Macabre (1980)
"Macabro" (original title)

A middle-aged woman, traumatized from the death of her adulterous lover, moves into a room at a New Orleans boarding house where the blind landlord becomes suspicious to her activities of continuing her affair with her dead lover.

Director:

Lamberto Bava

Writers:

Antonio Avati, Pupi Avati,

Stars:

Bernice Stegers, Stanko Molnar, Veronica Zinny

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bernice Stegers	...	Jane Baker
Stanko Molnar	...	Robert Duval
Veronica Zinny	...	Lucy Baker
Roberto Posse	...	Fred Kellerman
Ferdinando Orlandi	...	Mr. Wells
Fernando Pannullo	...	Leslie Baker
Elisa Kadigia Bove	...	Mrs. Duval

Storyline

A New Orleans housewife leaves her daughter and son home alone to meet her lover. While with him, she receives a call that her son has died. Wreckless driving rushing to her house results in a horrible accident. The lover dies and she is sent to a mental institution to recover from the psychological trauma. Upon her release a year later she moves into the boarding house where they would rendezvous. The landlord has passed away and her blind son is left to maintain the house. With every day that passes, his lust for her grows while she remains true to her lover. The situation comes to a "head" on a weekend visit with her daughter. All secrets will be revealed and no one will be the same. Inspired by actual events.

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Plot Keywords:

accident | controversy | divorce | mental illness | disembodied head | 

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Taglines:

Prepare yourself for the Shock of a Lifetime!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1980 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Macabre

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.M.A. Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was inspired by an actual crime that occurred in New Orleans, which is why the film was shot there.

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Connections

Featured in A Head for Horror: Lamberto Bava on 'Macabre' (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Jane in Love"
Performed by Norberto Gil Ventura (as Gil Ventura)

User Reviews

Nice Gothic debut from Lamberto Bava!

Macabre is a surprisingly relaxed and retrained debut from Lamberto Bava, a horror director famous for schlock including the rock-fuelled gore-fest 'Demons'. The film is supposedly based on actual events that happened in Los Angeles and the story certainly lives up to the title of the film. Lamberto Bava had a lot to live up to with his debut film, given the brilliance of his father, Mario Bava, and while this film isn't on par with his father's best efforts; Lamberto can be proud of his debut film. The film takes place largely in one location; a large mansion owned by a blind man, and this provides a perfect setting for a story as grim as this one. The plot takes in themes of lust, depravity and insanity and follows a mother whose daughter drowns her only son in a bathtub whilst she is spending time with her illicit lover. While on their way back to the house after learning of the 'accident', her lover is killed in a car crash and the events take their toll on the unfortunate mother, who spends the next year in a mental institution. Upon her release, she returns to her boyfriend's home...

Like many Italian thrillers, this one suffers from amazingly poor dubbing; which features some of the worst accents ever seen on screen. That being said, the acting is rather good; with Bernice Stegers convincing as the insane mother, and Veronica Zinny, in her only film role, coming across nicely as her similarly twisted daughter. Stanko Molnar (who also starred in Lamberto's A Blade in the Dark) convinces as the blind man and rounds off the central cast nicely. The action is always restrained, and Lamberto Bava relies on suspense to keep the plot moving. It has to be said that this film isn't as exciting as many Giallo films, but the slow plot comes good in the end as the director boils down to a satisfying conclusion. The central idea behind the plot has been done many times before, but it doesn't matter because it's well done in this film. The director would go on to top this film three years later with the excellent A Blade in the Dark, although on the whole it's a better film than 1987's Delirium. The film is well directed throughout, and while it's not exactly a horror classic; fans of Italian cinema will no doubt find this a satisfying movie overall.