Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1965 (Lady Morgan's Vengeance), Italy, 1963 (The Blancheville Monster), Italy, 1966 (The Third Eye, The Witch)
Director: Massimo Pupillo (Lady Morgan's Vengeance), Alberto De Martino (The Blancheville Monster), Mino Guerrini (The Third Eye), Damiano Damiani (The Witch)
Cast: Gordon Mitchell, Erika Blanc, Paul Muller, Barbara Nelli, Michel Forain, Carlo Kechler, Edith MacGoven (Lady Morgan's Vengeance), Gérard Tichy, Leo Anchóriz, Ombretta Colli, Helga Liné, Irán Eory, Vanni Materassi (The Blancheville Monster), Franco Nero, Gioia Pascal, Erika Blanc, Olga Solbelli, Marina Morgan, Gara Granda (The Third Eye), Richard Johnson, Rosanna Schiaffino, Gian Maria Volontè, Sarah Ferrati, Margherita Guzzinati, Vittorio Venturoli, Ivan Rassimov (The Witch)

Release Date: October 17th, 2022 (UK), October 18th, 2022 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 1 Second (Lady Morgan's Vengeance), 88 Minutes 7 Seconds (The Blancheville Monster), 87 Minutes 7 Seconds (The Third Eye), 109 Minutes 22 Seconds (The Witch)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (All Films), LPCM Mono English (The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, The Witch)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, The Witch)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £69.99 (UK), $99.95 (USA)

"While groundbreaking director Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Black Sabbath) remains the most well-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s as part of a hugely prolific and popular cycle. Gothic Fantastico presents four off-the-beaten path titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy's ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere.

Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo's Lady Morgan's Vengeance – a delicate tale of romance and mystery, with a sprinkling of sadism and the supernatural – as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan (Paul Muller, Nightmare Castle) attempts to destroy his new bride (Barbara Nelli, Double Face) with help from his sinister maid (Erika Blanc, Kill, Baby… Kill!). Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino's The Blancheville Monster – a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville (Ombretta Colli, Gladiator of Rome) returns home to her brother Roderic (Gérard Tichy, Hatchet for the Honeymoon) and discovers her own family may be out for her blood. Mino Guerinni's The Third Eye features not only a very early role for Italian cult film icon Franco Nero, but a plot that borrows several elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani's The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian (Richard Johnson, Zombie Flesh Eaters) is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter (Rosanna Schiaffino, The Killer Reserved Nine Seats)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Lady Morgan's Vengeance), 5/5 (The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, The Witch)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "The original 35mm camera negatives for The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch were scanned and restored in 2K resolution at L’Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The films were graded at R3Store Studios, London.

The original 35mm camera negative for Lady Morgan's Vengeance was scanned in 2K resolution at Cinema Communications Services, Rome. Grading and restoration were completed at R3Store Studios, London.

All original materials used for the restorations of The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch were made available from Movietime.

All original materials used for the restoration of Lady Morgan's Vengeance were made available from Variety."

Lady Morgan's Vengeance comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB

The Blancheville Monster comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.9 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The Third Eye comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.2 GB

Feature: 25 GB

The Witch comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 32.6 GB

The sources used for these film transfers are in great shape. The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, and The Witch share many of the same qualities. The transfers for these three films have solid image clarity, contrast, gray levels, and shadow detail. There are no issues with compression, and they all retain an organic look. The transfer for Lady Morgan's Vengeance has some minor instances of print debris and a few moments where contrast fluctuates. That said, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, and The Witch each come with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English.

The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, and The Witch each come with two removable subtitle options: English for the Italian language track, and English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Lady Morgan's Vengeance comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian, and included with this film are removable English subtitles.

All of the audio mixes included for these films sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. When it comes to range and clarity, the differences between the Italian and English language tracks are minimal.

Extras:

Extras for Lady Morgan's Vengeance include an image gallery (8 images-posters/lobby cards), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), the complete original cineromanzo, published in Suspense in April 1971 (57 images), a newly edited archival audio interview with director Massimo Pupillo titled The Pupillo Tapes (20 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actor Paul Muller titled Born to be a Villain (20 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Erika Blanc titled When We Were Vampires (24 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an introduction by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth titled Vengeance from Beyond (4 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by author and producer Kat Ellinger titled The Grudge (21 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English With removable English subtitles for Italian dialog), and an audio commentary with author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Extras for The Blancheville Monster include an image gallery (2 posters), a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), American opening titles (3 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori titled Welcome to the Manor (13 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an introduction by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth titled Castle of Horror (6 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by writer and pop culture historian Keith Allison titled Are You Sure That It Wasn’t Just Your Imagination? (20 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Paul Anthony Nelson.

Extras for The Third Eye include an image gallery (4 images-poster/lobby cards), a newly edited archival interview with actress Erika Blanc titled All Eyes on Erika (15 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an introduction by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth titled The Cold Kiss of Death (6 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam titled Nostalgia Becomes Necrophilia (12 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with author and critic Rachael Nisbet.

Extras for The Witch include an image gallery (5 images-still/posters/other promotional materials), an interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori titled The Rome Witch Project (18 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an introduction by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth titled Witchery (3 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a visual essay by author and academic Miranda Corcoran titled Loving the Devil (24 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger.

Other extras include reversible cover art for each film, a fold-out double-sided poster, and a eighty-page booklet (limited to the box set) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled An Experiment in Terror: An Introduction to the Italian Gothic written by Roberto Curti, an essay titled Ghouls and Gaslighting: Lady Morgan's Vengeance written by Rob Talbot, an essay titled Italian Gothic Goes Corman… and a Bit Further:The Blancheville Monster written by Jerome Reuter, an essay titled Birth of a Monster: The Third Eye written by Rod Barnett, an essay titled Secrets and Transgressions: The Witch written by Kimberly Lindbergs, and information about the restorations.

Summary:

Lady Morgan's Vengeance: Massimo Pupillo was a filmmaker who is most remembered for three horror films which he directed in 1965: Terror-Creatures from the Grave; Bloody Pit of Horror; and Lady Morgan's Vengeance. Besides these three films, most of his output consists of short films and documentaries.

Lady Morgan's Vengeance is a textbook example of Italian gothic horror cinema. From its opening moments, it establishes a foreboding tone that drives its narrative. The premise revolves around a protagonist named Lady Susan Morgan, who starts to question her sanity after a series of supernatural events. Is she losing her mind or is someone orchestrating her mental breakdown?

Like most Italian gothic horror films, Lady Morgan's Vengeance features a small cast, and most of the narrative takes place in one location. Nonetheless, the cast includes three familiar faces to fans of European cult cinema. Nightmare Castle starred Paul Muller (Nightmare Castle) in the role of the protagonist's husband, Sir Harold Morgan; Erika Blanc (Kill, Baby, Kill!) in the role of a housekeeper named Lillian; and Gordon Mitchell (The Giant of Metropolis) in the role of a butler named Roger.

Lady Morgan's Vengeance is Massimo Pupillo’s strongest of his three gothic horror films. Besides a strong cast and an abundance of atmosphere, Lady Morgan's Vengeance also features an ominous score composed by Piero Umilani (Five Dolls for an August Moon) that perfectly reinforces the mood. Ultimately, Lady Morgan's Vengeance is a solid Italian gothic horror film that fans of this genre should thoroughly enjoy.

The Blancheville Monster: Alberto De Martino was a versatile filmmaker who directed films throughout his career in whatever genre was in vogue in Italy at that time. Notable films directed by Alberto De Martino include Bandits in Rome, The Counselor, and The Antichrist. That said, The Blancheville Monster was Alberto De Martino’s only foray into Italian gothic horror.

Though The Blancheville Monster has all the elements that are synonymous with Italian gothic horror cinema, the result is one of the more pedestrian Italian gothic horror films that I have seen to date. That said, there are so many areas where the Blancheville Monster comes up short. And yet, when it comes to atmosphere, this is one area where the Blancheville Monster holds up well.

Reportedly, The Blancheville Monster is a loose adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe. More specifically, three Edgar Allen Poe stories: The Fall of the House of Usher, A Tale of the Ragged Mountains, and Some Words with a Mummy. Ultimately, The Blancheville Monster’s actual connection to Edgar Allen Poe is minimal.

When it comes to the performances, they are best described as adequate. With no performance standing out from the rest, the most notable cast member is Helga Liné (Nightmare Castle), who is a familiar face to anyone who's familiar with Euro-cult cinema.

The one thing that you quickly realize when watching Italian genre cinema from the 1960’s and 1970’s is how generic some of these films are. But there were always films which led to countless clones within these Italian genre film cycles. The further you got away from the films, the templates that established the foundation from which later films came forth, there was an obvious dilution in these later films in the cycle. A case in point: The Blancheville Monster, a film that has all the core elements and brings absolutely nothing new to the table.

The Third Eye: Though Mino Guerrini's career spanned three decades, he directed over twenty feature films. It is not surprising that he is not a filmmaker whose name is well remembered. Look at the other films he directed besides The Third Eye. Thirteen years after The Third Eye was unleashed on audiences, many of its elements would be recycled by Joe D'Amato for his film Beyond the Darkness.

Though The Third Eye has all of the elements that one would expect from an Italian gothic horror film, the result is a film that pushes boundaries further than any other Italian gothic horror film. Sure, Italian gothic horror cinema often delved into taboo areas, but with a film like The Third Eye, it is just on another level than its contemporaries.

The narrative revolves around a protagonist named Mino Alberti who lives with his overbearing mother, who smothers him, a housekeeper who secretly loves him, and his fiancée, who wants him to break free of his mother's influence. From there, he has a mental breakdown when his fiancée dies in a car accident, and shortly thereafter, after his mother's death, he spins further out of control. All the while, he has kept the corpse of his fiancée in a room only he has access to, and to further complicate things, his fiancée’s lookalike sister shows up one day.

The heart and soul of The Third Eye are the performances of its two leads: Franco Nero (Django) in the role of Mino Alberti, and Erika Blanc (The Devil's Nightmare) in the dual roles of sisters Laura and Daniela. That said, Franco Nero really stands out; his character bears many traits similar to Psycho’s Norman Bates. And he delivers an utterly convincing performance that perfectly captures his character's fractured state of mind. Also, the secondary cast members are very good in their roles.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Third Eye does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, with a well-executed narrative that maintains tension and a very satisfying finale. Other strengths are striking visuals that have symbolic imagery and an abundance of atmosphere that is reinforced by Francesco De Masi’s (The New York Ripper) score. Ultimately, The Third Eye is a great example of Italian genre cinema that latches onto themes and elements from other films and creates something that stands apart from its influences.

The Witch: Damiano Damiani was a filmmaker whose films are known for their social commentary and political leanings. Notable films directed by Damiano Damiani include A Bullet for the General, Confessions of a Police Captain, and How to Kill a Judge.

Though gothic horror cinema was already on its last legs by 1966, along came a film like The Witch that goes against everything that one expects from an Italian gothic horror film. With its most noticeable difference being its setting, where most Italian gothic horror films are set in the 19th century, The Witch is a rare example of an Italian gothic horror film set in the present day. That said, though the setting has been changed, there is one area where The Witch retains its gothic horror roots: its striking visuals, which add greatly to the mood.

The narrative is like an endless loop where similar characters take the place of other characters. Also, there is an ambiguity to the narrative that never fully reveals the truth about a mother and her daughter who inhabit a decrepit old mansion. That said, the men who come to their home do so of their own free will. The longer they are in these two women’s presence, the more they are overcome with obsession that clouds their judgment.

The cast members all give excellent performances, particularly Sarah Ferrati in the role of the mother and Rosanna Schiaffino (The Killer Reserved Nine Seats) in the role of the alluring daughter who men fall in love with. Not to be overlooked are Richard Johnson (Zombie) in the role of the protagonist, a man named Sergio Logan, and Gian Maria Volontè (For a Few Dollars More) in the role of the man Sergio has been brought in to replace.

From its opening moments, The Witch creates an intoxicating atmosphere that quickly draws you into its web of deceit. Its well-executed premise is further enhanced by its hypnotic pacing, and a very satisfying finale brings resolution to the events that preceded. Another strength is Luis Bacalov’s (The Designated Victim) exceptional score, which perfectly reinforces the mood. Ultimately, The Witch is an exemplary exploration of obsession that stays with you long after its final haunting image.

Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror is an exceptional release from Arrow Video that brings together four distinctively different examples of Italian gothic horror, giving them solid audio/video presentations and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer