SHAM038 The House With The Laughing Windows

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Dem's favourite film from what I recall.

Im suspicious of that wink

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Over the years I've gone completely off giallo, used to love them but now I don't bother with them...but when I did like them, this was a stand out film for me.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Over the years I've gone completely off giallo, used to love them but now I don't bother with them...but when I did like them, this was a stand out film for me.

Giallo is fairly new to me to be honest i had only seen one or two before i joined the forum.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by nordicdusk

Giallo is fairly new to me to be honest i had only seen one or two before i joined the forum.

I used to love them then one day it dawned on me they are the hipsters Midsomer Murders, and with that insight they didn't seem as cool as I had thought!

The one I still like you have no doubt seen...Duckling, New York Ripper and Lizard. I do have a huge soft spot for Tinto Brass' "Deadly Sweet" which is a lovely little pop art, almost giallo made before Brass became totally arse obsessed.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

I used to love them then one day it dawned on me they are the hipsters Midsomer Murders

That's a great way to describe gialli!

I personally love gialli. The blend of the horrific and the mysterious with erotic and often trippy, psychotropic elements really appeals to my sensibilities. Yes, some are merely plodding cash-ins with far from original plots and there is often the case of being exposed to dodgy dubbing and set pieces which are more substantial than the cardboard stories which contain them.

However, all that said I love the sub-genre (it's easily one of my favourites) and I can happily watch a bad gialli over say a bad slasher or zombie film. I also think that gialli represents a snap-shot of cinema that has been and gone and cannot really be emulated. Watching these films in the style of the times when they were made is like a weird and wonderful time capsule to a past era of boundary shattering but also highly enjoyable cinema.

[Vampix]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

I used to love them then one day it dawned on me they are the hipsters Midsomer Murders, and with that insight they didn't seem as cool as I had thought!

The one I still like you have no doubt seen...Duckling, New York Ripper and Lizard. I do have a huge soft spot for Tinto Brass' "Deadly Sweet" which is a lovely little pop art, almost giallo made before Brass became totally arse obsessed.

I feel the same way you do about giallo flicks. I've never really got the love for them and the only ones I really enjoy are: New York Ripper, Don't Torture a Duckling, Deep Red, Tenebrae and Torso.

[Jinx_Barkman]

Originally Posted by nordicdusk

Any other views of this film. Sorry for re opening all these threads im just working my way through all the Shameless titles i own and as i said earlier im looking to expand.

Hey nord this is what I posted about it back in October in my horror movie marathon thread.

One does not have to search very hard to see my championing of this film. Just take a look at my Top 25 favorite horror films list. While that list may be interchangeable depending on the day one thing is for sure, The House With Laughing Windows is likely to stay there.

I feel like this is the essential giallo film. It manages to capture the best of the genre despite being a later entry. With a mixture of mystery, thriller and horror against the rural Italian landscape, Pupi Avati has crafted an elegant horror film that defines why giallo fans are so rabid. When they're good, they're masterpieces. Avati quietly plays on human emotions rather than sheer terror or gore which is all the more resonating, at least for me. For example, when Stefano, the painter who is hired to restore a haunting fresco version of St. Sebastian, listens to an ambiguous voice on a recorder the mood becomes so heavy it can feel as if you're choking. With such a lurid title you would almost expect the film to be non stop terror or chills but Avati does exactly the opposite, expecting the viewer to absorb the subtle hints of malevolence that surround Stefano. The importance of St. Sebastian remains extremely prevalent throughout the entire run time of the film but especially so during the chaotic and bizarre finale.

The cinematography creates a dreamlike atmosphere with sinister nuances that are complimented well by the minimalistic but compelling score. Do yourself a favor and make this a double feature with Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Jinx_Barkman

Hey nord this is what I posted about it back in October in my horror movie marathon thread.

Cheers Jinx

[JAMIOUSE]

I really struggled with Windows when I first watched it years ago, it's very slow moving in the begining but speeds up towards the finale. It is a wonderful film though and well worth sitting through.