Darkening the Italian Screen
Published by McFarland, 2019. 334 pages
By Eugenio Ercolani
As fans of Italian genre films, we all know the names of Argento, Bava, Soavi, and (hopefully) Freda. But there were so many that worked in the industry in the ’60s through the ’80s, that so many get lost in the shuffle. Maybe we’ve heard of them, or maybe we know a movie or two they did, but that’s it. That is what I love about this book, that it brings light to more than a few people that had connections to some of the films we love, but maybe didn’t know as much about them.
Going through the list of names interviewed in this book, there were a few that I was familiar with, such as Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Enzo G. Castellari, and Sergio Martino. But even with these guys, there were plenty of interesting and sometimes downright amazing stories to be learned within these pages, especially when we learn about their beginnings in the industry. Other names like Alberto De Martino or Mario Caiano, I was somewhat familiar with, but not a lot. Then there were names that I wasn’t as familiar with at all, such as Giulio Petroni or Franco Rossetti. But the great thing about if you’ve been a fan of the Italian film genre for any length of time, you will have at least heard of the films they are talking about, if you haven’t seen them already. Continue reading
Growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s, it was pretty easy to know who Michael J. Pollard was. We might not of known his name, but we definitely remembered that face. Whether it was from his appearance in the original Star Trek series or Lost in Space (both in 1966), or his role in the famous Bonnie and Clyde (1967). But he had a face and voice that was always memorable. Later in the ’80s and ’90s, you’d see him in everything from comedies, action films, dramas, and everything in between. In the horror genre, there’s American Gothic (1987), Sleepaway Camp III (1989), or as the rat catcher in Split Second (1992). Of course, of later day fans, he was one of the best parts in the opening of Rob Zombie’s debut, House of 1000 Corpses (2003).
