Il medaglione insanguinato (1975)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Massimo Dallamano

Writers:

Massimo Dallamano (writer)
Franco Marotta (writer)

Release Date:

March 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Keep telling yourself : "She's not just a child", "She's not just a child", "She's not just a child", "She's not just a child", "She's not just a child", "She's not just a child"

Plot:

The titular medallion is a gift presented to young Nicole Elmi. Once the girl places the gift around her neck, she is possessed by the spirit of a dead child who was a murderess. |

Plot Keywords:

Child | Spirit | Medallion | Curse | Occult

Cast

Richard Johnson	...	Michael Williams
Joanna Cassidy	...	Joanna Morgan
Ida Galli	...	Jill Perkins (as Evelyne Stewart)
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Emily Williams
Edmund Purdom	...	Doctor
Riccardo Garrone	...	Police Inspector
Dana Ghia	...	Emily's Mother
Eleonora Morana	...	Contessa's Maid
Lila Kedrova	...	Contessa Cappelli

Also Known As:

Il medaglione insanguinato - Perche?
Perché?!
The Cursed Medallion
The Night Child (USA)

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

Italy | UK

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Spoleto, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

Company:

Italian International Film

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever, Volume 3: Exploitation Explosion (2008) (V)

Tranquil, tragic and beautiful

Taihei Yasui's Freudian reading and subsequent criticism of Il Medaglione insanguinato in the previous posting, is undoubtedly interesting. However I do feel it's a bit over ambitious. In many of these Italian genre films Freudian thematics are loose points of departure rather than actual work methods as seen with, say, Arthur Schnitzler or ETA Hoffmann. Furthermore these directors often treated classical dramatic constructions and story line logics very much the same way, that is, as a mere basis for experimenting with the given genre themes. Personally I find this period in European cinema thoroughly refreshing. And to me, Il Medaglione insanguinato certainly is no exception. Logical or not, Freudian or not, it is certainly a psychological thriller but it is draped in the quite appealing aesthetics of an near surrealistic Gothic ghost story. It stands out among it's peers today above all thanks to a beautiful rural cinematography, solemn performances by solid genre stalwarts, and a sublime score. Ultimately Massimo Dallamano's dreamlike direction renders a the film a tragical nightmare-ish tranquility which to me makes the film exceed it's limitations.