Blade in the Dark/Macabre DVD

A Blade in the Dark
This horror-thriller from director Lamberto Bava stars Andrea Occhipinti as Bruno, a composer who becomes involved in a frightening series of murders while staying at an isolated villa. The story turns on a scene in the horror film Bruno is scoring: a young child, taunted by cruel bullies, descends into a dark cellar after a bouncing tennis ball. The kids hear a scream and the ball bounces up to them, leaving bloody tracks on the wall. Pretty Sandra, Bruno's director, explains that her inspiration was the childhood of Linda, the villa's previous tenant, but there is something far more sinister going on. Anyone who has seen Psycho probably has a good idea what that "something" is, but the plot is really incidental. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Macabre
Lamberto Bava directed this exceptional, moody shocker based on an idea by cult filmmaker Pupi Avati. The film deals with a New Orleans woman named Jane (Bernice Stegers) who leaves her two children at home one day to meet her lover Fred in an apartment she keeps across town. Unfortunately, her insanely jealous young daughter Lucy (Veronica Zinny) finds out about the affair and decides to punish Jane's adultery by drowning her little brother in the bathtub. Receiving the news, the frantic Jane has Fred drive her home at high speed, leading to a gory accident in which he is decapitated. After a year in the local asylum, Jane goes to live in the apartment, now owned by a young blind man named Robert. The numerous mysteries surround Jane's locked freezer and the motives of Lucy, whose frequent visits are almost unbearably tense. Most of the film is pure Avati, despite Bava's direction -- suspenseful, eerie, and pervaded with an air of decay both physical and mental. Even the ghastly revelations of Jane's necrophilic obsessions with Fred's severed head are handled in reasonably good taste. Only in the final scene does Bava falter, but this is otherwise an outstanding film. After seeing his son's solo directorial debut, legendary director Mario Bava was impressed enough that he reportedly said "Now I can die in peace." The elder Bava died two months later. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Cast Andrea Occhipinti as Bruno Anna Papa as Fabiola Toledo as Michele Soavi as Valeria Cavalli as Stanko Molnar as Lara Naszinski as

Crew Lamberto Bava - Director Franco Delli Colli - Cinematographer Antonio Avati - Producer Gianni Minervini - Producer Antonio Avati - Screenwriter Pupi Avati - Screenwriter Lamberto Bava - Screenwriter Roberto Gandus - Screenwriter Lamberto Bava - Director Franco Delli Colli - Cinematographer Antonio Avati - Producer Gianni Minervini - Producer Antonio Avati - Screenwriter Pupi Avati - Screenwriter Lamberto Bava - Screenwriter Roberto Gandus - Screenwriter

A Blade in the Dark
(not reviewed)
 

Macabre
(not reviewed)
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: Widescreen presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs Behind the Blade with director Lamberto Bava and writer Dardano Sacchetti Theatrical trailer Talent bios Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs A Head for Horror: Lamberto Bava on Macabre Theatrical trailer Lamberto Bava bio DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1: Alternate Wide-Screen 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 194 min Part of Series: Drive-In Horror Double Feature   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- A Blade in the Dark 1. Program Start / Stairway to Terror [3:22] 2. Main Titles [1:17] 3. The Composer [3:49] 4. Symphony of Shadows [6:24] 5. Katia [4:54] 6. Slice and Dice [4:12] 7. Hidden Voices [6:05] 8. Trail of Blood [5:29] 9. "Surprise!" [5:14] 10. Unanswered Questions [4:20] 11. Beautiful Stranger [7:21] 12. Stainless Steel Kiss [5:44] 13. Bruno's Discovery [5:34] 14. Unexpected Visit [3:10] 15. "It's the Same Linda" [3:10] 16. Footsteps [5:31] 17. Flirting With Danger [3:32] 18. Jealous Temper [4:40] 19. Julia's Deception [4:59] 20. The Final Reel [3:15] 21. Trio of Corpses [3:22] 22. Linda's Revenge [2:49] 23. Cat and Mouse [4:38] 24. Killer in Drag [4:42] 25. End Titles [:49] Side #2 -- Macabre 1. Program Start/Main Titles [1:34] 2. Deception [2:49] 3. 'How's the Meeting Going?" [4:30] 4. Illicit Behavior [2:45] 5. Fatal Collision [1:19] 6. A Year Later... [3:34] 7. Revisiting the Past [3:27] 8. Dinner Invitation [3:46] 9. The Shrine [4:54] 10. Questions & Lies [3:09] 11. Awkward Reunion [4:50] 12. On the Street [2:15] 13. Taking a Bath [1:53] 14. Sounds of Passion [2:37] 15. Invasion of Privacy [5:05] 16. "No One Is to Go Upstairs" [3:40] 17. A Woman's Touch [4:22] 18. Disturbing Discovery [4:22] 19. Robert & Lucy [2:50] 20. Secret Lover [2:51] 21. Face to Face With Horror [3:08] 22. "You Want Her All for Yourself!" [3:01] 23. Lucy Learns the Truth [3:43] 24. Dinner for Three [4:00] 25. Like Mother, Like Daughter [2:54] 26. Unspeakable Depravity [1:39] 27. See No Evil [3:21] 28. End Credits [1:02]