La Maison aux fenêtres qui rient

The restorer Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) is hired by the Mayor Solmi (Bob Tonelli) of a small village nearby Ferrara to restore a painting of St. Sebastian, made by the mentally disturbed painter Buono Legnani in the local church. Stefano was recommended by his friend, Dr. Antonio Mazza (Giulio Pizzirani), and he learns that Legnani was known as "The Painter of the Agony", since he used to paint near-death people. Further, he was presumed dead many years ago but his body has never been found.

Stefano works in the church, where he meets the weirdo Lidio (Pietro Brambilla), and he has one night stand with the local nymphomaniac teacher (Vanna Busoni) that is leaving the village. Meanwhile Antonio investigates the life of Buono Legnani and tells Stefano that he had found a dark secret about the painter and the villagers. However, Antonio dies before meeting Stefano and the police conclude that he committed suicide.

Stefano is intrigued by the mystery surrounds Legnani and decides to investigate more about the deranged painter. However, he in evicted of his hotel room and Lidio brings him to the isolated house of a paraplegic woman (Pina Borione) where he lives. Meanwhile, he meets the teacher's substitute Francesca (Francesca Marciano) and they have a love affair. Francesca moves to Stefano's room and they are affected by the strange atmosphere of the place.

When the restoration is damaged by acid, Stefano decides to leave the village with Francesca. However, he meets the alcoholic driver Coppola (Gianni Cavina) that decides to disclose to him the secret of the house of the laughing windows. But now it seems to be too late to move out of the mysterious village.

"La Casa Dalle Finestre Che Ridono" is a dark film developed in a creepy nightmarish atmosphere and visibly inspired in "The Wicker Man". The lead character seems to be trapped in his morbid curiosity of discovering the hidden secret of the village and never leaves the spot. Like many Europeans movies, the plot has many open questions, maybe with the intention of discussing them among friends or in forums and board like the one in IMDb. After watching the film, it is worthwhile reading the interpretations of other Users to improve yours or find some missing detail. Last but not the least, the beauty of Francesca Marciano is really impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa com Janelas Sorridentes" ("The House with Laughing Windows")

The film is not a categorical giallo as it is often suggested as being, but rather it's more of a entry into the Gothic horror canon, with a incredibly strong sense of mystery that keeps the viewer intrigued even when the pacing becomes sluggish. The film is not exploitative (as most giallo films are) but mature, intelligent, and effective. Indeed, there is no nudity and little violence is present as the picture's primary focus is its complex, labyrinthine mystery that truly surprises the viewer with its unexpected turns of the plot. The film is also heavy on atmosphere, artfully directed by the award-winning Pupi Avati (of "The Story of Boys and Girls" and "Incantato" fame), which really intensifies the mystery, making it not only it spellbinding by also horrific and terrifying at times(especially near the end). The debits I perceive is that the narrative is a tad drawn out and some of the characters aren't as developed as one would hope, but the mystery is so good that it's easily to look past all these minor quibbles. Highly recommended to those who liked slow-burning Gothic mysteries such as "Don't look Now".

This is a great film. A slow-moving, ultimately very scary experience. It is the 1950s and our protagonist has come to an isolated Italian village to refurbish a fresco of St. Sebastian, painted with a creepy realism by a local artist, dubbed the "painter of agony" due to his fascination with painting the dead and the dying. This is a real backwater of a place, with little to do and little in the way of culture. When a friend of our protagonist's is mysteriously killed, before he could share what he knew about the mystery of the fresco, events are set in motion that ultimately lead to a very shocking climax.

This is a rather slow-moving film, but be patient and you'll be rewarded. It builds to a frightening conclusion and is a pretty nihilistic experience when all is said and done, not too far different from Avati's other masterpiece, _Zeder_ in tone. Now available in an Italian-language DVD with removable English subtitles!

Yesterday I watched one of the my favourite giallos of all time. The House with the laughing windows(1976) was directed by Pupi avati. I have to admit my ignorance of Pupi avati as a director. I only know he has directed some other cult movie called Zeder. Judging by this movie, he was destined for great things but that potential was never fulfilled.

The plot goes like this. Stefano is a restorer comes to an island in order to rescue the fresco depicting the suffering of St.Sebastian. The artist(now dead) was known to be a disturbed individual who painted scenes of death and suffering. He is somehow given a place to live by a somewhat mentally challenged individual. From this point onwards, he notices the sinister behaviour of the villagers. He doesn't understand it and decides to get to the bottom of the mystery that haunts the village.

This giallo is unique and quite different from other giallos because unlike other giallos, there is not much gratuitous violence or sex to keep the viewer interested. There are no scenes which would shock the viewer or anything like that. That is one reason why giallo aficionados might not appreciate this movie completely. It does not have the usual gimmicks and over the top acting performances that are generally expected from giallo actors and actresses. The leading man(Lino capollichio) is amazingly capable of carrying the whole movie on his shoulders with a restrained performance of a man who is puzzled and somewhat disturbed by the village and its environment.

The ending is one of best aspects of the film. It is the perfect payoff for patiently building the atmosphere throughout the movie. Another aspect is the creepy atmosphere throughout the movie. It is almost downright scary sometimes. In this aspect, this movie is similar to a movie like Don't look now or Japanese horror than generic giallo films or slashers.

The negative aspects that may turn off some giallo lovers is that it is quite slow but the slow buildup in fact increases the tension and that makes the ending all the more worthwhile. The best scene(according to me) is the scene in the dark room where the hero walks through the room slowly. There is absolute silence in the room which is very unlike other giallo films.

Final rating: 10/10. Yes, it may seem very high but it is worth the high rating. Anybody lucky enough to be able to get a copy of this movie should watch it.

'No nudity and very little gore, and consequently, no suspense'. Quite apart from not knowing how commas work, the previous reviewer also appears to have been off sick from Idiot Film School the day they covered 'Suspense'.

This is a curiosity, sure, and won't be to everyone's taste, but I wouldn't dismiss it as a potboiler because it doesn't reach the dizzy artistic heights of Nightmare on Elm Street IV. The film effectively builds up a sense of dread through the central character's isolation and growing unease in a bleak village surrounded by featureless salt marshes. The supporting cast are thoroughly creepy from the garrulous dwarf mayor through to the pale beauty who mysteriously hooks up with the hero but who seems to know more than she is letting on. There are some touches of unsettling imagery that evoke David Lynch; the snails in the fridge, the blood red car and motorcycle and the house of the laughing windows itself. The camera-work adds to the whole, peering from darkened rooms and from behind creaking shutters - there is rarely a moment when you feel the hero is safe.

Sharing some of the mood of Don't Look Now (as indicated by Barry Norman below), the film also bears comparison with The Wicker Man, dealing with the same theme of an innocent slowly discovering the horrifying secrets of a community consumed by evil.