Noticias

Get ready for a giallo unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Pupi Avati’s 1976 giallo masterpiece The House With Laughing Windows is getting the 4K treatment, and the restoration will have its world premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival. If you think you know giallo, get ready for Avati to shatter your expectations.

Read the full synopsis below:

Art restorer Stefano arrives at an isolated Italian village to repair a fresco depicting the agonizing martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The original painter was a death artist—a madman so obsessed with mortality that, according to whispered rumors, he tortured his models in their final moments of life. When people begin to turn up dead, Stefano is forced to consider the possibility that the artist has returned to continue his brutal career—and that he is the primary target.

Watch the official trailer for the 4K restoration coming to Fantasia this month:

Vanna Busoni,...

In World War Two era Bologna, a troubled young writer of no particular name (played by Filippo Scotti) chances upon Barbara (Mildred Gustafson), an American nurse and, although they don’t share a conversation, he falls hopelessly in love with her. The following year, with the conflict over, he travels to the Midwest of the United States courtesy of a six-month house swap, where fate conspires to have him live next door to Barbara’s mother Flora (Rita Tushingham). Flora reveals that Barbara has gone missing and the writer promises to find her, which leads him on an increasingly dark search that takes him back to his homeland…

The very thought of a new movie from Pupi Avati filled me with anticipation, as I’m a huge fan of his beautifully twisted 1976 giallo The House With Laughing Windows. Though this is a fictional account of one man’s descent into...

Be prepared for mayhem, menace and monstrosity as this year’s FrightFest three-day event, housed at the iconic Glasgow Film Theatre, presents a curated programme of new features and shorts which showcases the vibrant mix of talented filmmakers currently bursting onto the genre scene. The programme includes four world premiere features, while the short film showcase – a regular fixture at Frightfest London taking place for the first time in Glasgow – highlights filmmakers exclusively from the UK and Ireland, including two from Scotland.

FrightFest kicks off in mind-bending style with a special screening of Psyche, directed by Stephon Stewart (Bigfoot County). This thought-provoking sci-fi thriller boasts a riveting performance by Sarah Ritter, as Mara, who, with the aid of a vintage 1980s computer, embarks on a surreal journey where nothing is as it seems. Stephen will be attending the screening.

FrightFest’s traditional two-day pass event kicks off on Friday 7 March...

Head north for your fill of screams this March.

Pigeon Shrine Frightfest Announces 2025 Glasgow Film Festival Line-up

FrightFest, the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film event, is back at the renowned Glasgow Film Festival for its 20th year, running from Thurs 6 March to Sat 8 March 2025.

Be prepared for mayhem, menace and monstrosity as this year’s FrightFest three-day event, housed at the iconic Glasgow Film Theatre, presents a curated programme of new features and shorts which showcases the vibrant mix of talented filmmakers currently bursting onto the genre scene. The programme includes four world premiere features, while the short film showcase highlights filmmakers exclusively from the UK and Ireland, including two from Scotland.

FrightFest co-director Alan Jones said:

There has never been a better time to be a fan of the horror, fantasy and science fiction genre and FrightFest, the UK’s biggest and most influential event, plays its vital...

Venice Film Festival attendees will be treated to masterclasses from Ethan Hawke, Sigourney Weaver, Peter Weir and more.

As previously announced, both Weaver and Weir are receiving Golden Lion for Career Achievement awards at this year’s festival. Oscar-nominated actor Weaver is best known for her roles in the “Alien” and “Avatar” franchises, while retired director Weir has collected various accolades for his films like “Dead Poets Society,” “The Truman Show” and “Master and Commander.”

Hawke had his breakthrough performance in “Dead Poets Society,” and went on to star in Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy and “Boyhood” as well as Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed.” Also set to give a masterclass is director Pupi Avati, who helmed Venice’s closing film “L’orto Americano” and is also known for his horror films “The House With Laughing Windows” and “Zeder.”

Three conversations will also take place, organized by festival sponsor Cartier. These will comprise composer Nicola Piovani,...

The advent of the horror genre was at a time when cinema was in its infancy, around the end of the 19th century, but some horror movies have withstood the test of time to be the scariest of all. With myriad popular, contemporary Gothic literature to draw its inspiration from – alongside a growing interest in the supernatural – horror was pioneered throughout the silent era by European filmmakers like Robert Wiene, F.W. Murnau, and Rupert Julian. The genre was revolutionized in the 1960s by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), which popularized psychological horror, while at the same time, low-budget indie horror flicks were on the rise, spearheaded by George A. Romero with his zombie film Night of the Living Dead (1968).

What was left of the 20th century saw a surge in popularity for the genre and increased Americanization. Slasher films with memorable villains became forever a part of popular culture, with new...

Italy’s Minerva Pictures has taken international sales on veteran director Pupi Avati’s Dante Alighieri biopic “Dante” starring Sergio Castellitto as the Florentine bard.

Minerva will be introducing “Dante” to buyers at the Venice Film Festival’s informal market and then at Rome’s Mia Market in October. Pic is set for release in Italy on Sept. 29 via Rai Cinema’s 01 Distribution.

Over the course of his long career, Avati has shot more than 40 films in a wide range of genres, including the cult horror pic “The House with Laughing Windows”; romancer “The Heart Is Elsewhere,” which went to Cannes; the biopic “Bix” about American trumpet player Bix Beiderbecke; psychological drama “Giovanna’s Father” with Alba Rohrwacher; and the 2019 thriller “Il Signor Diavolo,” to name a few.

Castellitto, an Italian A-lister who starred with Penelope Cruz in “Don’t Move,” which he also directed, plays the Renaissance poet during the...

Part of our on-going series Notebook Soundtrack Mixes.Forever on the edge of one's seat, giallo is the provider of all the glamorous and hallucinatory emotions. The film genre and its musical sister is somewhat a crown jewel when it comes to detailed niches, sub-genres, and die hard fans. Original LP records from the giallo genre can cost a hefty sum and the blossoming vinyl reissuing industry (an exciting addition over recent decades) proves how enduring the genre and its sub-genres are. This giallo bonanza comes in just shy of two hours and you will find both influential and cherished moments and secluded moments on the sidelines. That, for me, showcases its textures and ultimately what a fun, trippy genre it is. The work of the masters is in full swing, beloved composers such as Bruno Nicolai, Nora Orlandi, Riz Ortolani, and Goblin all have turns. And of course, the...

Stars: Andrew Harwood, Lucy Drive, Désirée Giorgetti, David White, Eleonora Marianelli | Written by Lorenzo Paviano, Raffaele Picchio | Directed by Luca Boni, Marco Ristori

John (Andrew Harwood) and his wife Kate (Lucy Drive) seem to have it all. They have just moved in to a beautiful house in the Italian countryside (it definitely looks Italian at least.), they are making waves with their photography and painting and to top it off, they are planning for a baby. However, there seems to trouble in their rural paradise and I don’t just mean Kate’s rather dishy, yet invasive friend Corinne (Désirée Giorgetti). You see, there may be something sinister going on in the house potentially involving its previous tenants. Maybe it’s just John and Kate going stir-crazy? Maybe the suspiciously British local priest (David White) has some answers for the couple?

Ok. One thing that really stands out about House of Evil...

Special Mention: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Directed by Jim Sharman

Screenplay by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman

1975, USA

For the unfamiliar, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the film adaptation of a popular musical stage production composed and written by Richard O’Brien, a struggling actor at the time who was best known for his performances in such musicals as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. For O’Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was an homage to drive-in double features and science fiction B-movies of the fifties, and ironically, the film itself went on to become the ultimate midnight movie. To this day, screenings held in and around its anniversary as well as on Halloween sell out. It has never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, and it continues to play in cinemas four decades after its premiere, making it the longest-running theatrical release in film history.

The hardest part about choosing my favourite horror films of all time, is deciding what stays and what goes. I started with a list that featured over 200 titles, and I think it took me more time to pick and choose between them, than it did to actually sit down and write each capsule review. In order to hold on to my sanity, I decided to not include short films, documentaries, television mini-series and animated films. I also had to draw the line at some point in deciding if certain movies should be considered horror or not. In such cases where I was split down the middle in deciding, I let IMDb be the judge for me. And in some cases, I’ve included these titles as special mentions. Long story short, I can’t include every movie I like, and I have to draw the line somewhere. With that said,...

It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a jam-packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, November 19th 2012.

Pick Of The Week

Short Circuit (Blu-ray)

An experimental military robot escapes after being struck by lightening and given human intelligence. He finds a home with madcap Stephanie Speck who believes he’s an alien but hot on the trail are scientists Newton Crosby and his assistant who must get to their creation before the army who plan to put Number 5 out of service permanently. Short Circuit Review

And the rest…

Arthur Christmas (DVD/Blu-ray)

How can Santa deliver billions of presents to the whole world in just one night?...

For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.

Justine Smith (9 viewings) Total of 40 viewings

Purchase

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror films ever made, in competition with Possession, The Exorcist, The Birds and Suspiria.

The term “giallo” initially referred to cheap yellow paperbacks (printed American mysteries from writers such as Agatha Christie), that were distributed in post-fascist Italy. Applied to cinema, the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements. Amidst the ‘creative kill’ set-pieces are thematic undercurrents along with a whodunit element, usually some sort of twist ending. Here is my list of the best giallo films – made strictly by Italian directors, so don’t expect Black Swan, Amer or...

For those of you as yet unfamiliar with the genre the “giallo” (plural “gialli”) is a 20th Century Italian genre of literature and film that gets it name from its literal meaning (“yellow”) in reference to its origin as a series of cheap paperback novels with trademark yellow covers. From its birth back in 1963 with Mario Bava’s “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” (“La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo”) the genre has given birth to such colourfully monikered fare as Luciano Ercoli’s “The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion” (1970), Mario Bava’s “Twitch of the Death Nerve” (1971), Sergio Martino’s “Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have The Key” (1972) and Pupi Avati’ s “The House With Laughing Windows” (1976). Such masters of the genre as Mario Bava (and his son Lamberto), Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi and Sergio Martino have delighted fans since back in the 1970′s...