How were Italian 'video nasties' viewed in Italy

[g23]

We all know the uk 'video nasty' situation, but I've never been able to find out the following (anyone Italian or know the situation)...A large number of the video nasty titles were Italian genre/ exploitation films (pre-internet and not critically known, not sure if any were even distributed to english speaking audiences theatrically, plus coming with sensationalist clamshell art that made them seem 100x worse this was not how they were seen) --- how were these films marketed/ regarded in Italy? I was told by someone that in Italy films were/are shown where they would just keep running them and people would buy a ticket and come in and was a really popular past time for people; if this is true then I can see how these films may have fit into a situation similar to speciality cable stations where they can catch an audience (or were they regarded as underground films(?), but the amount and the fact that many of the directors made several films of a similar nature leads me to think otherwise.) I have read that the giallo genre was really popular and goes back to around '63, and the italian horror genre (judging by the changes year-to-year) seemed to keep trying to outdo the shock thrills that made the giallo genre catch on -- which may explain how cannibal-gore films came about.

Thanks to anyone for their help

[Johnny66]

I'm not sure if this was pre-'Video Nasties', but Ruggero Deodato had to take the actors from 'Cannibal Holocaust' with him to the set of an Italian TV show in order to prove that they hadn't been eaten alive in the making of the film.

:D

One has to remember that Italians have a highly operatic approach to violence, and whilst I'm sure some of the 'Video Nasties' material would offend basic sensibilities there, I don't think there was 'moral outrage' akin to the UK or the US (with the MPAA and Valenti).

[Rael]

I'm not sure if this was pre-'Video Nasties', but Ruggero Deodato had to take the actors from 'Cannibal Holocaust' with him to the set of an Italian TV show in order to prove that they hadn't been eaten alive in the making of the film.

:D


Deodato didn't kill people (that I know of), but he sure liked to kill animals. Not that Deodato was the only one of course. Real life animal killings were thrown in for shock value quite commonly in those late 70s/early 80s cannibal jungle gorefests. I'm glad it stopped.

The majority of contributors to the Hostel threads seemed to find those movies utterly offensive and without merit. I can only imagine what they'd think if they sat through Cannibal Holocaust.

[Vidiot]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).

[Rael]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).

The funny thing is, the F/X look pretty quaint now. I remember seeing The Beyond during a revival in Boston 5 or so years ago and the audience was laughing more than cringing. I'm deathly afraid of spiders but the infamous spider attack in that film cracks me up every time.

Lucio Fulci films are one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures.

[Johnny66]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).

At the time, I'm sure the effects were very confronting (that eyeball scene!). But, then again, you have a zombie wrestling with a shark - didn't that at least bring a snicker from you?

Can I ask, when you say you 'worked' on the film - in what capacity? I'd love to hear any stories you may have.

[imagnrywar]

i still think the effects in Zombie are outstanding. they sure beat the lame computer effects being used nowadays.

[Rocker]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).
That's one of my all-time favourite guilty pleasure flicks! It's basically the movie that spaked my interest in Italian horror. A classic!! :righton:

I've built a pretty fair-sized Fulci collection over the years... (even though a lot of these films are downright awful)....
http://rocker.dvdaf.com/owned/lucio-fulci
;)

[Texastoyz]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).


Oh it is a classic!

I remember that videotape was ubiquitous in every Mom and Pop video store circa 1984-1988.

[Dudley Morris]

The funny thing is, the F/X look pretty quaint now. I remember seeing The Beyond during a revival in Boston 5 or so years ago and the audience was laughing more than cringing. I'm deathly afraid of spiders but the infamous spider attack in that film cracks me up every time.I recell Roger Ebert's trashing of the film and this scene, where he notes the lame effects and says something like "this is, clearly, a scene of spiders eating makeup." Ooooh!

Deodato didn't kill people (that I know of), but he sure liked to kill animals. Not that Deodato was the only one of course. Real life animal killings were thrown in for shock value quite commonly in those late 70s/early 80s cannibal jungle gorefests. I'm glad it stopped. While he didn't get charged with murder, didn't he instead get charged with animal cruelty because of some of what he did in that film?

Anyway, I thought the film had an interesting premise (later famously appropriated in part by The Blair Witch Project) but wasn't carried out as well as it could've been. B-list acting, weird soundtrack choices, and the annoying looped dialogue all too common to these multi-country productions.

[Vidiot]

Can I ask, when you say you 'worked' on the film - in what capacity? I'd love to hear any stories you may have.
Three years later (I missed it originally), here's the answer: I did a home video transfer on it for a distributor in the early 1980s, color-timing a low-contrast print to 1" C videotape. So anybody who saw Zombie in the 1980s most likely saw my mastering.

I'm not sure how it looked; I was cringing and looking away from the screen most of the time. (But it is possible to color-correct just with the scopes, to a point.)

[ScaramangaFran]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).

I think that´s very cool! I am actually a big fan of that movie! Its a bit cheesy, but also very entertaining.

[Rocker]

I worked on a horrendously gross Italian horror/gore film around 1980 or so -- Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. It's renowned as a classic of sorts, but that was one of the rare occasions I had trouble looking at the picture I was supposed to be mastering. We're talking veins-in-ma-teeth violence, rated X (even back then).
This film getting a DVD re-release (yet again!) in October... Blue Underground is preparing a 2-disc "Ultimate Edition". (This makes, what, 4 different DVD releases we've had over the years?)

:shrug:

[daglesj]

Just to clarify there wasnt really any outrage about 'video nasties' in the UK. Well not from the population at large anyway.

Once again it was jumped on as a platform for self promotion by certain govt/censorship groups. Also it was a knee jerk reaction to the then lack of regulation for video releases.

After all none of the movies that were classed as video nasties in the UK had any real artistic value. They would all have long been forgotten had it not been for the ban. I havent seen one yet I'd watch twice, some I gave up before the end.

[Matthew B.]

After all none of the movies that were classed as video nasties in the UK had any real artistic value.

The Evil Dead, The Driller Killer, and (on topic) Inferno may be flawed, but there's artistic value there too.

[Rael]

This film getting a DVD re-release (yet again!) in October... Blue Underground is preparing a 2-disc "Ultimate Edition". (This makes, what, 4 different DVD releases we've had over the years?)

:shrug:

At least 4 versions. But it's also getting a Blu-Ray release as is Fulci's House By the Cemetary! :righton: Blue Underground has released some excellent looking BDs; I love seeing so much film grain intact!

[dbz]

Just to clarify there wasnt really any outrage about 'video nasties' in the UK. Well not from the population at large anyway.

Once again it was jumped on as a platform for self promotion by certain govt/censorship groups. Also it was a knee jerk reaction to the then lack of regulation for video releases.

After all none of the movies that were classed as video nasties in the UK had any real artistic value. They would all have long been forgotten had it not been for the ban. I havent seen one yet I'd watch twice, some I gave up before the end.

full list on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nasty looking at the numbers which have subsequently been released (with some edits), it does show how hysterical this whole thing was. The public were indifferent, but the press were more than excitable.

As far as Italy goes, perhaps they are view it in a similar way to their porn industry? But like the OP I've often wondered, in view of the strong Catholic history(not getting religious here, but the Pope does live in Rome).