Maya

Ah, late 80s horror from Italy... Gory deaths, beautiful nude women, and zero explanations given!

At the great Italian University of Cult & Horror Movies, Marcello Avallone certainly wasn't the brightest or the most gifted student. Six out of the eight movies he directed are completely forgotten, and the two horror flicks he made during the late 80s aren't exactly high-flyers neither. I concur with most reviewers around here, stating that "Maya" is slightly better than "Specters", but it still is a muddled and thoroughly incoherent flick.

Avallone was clearly fascinated by macabre history and ancient civilizations. "Specters" revolved around a feline monster escaping from a sarcophagus in Rome, whereas "Maya" takes place - supposedly, at least - in Mexico and revolves around an entire village falling victim to a vicious Maya (duh!) curse. Old prof Slivak (veteran William Berger) is the first to die when he climbs up a Mayan temple and awakes "something". The evil but invisible force spreads and kills several people in brutally imaginative ways, like impalement through the mouth or hung up by chains. The sexiest girl even has her pretty nose split open when she gets smacked around in her bathtub.

The pacing is sluggish, the occult aspects remain underdeveloped, and the macho protagonist Peter Phelps is an insufferable jerk, so unless you're an avid fan of Italian 80s horror, there aren't many reasons to search for this obscure title.

This Italian horror film delivers a typically stylish atmosphere and thrilling scenes to make it a pleasant experience for every friend of Italian horror films. Director Avallone tells a chilling story about an old Maya curse that breaks loose. Several hapless characters fall victim to it in quite nasty ways. But Avallone focuses more on the uncanny aspects of the plot than on the gore - which doesn't mean that there's no blood flowing here.

Recommended for all horror fans and in my opinion more thrilling than Avallone's better known first horror film "Spettri" (Specters). Rating: 7/10.

In the 8th century, an evil king attempts to extinguish a Mayan Indian tribe but is unsuccessful. He vows revenge and, being a wizard who can move freely between the world of life and death, slips into the netherworld. According to Mayan legend, the king will return when a man who knows of the bridge between the two worlds is killed at a pyramid-like temple. So says a character at the beginning of MAYA, which for at least ten minutes is entirely gripping, as we watch archaeologist Solomon Slivak (William Berger) play out the role of instigator who goes to the temple and gets murdered so the king may return to Earth.

Upon Berger's exit, MAYA director Marcello Avallone, and his co-writers Andrea Purgattori and Maurizio Tedesco, seem unable to expand much on the concept of the "night as the fracture between two worlds," as a pre-credit title card notes. At regular intervals, Avallone drifts away from the supernatural, inserting routine stalk-and-slash gore sequences that smack of artistic compromise.

The "night fracture" theme plays out, though, as Slivak's daughter (Mariella Valentini) arrives in a poverty-ridden Mexican community, asking a lot of questions and falling for a down-and-out adventurer and gambler (Australian actor Peter Phelps). Soon, both of them are snared in the legend of the returning king, and people around them get murdered in horrible ways.

For example, two punk dudes down from Texas to raise hell run afoul of the evil spirit, which crushes both of them with their own truck. A death by fish hook scene is similarly contrived and ridiculous. The best suspense scene shows Phelps' girlfriend tossed about a bath tub, an invisible force repeatedly smashing her face against metal pipes.

Phelps confronts an old friend of Slivak's, who is the only one who can stop the evil spirit from sacrificing a small child atop the temple, during the Celebration of the Dead. The doctor yells some mumbo-jumbo, stuff flies off the walls in POLTERGEIST fashion, and the spirit is supposedly sent back to its netherworld. After the dust has cleared, there is one last cinematic jolt, a throwaway ending sequence set in an airport that is almost as creepy as the opening set-piece.

MAYA never strays very far from playing its horror very straight, with knifings and beatings and other earthly killings. When it investigates the underpinnings of the supernatural, however, it becomes for fleeting moments a really fun movie.

This Italian production was filmed in Isla de Margarita (Venezuela).

Horror veteran William Berger stars as Dr. Slivak,who is murdered while undertaking a study of a Mayan pyramid.A number of bizarre supernatural murders follow,while Slivak's daughter and old friend attempt to solve the mystery."Maya" by Marcello Avallone is actually an international production that was filmed in Venezuela.The film offers plenty of sex and blood and several truly atmospheric moments.There's even a cockfight and an exorcism which concludes with the victim vomiting live snakes.Marcello Avallone has to be one of the most underrated Italian horror directors."Maya" is his crowning achievement-a masterful and highly innovative horror flick somewhat reminiscent to Lucio Fulci's masterpiece "The Beyond".It is also very well made,with beautiful photography and plenty of good actors to match.Give this overlooked Italian horror a look.8 out of 10.

I concur with the other posters who enjoyed this film. It probably helps if you are a general fan of horror films from all eras, as this is pure 80s. It has none of the superficial and formulaic surface noise that constitutes the cinematic vernacular of the modern 'horror' blockbuster. No back-lit trees; dry ice; or glossy, glamorous young leads screaming their pretty heads off. Instead, you get a fairly gritty and atmospheric offering based on a relatively original premise. Yes, there is the classic 80s/horror staple of the obnoxious pair of punks who are just begging to be killed off. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger dick, more deserving of supernatural death, than the leader of this punk duo. He is hilarious, and probably the weakest part of the film; although 80s afficionados can certainly enjoy his character for what it is. Also, there is suspect dubbing and acting, but that's just par for the course. I was never bored during this film, and I think a main factor in this is that there are many characters involved in the plot, and the director has done a very economical job of providing just enough involvement and back-story for each to move the film along nicely, yet still involve them in the narrative. Not hugely gory, but there are some good set pieces; and some foxy (in my book) women half naked. This is never a bad thing. Overall, a decent flick - I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. If you are a genre fan, and especially like 80s horror, then seek this out.