It’s said that you can never run out of things to watch because there’s always another rabbit hole to dive down. Horror can take you to Italy, where some discover Dario Argento. Once you’ve had your fill of Argento there’s Mario Bava, and if you’re done with Bava there’s still Lucio Fulci. Fulci spearheads the wild side of Italian Horror, and if you’ve seen a clip of something so shocking you can’t believe the director thought of it or the actors agreed to do it, that’s probably a Fulci. He’s a big swing director, more interested in a graphic vibe than solid storytelling. That makes his films incredibly uneven, just like how he’s up for any genre. Depending on how he grabs you, there are a solid dozen winners… or they all suck. And most people start with The Beyond, or the one called Zombie – among a half-dozen other titles – which contains the scene where a zombie fights a shark.
I’ve seen 17 by Fulci, and my opinion seems to vary depending on my mood. There’s one called Aenigma that I hate one version of but love a different cut. I initially hated The Beyond, but it’s the one I’ve returned to the most and sometimes I think it’s alright. My favorite is City of the Living Dead, which is almost tied with The Beyond. They have a lot in common and were made within a year of each other. I haven’t mentioned plot, but with Fulci that’s unnecessary. You watch for the blind people and the acid and the lengthy scene of spiders eating a person’s face, all done with tremendous style.
Leave A Comment