If you've never experienced the sleazy brilliance of Italian horror, are you in for a treat! Coming to prominence in the 70s/80s with a bumper crop of genre flicks made to capitalize on the success of various American properties, Italy became synonymous with a brand of wildly lucrative filmmaking that was as inventive as it was derivative. With knockoffs that became more popular than the films they were cribbing from and giallo-fied supernatural mysteries bathed in primary colored lights, below we list ten of the best the Italian horror genre has to offer, now streaming on Shudder!
10 All the Colors of The Dark (1972)
All the Colors of The Dark stars genre mainstay Edwige Fenech as Jane, a woman anguished by nightmares about a knife-wielding man pursuing her. When a neighbor tells her that her participation in a Satanic Black Mass is all she needs to drive the night terrors away, Jane agrees, but finds herself worse off than she was before when her nightmares seem to bleed into reality. Director Sergio Martino is known for having helmed some of the greatest (and most ludicrously named) giallo films ever made. All the Colors of The Dark mixes his signature dime store novel plotting with heavy daubs of the supernatural for an intoxicating cocktail of sex and death.
9 Zombie (1979)
When a group of Americans set sail for the remote island of Matul, they have no idea that they'll be lunch for a horde of sun-baked Spanish Conquistador zombies in this gorehound classic from Lucio Fulci.
When George A. Romero's masterpiece, Dawn of The Dead became a hit in Italy under the title Zombi, producer Fabrizio De Angelis saw a chance to strike gold, and tapped Lucio Fulci to direct a follow-up. Turning in a masterpiece of his own, the Italian Godfather of Gore's Caribbean gut-muncher features unforgettable set-pieces (zombie vs. shark!), mind-blowingly gruesome effects, and one of the most unforgettable synth scores of all time, courtesy of Fabio Frizzi.
8 Inferno (1980)
The most influential Italian horror director besides Fulci, Dario Argento's Inferno is a somewhat neglected masterwork from one of the country's most visionary genre stylists.
In this loose sequel to the immortal Suspiria, a New York apartment building serves as the headquarters for a coven of witches. Mark Elliot (Leigh McCloskey) takes it upon himself to investigate the strange goings on, but is soon drawn into a web of terror as he puts himself and the apartment's tenants lives on the line against unspeakable evil. Though it's languished in the long shadow of its predecessor, Inferno has grown in stature over the years and is now regarded as one of Argento's finest efforts.
7 Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
When an anthropologist (Robert Kerman) recovers lost footage shot by a crew of filmmakers from an Amazonian village, he discovers a secret more terrible than he could imagine in Ruggero Deodato's controversial classic.
Among the most reviled trends in cinematic history, the "Cannibal Film" (an outgrowth of the Mondo Film) is a difficult genre to recommend to the casual viewer, but there are pleasures to be had. Filmed guerilla-style in remote locations by journeyman directors, this is as close to real danger as you're likely to see in a film intended for wide distribution, and it does make an effort to inject some sociological commentary into the proceedings. But be warned: some versions retain the animal violence, which is real. If you can stomach it, Cannibal Holocaust is worth a watch, either intact or cruelty free.
6 Contamination (1980)
A mysterious cargo ship drifts aimlessly up the hudson river. Unbeknownst to those outside, it's crew lies horribly mangled while boxes of oozy green eggs glow ominously in the cargo hold. Colonel Stella Holmes (Louise Marleau) believes the eggs are linked to a mission to Mars that resulted in the deaths of all the crew except Commander Hubbard (Ian McCulloch), who suffered a breakdown after the incident. Can Holmes convince the tormented commander to help her before it's too late?
Director Luigi Cozzi's on-the-cheap mash up of Alien and The China Syndrome is a bit of a slog, but when it gets going, Contamination is a violent blast of extraterrestrial mayhem as only the Italians could cook up!
5 The Beyond (1981)
When a woman (Catriona MacColl) inherits a rundown Louisiana hotel, she has no idea that it's built over an entrance to Hell, itself.
In the high water mark of Lucio Fulci's "Gates of Hell Trilogy" (which includes City of the Living Dead and House by the Cemetery) the maestro's strengths and pet obsessions cohere into a symphony of terror adored by fans beyond those obsessed with spaghetti splatter. An essential horror classic.
4 Madhouse (1981)
Ovidio G. Assonitis' Georgia-shot chiller stars Trish Everly as Julia, a schoolteacher haunted by memories of her childhood and her twisted twin sister, Mary (Allison Biggers). As Julia and Mary's birthday approaches, local people start to die gruesomely, some by Rottweiler attacks. Has Mary escaped from her mental institution? Is she behind these attacks? And how long is it before she sics her vicious mongrel on Julia? Give Madhouse a spin if you're in the mood for a slasher, Italian style!
3 Demons (1985)
Lamberto Bava, the son of foundational Italian master Mario Bava, isn't as celebrated or prolific as his father, but Demons is a staple of the subgenre no matter which way you slice it. Co-written by Dario Argento, this special effects blowout sees the attendees of a movie premier transmute into slobbering monsters while the few unaffected struggle to survive. Drenched in 80s punk and heavy metal, this is as entertaining as Italian horror gets. Its sequel, Demons 2 is more of the same, but when the dish is this delicious, who minds seconds?
2 Phenomena (1985)
Teenage Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly) witnesses a violent murder on her first night at a chic boarding school, leading her to seek an entomology professor (Donald Pleasence) to help her solve the crime. Blessed/curse with a psychic connection to insects, Jennifer uses her bizarre gift to track down the killer.
Truly bizarre, even by Italian horror standards, Phenomena is worth a watch for its two unexpected leads alone, but this is Argento at his most grimly fanciful, with razor blade wielding monkeys, killer dwarfs, and plenty of creepy crawlers peppering this very cock-eyed retelling of "Hansel and Gretel."
1 Dark Waters (1993)
When a young Englishwoman (Louise Salter) returns to the convent where her mother died in childbirth, she discovers that her connection to the place is diabolical and depraved. Clammy, Lovecraftian horror in the truest sense, Mariano Baino's Dark Waters marries his country's nunsploitation movies with cosmic terror in grand—and surprisingly classy—fashion.
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