#2 - The House by the Cemetery (1981)

The House by the Cemetery (1981)

(dir. Lucio Fulci)

Dr. Norman Boyle, who is a researcher or something, moves to Boston to take over a project from a colleague who has recently committed suicide.  He, his wife Lucy, and their young son Bob (which is a terrible name for a kid) move into a creepy old house that was once owned by a Dr. Freudstein, who was some kind of mad scientist and the subject of the research project.  Almost immediately, they begin hearing strange sounds coming from the basement, and then people start dying in horrible bloody ways.

Like a lot of Italian horror from this time period, the acting is awful and the plot doesn't make a lot of sense.  The audio is poorly dubbed, with many of the voices sounding completely out of place (Bob is the worst, he sounds more like a teenage girl than a five year old boy.  He's also a really ugly kid).  Where this movie shines, though, is in the awesome practical gore effects.  I knew it would be a violent movie, but there was way more blood than I was expecting, and some of the effects were really impressive (and gross).

Italian horror is definitely not for everyone - the awkward dubbing, irrational characters, and weird synthesizer music will turn off a lot of people.  If you can look past the flaws, this movie has a lot of creative and stylish moments, and I think it deserves its reputation as a cult classic.