarlet Diva, she was directed by her daughter, Asia Argento.

This edition for 4 Shots From 4 Films is dedicated to Daria Nicolodi!

4 Shots From 4 Films

Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava)

Tenebre (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

Opera (1987, dir by Dario Argento)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Daria Nicolodi Edition!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Daria Nicolodi in Tenebra (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

Daria Nicolodi in Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films.  As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

I have to admit that I’m breaking the rules here.  When Arleigh first suggested 4 Shots From 4 Films as a feature here on Through the Shattered Lens, I promised myself that I would pace myself and, at most, only contribute once on a weekly basis.

But then, after Arleigh posted the first entry in 4 Shots From 4 Films, I realized that it was Lucio Fulci’s birthday and, being the lover of Italian horror that I am, there was no way that I could pass up the chance to post a Fulci-themed 4 Shots From 4 Films.  And now, less than 24 hours later, I find myself posting yet another 4 Shots From 4 Films.

But can you blame me?  It’s Daria Nicolodi’s birthday and, if you love Italian horror, then you know just how important an actress Nicolodi is.  Not only did Daria Nicolodi serve as the inspiration for what is arguably Dario Argento’s best film, Suspiria, but she also appeared in Mario Bava’s classic Shock.  The combination of her undeniable talent and her outspoken and eccentric style — there is no such thing as a boring Daria Nicolodi interview — has made Daria Nicolodi into an icon of horror cinema.

And, on top of all that, she’s Asia Argento’s mother!

So, indulge me because, as a lover of Italian horror, there is no way that I could pass up a chance to present our readers with 4 Shots From 4 Films: The Special Daria Nicolodi Edition!

Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento)

Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava)

Shock (1977, dir by Mario Bava)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)

Delirium (1987, directed by Lamberto Bava)

Delirium (1987, directed by Lamberto Bava)

 

 

Scenes I Love: Tenebrae

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

While the goth ballerina side of me will always have a special place in my heart for Suspiria and its two sequels, I think that 1982’s Tenebrae may very well be director Dario Argento’s best film.  Certainly, it was (to date) his last truly great film before he entered the current, frustratingly uneven stage of his career.

Tenebrae was a return to Argento’s giallo roots after the supernatural-themed horror of Suspiria, Zombi, and Inferno.  It was also the work of an audaciously confident director.  That confidence is fully on display in the scene below in which the film’s killer menaces a journalist and her lover.  Featuring a truly impressive tracking shot in which the camera appears to literally swoop in, out, and over a journalists house without a single cut, the scene ends with one of Argento’s more memorable murders.

The music, by the way, is from Goblin.

Scenes I Love: A Face In The Crowd

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Located below is the famous Vitajex advertising montage from Elia Kazan’s 1957 film, A Face In The Crowd.  Everytime I see this, I wonder if maybe American audiences in the 50s were smarter than we give them credit for. 

Then again, A Face in The Crowd was a notorious financial and critical failure when it was first released.  It’s actually one of the best and most influential movies ever made.  Certainly, it’s one of the few Kazan films that still seems artistically relevent today.  It should also be noted that A Face in the Crowd features Anthony Franciosa years before his starring turn in Dario Argento’s Tenebrae, Andy Griffith playing a villain, the film debut of Lee Remick, Walter Matthau as a tv writer, and Patricia Neal having a nervous breakdown.  Supposedly, a very young Rip Torn is somewhere in this film as well but I’ve never been able to spot him.