Lamberto Bava
Director · b. 1944 · Roma, Lazio, Italia
Lamberto Bava was born in Rome, Italy, and was the first of a third generation of Italian filmmakers. His grandfather, Eugenio Bava (1886-1966), was a cameraman and optics effects artist during the early days of Italian silent cinema. His father, Mario Bava (1914-1980), was a legendary cinematographer, special effects designer and director. Lamberto entered the cinema as his father's personal assistant, starting with "Planet of the Vampires" (1965). Bit by bit he gained experience from his father, who made him the assistant director for most of the rest of his films. He even co-wrote the screenplay for "Shock" (1977), Mario's last theatrical film where, in poor health during the shoot, Mario often feigned illness so Lamberto could direct a few scenes, uncredited, to gain further experience. Both Lamberto and Mario directed the made-for-TV drama "I giochi del diavolo: La Venere d'Ille" (1979). Both worked on the Dario Argento horror flick "Inferno" (1980), for which Mario designed some of the color set pieces, including the underwater ballroom, and created all the visual special effects, while Lamberto worked as Argento's assistant director. Late in 1979 Lamberto made his solo directorial debut with "Macabre" (1980), a tense drama-horror flick loosely based on a 1977 incident in New Orleans about a woman who keeps her lover's severed head in her freezer. According to Lamberto, the project started by chance when producer Pupi Avati approached him to direct as well as write the screenplay, which took just six weeks to write and direct. "Macabre" was released in Italy in February 1980 to mixed reviews, but won him recognition by his father Mario. Just two months later Mario Bava died, and an era in Italian film making came to a close. "Macabre" was not a box-office hit and, as a result, Lamberto went back to assistant directing. He worked with Dario Argento again in 1982 with "Tenebrae" (1982). In 1983 Lamberto was offered the opportunity to direct another film, titled "A Blade in the Dark" (1983), which was a violent mystery thriller shot in only three weeks on a tight budget and filmed almost entirely in a producer friend's house. Next he directed the action-flick "Blastfighter" (1984), which was filmed in the state of Georgia, and immediately afterwards directed the "Jaws" (1975)-like thriller "Devil Fish" (1984), which was shot in Florida. On both films Lamberto was purely a director for hire and had nothing to do with the script or production end. He used the pseudonym of 'John Old Jr.' for this latter film, which was a tribute to his father Mario, who often used the pseudonym 'John M. Old'. He enjoyed his best commercial success to date with "Demons" (1985), produced by Dario Argento, co-written by Dardano Sacchetti and filmed in West Berlin. This film's international success allowed him to co-write, produce and direct a sequel, "Demons 2" (1986). Lamberto returned to giallo thrillers with "Delirium" (1987). In the late 1980s the Italian cinema turned moribund. Lamberto, like most of his colleagues, turned to making films for Italian television. He also directed a remake of his father's "Black Sunday" (1960), which was titled "La maschera del demonio" (1990). Nowadays Lamberto Bava continues to divide his time between TV work and a few movies, acknowledging his inspiration from his late father, Mario.
Movies20
Movie6.6HorrorA group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.
Movie6.8HorrorMysteryA razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American mystery author in Italy to promote his newest novel.
Tenebre
1982 · 718 votes
Movie6.1HorrorA group of tenants and visitors are trapped in a 10-story high-rise apartment building infested with demons who proceed to hunt the dwindling humans down.
Movie7.3DocumentaryWho was Joe D'Amato aka. Aristide Massaccesi? A genius of horror in the USA, a master of eroticism in France, the king of porn in Italy. A man with a thousand pseudonyms capable of making over 200 films while simultaneously holding the roles of producer, director, author, director of photography and even camera operator. An artisan of cinema as he liked to call himself, capable of working on all film genres. From spaghetti western to post-atomic, decamerotic to glossy eroticism, and blockbuster porn to bloody horror. Guided by the aesthetics of extremes and supported by an undeniable technical ability, Joe D’Amato pushed himself, and the viewer, beyond all limits following with dedication three rigid principles that have become his stylistic code: Amaze, Shock, Scandalize.
Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess
2021 · 5 votes
Movie5.4HorrorTV MovieAn American horror writer, haunted by childhood nightmares, moves to an old mansion in Italy with her husband and young son only to discover the nightmares were real.
Movie6.5DocumentaryTV MovieMario Bava Operazione Paura", hosted by Joe Dante, is an hommage of the Master of the Terror, the italian director Mario Bava
Mario Bava: Operazione paura
2004 · 2 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryThis documentary examines the life and legacy of controversial Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci through interviews with his colleagues, each of whom answers the question, "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci?". The responses are as varied as the people who knew the late writer-director, providing a nuanced look at the man behind such gory grindhouse classics as City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery.
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
2008 · 3 votes
Movie4.6HorrorTV MovieFive teenage thieves are challenged by a local bartender to stay overnight in the supposedly haunted catacombs of a nearby cemetery, promising them a rare treasure if they can make it through the night.
Movie6.9DocumentaryHorror'Giallo' is Italian for 'yellow', the color of the lurid pulp novels that inspired one of the most intense, extreme and influential genres in movie history. In this unprecedented collection, experience the full chronological evolution of giallo with more than 100 rare and classic trailers from such masters as Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino, Antonio Margheriti, Umberto Lenzi and many more. Then slip on black leather gloves and set the mood with a Bonus CD of legendary soundtrack music from composers that include Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani and others, along with all-new featurettes that thrust even deeper into the genre. "But be warned," says Gizmodo.com, "Once you start going down the blood- slicked giallo rabbit hole, you may become dangerously obsessed."
All the Colors of Giallo
2019 · 23 votes
- Movie7.0Documentary
Documentary about the making of Lamberto Bava's 1987 Giallo "Delirium".
Nightmare Delirium
2024 · 1 votes
Movie6.8DocumentaryThis documentary about the great master of European horror and fantastic films offers an immersive exploration into the life and legacy of the director of Suspiria. Using the writing process of his next film as a starting point, Dario Argento Panico immerses us in the mind of the Italian genius, and offers testimonials from other filmmakers who love his work, all key names in today's world of cinema including Gaspar Noé and Guillermo Del Toro.
Dario Argento: Panico
2024 · 7 votes
Movie5.1HorrorMysteryFrance, 1890. Inventor Louis Le Prince vanishes under mysterious circumstances right after he created a device that, five years later, the Lumière Brothers will call The Cinematographer. What if they had stolen Le Prince’s idea and wacked him afterwards? The mystery remains for more than a century, until Luigi Cozzi picks up a strange book called “The Roaming Universe” in the horror museum of his pal Dario Argento. The origin of this enigmatic book troubles him. This particular science-fiction novel would have materialized during a spiritual session in modern day Rome. At the session, an old woman revealed that the key to all these mysteries comes from 1895, a time during which the Lumière Brothers had denied lending their camera to Georges Méliès for an obscure movie called "A Trip to the moon". Not only does this film actually exist, but it raises a more intriguing question. Is our world the only one, or are there parallel universes ?
Blood on Méliès' Moon
2016 · 8 votes
Movie5.3HorrorThrillerA cop suspects his wife's infidelity, only to become the prime suspect when she's murdered. A criminal psychologist believes the real killer is a presumed-dead serial killer, as more murders unfold.
MovieDocumentaryMusicThe Dark Fantastic is a psychedelic journey into the mind of renowned composer Simon Boswell, blending live performances, striking visuals, and interviews with directors he’s scored for. It celebrates his bold impact on cinema and invites viewers into a surreal fusion of music and storytelling.
Movie6.1DocumentaryDirector Garry S. Grant’s insightful documentary celebrates the work and legacy of auteur filmmaker Mario Bava, the grand master of Italian horror and the man known by many as “the Italian Hitchcock.”
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000 · 8 votes
Movie4.9HorrorIn the first story two grave robbers, thieving from an ancient Etruscan burial ground, gets in trouble when one of them tries out a ring which passes a werewolf curse to him! The second one is about a woman who wants to look like her best friend and goes to a plastic surgeon, which is the biggest mistake she's done. The third story is about three friends and a very dangerous sea monster eating its way through their camping site! The wrap-around story is set on a train where John Phillip Law plays a mystical hypnotist who claims that he can see the past of the passengers...
Movie6.0DocumentarySpaghetti westerns, giallo, mondo... are the legacy of a golden age in Italian genre filmmaking, which began in the sixties and came to an end in the eighties, but not without leaving behind a few final masterpieces. This film explores, a few decades later, what became of those filmmakers and their films. A number of the most famous survivors of Italian horror movies will help to shed light on what happened.
- Movie8.0Documentary
A retrospective look at the making of Michele Soavi's "The Church" including interviews with cast and crew.
Il mistero della cattedrale
2017 · 1 votes
MovieDocumentaryTarantino reveres them, and for good reason. Welcome to the world of the kings of the Italian B-Movie.
I Tarantiniani
2013
- Movie8.0Documentary
In-depth documentary about the making of Mario Bava's horror classic "Baron Blood".
In der Folterkammer des Barons
2017 · 1 votes