Tag Archives: Make Them Die Slowly

Giovanni Lombardo Radice – Rest in Peace

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Fans of Italian horror, especially the over-the-top, gore-filled pictures, know the face of this man. They may know him by his pseudonym John Morghen, but they definitely know his face, and usually how he met his grisly end in whatever picture he was appearing in. But unfortunately, news of his passing today spread through social media, making a lot of us fans a little more somber than before.

While he may have been known for his crazy characters, the outcasts, the one that you sometimes want to see get what’s coming to him, but beyond that he actually brought those different characters to life, making them quite different in each one. That showed real talent, that he wasn’t just hitting the numbers and walking through. Granted, some of the working conditions probably weren’t the easiest either, but he always delivered.

So here at the Krypt, we are deeply saddened to hear this news this morning. As we always say, we know that he will always be remembered, and his legacy will continue to live on amongst all horror fans. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Howarth’s New Book Makes Them Die Slowly!

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Author Troy Howarth has a new book out, this time examining the films of a filmmaker that probably doesn’t get the attention that he should, Umberto Lenzi. While most fans might know him because of his notorious entries in the cannibal sub-genre, like Eaten Alive! (1980) and Cannibal Ferox (1981), Lenzi worked in every film genre there was, from westerns, to comedies, to gialli, to the horror genre. Now Howarth gives readers a chance to learn more about not only about his films, but about the man himself.

Running close to 500 pages, this volume goes through his films, giving us more information about the making of them, as well as biography of the man himself, but also hearing from those that worked with him. There are also some rare behind-the-scenes photos, as well as promotional artwork, posters, and stills from the films.

While Lenzi might not be on the same page as names like Argento or even Bava, he still is an important figure in Italian cinema, and this book sounds like perfect way to dig deep into his films and his history. I know we’ll be adding this to our library!

This book is available in both hardcover and softcover formats, priced accordingly. You can find it on Amazon HERE, or have one of your local bookstores order it for you!

New Howarth Book!!!

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Our good friend Troy Howarth has officially announced his latest book, which doesn’t have a release date yet, but I know I’ll be adding it to my library! The title is Make Them Die Slowly: The Kinetic Cinema of Umberto Lenzi, which will be published by WK Books. This will be the first ever book covering Lenzi’s work in English, which will cover all of his films in depth, with plenty of interviews with people that worked with Lenzi and his films. While some might only know Lenzi’s name from the cannibal films that gave him a lot of notoriety, his work and impact in the Italian film industry was huge.

With a forward by Eugenio Ercolani and cover art by Jolyon Yates, the page count should be around 400 and most likely will be offered in both a full color version as well as a black & white version, priced accordingly.

When we have more details, we’ll post them here. I’m not only a friend of Troy’s but have devoured more than a few of his books and have never been disappointed by the coverage he gives to each of his subjects. I expect no less with this one.

Umberto Lenzi – Rest in Peace

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Umberto Lenzi - RIPIf you were a fan of Giallo films, or just Italian horror cinema, especially their cannibal sub-genre, then you definitely knew who Umberto Lenzi was. While he started off studying law, he turned to his real passion…cinema. At first working as a critic and writer, he soon moved into film production. His first film was Queen of the Seas (1958). But starting in the late ’60s, he made several well made giallos, such as So Sweet…So Perverse (1969), Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972), Spasmo (1974), and Eyeball (1975).

But in 1972, he made the film Sacrifice (aka Man from Deep River), which was a slight take off on the 1970 film A Man Called Horse, except Lenzi’s was a little darker. With this film, some say that he started the Italian cannibal sub-genre, even before Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980). In fact, a year after that film came out, Lenzi did his best to top even that one, with Cannibal Ferox (aka Make Them Die Slowly) which one might think would be hard to do. Whether he did or not is up to the viewers, but either way, it’s a pretty tough film to watch. He would continue to make films into the ’90s, but never with any real success, usually due to budgetary reasons.

While he is usually remembered because of the later day films he made, his early giallo titles are well worth seeking out. None the less, no matter your tastes in his films, he was one filmmaker that made a permanent impact on the horror genre. And that is something to be said.

Lenzi recently passed away on Oct. 19th, at the age of 86. He will be missed, but his films will help him and his memory live on.