"Brivido giallo" La casa dell'orco (1988)

Director:

Lamberto Bava

Writers:

Lamberto Bava (screenplay)
Dardano Sacchetti (screenplay)
(more)

TV Series:

"Brivido giallo" (1986)

Original Air Date:

1988 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

What happens when the nightmares of your childhood suddenly become reality?

Plot:

A sexually confused young woman is haunted by childhood memories when she moves into an old mansion in Italy with her husband and young son.

Plot Keywords:

Nightmare | Ogre | Writer | Mansion | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Paolo Malco	...	Tom
Virginia Bryant	...	Cheryl
Sabrina Ferilli	...	Anna
Stefania Montorsi	...	Maria
Patrizio Vinci	...	Bobby
Alice Di Giuseppe	...	Young Cheryl
David Flosi	...	The Beast (as Davide Flosi)
Alex Serra	...	Dario the artist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lamberto Bava	...	Man in bar (uncredited)
Roberto Dell'Acqua	...	Man in Bar (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Tom (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Lamberto Bava

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lamberto Bava		screenplay
Dardano Sacchetti		screenplay
Dardano Sacchetti		story

Produced by
Massimo Manasse	....	executive producer
Marco Grillo Spina	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Simon Boswell

Cinematography by
Gianfranco Transunto

Film Editing by
Mauro Bonanni

Casting by
Fabrizio Bava

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng		(as Antonello Geleng)

Art Direction by
Massimo Antonello Geleng		(as Antonello Geleng)

Costume Design by
Valentina Di Palma

Makeup Department
Giancarlo Marin	....	hair stylist
Fabrizio Sforza	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Renato Fiè	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fabrizio Bava	....	assistant director

Art Department
Roberto Ricci	....	property master

Sound Department
Romano Checcacci	....	sound mixer
Fiamma Maglione	....	dialogue editor
Giuliano Piermarioli	....	sound

Special Effects by
Angelo Mattei	....	special effects
Ditta Ricci	....	scenic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Enzo Frattari	....	assistant camera
Roberto Nicosia	....	still photographer (as Roberto Nicosia Vinci)
Luigi Orso	....	head grip
Franco Rachini	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mirella Pedetti	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Carlo Bartolucci	....	assistant editor
Mario Cinotti	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Paola Bonelli	....	script supervisor
Alberto Brusco	....	production assistant
Anna Maria De Pedys	....	business manager (as Anna De Pedys)
Gianni Giuliano	....	dubbing director
Aldo Mafera	....	opticals
Aldo Mafera	....	titles

Production Companies

• Dania Film
• Devon Film
• Reteitalia

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (1993) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Videotec (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Shriek Show (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• SBP (2004) (Argentina) (DVD) (re-release)
• Stomp Visual (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cult Classic (2010) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Sagres Filmes (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Trans-Global Pictures (1989) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (2004) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Maria (video)

Other Companies

• Cinematografica Service (C.S.)  transportation
• Fono Roma  sound recording
• Greetings Music  music publisher
• Telecolor  negative cutting

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for brief nudity

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Dania Film

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Brivido giallo: A cena col vampiro (#1.4)" (1987)

I love this movie, but it's not a sequel to "Demons".

To anyone who hasn't seen this film yet, I have a friendly warning: don't watch "La Casa dell'Orco" expecting any demons at all, because you won't find them here. This film is not a third installment to the "Demons" series and it has nothing to do with it whatsoever, except the fact that Lamberto Bava directed them. As a matter of fact, Michele Soavi's "The Church" is also known an unofficial "Demons 3" and it's a deceptive title in that case as well, so go figure. It is obvious that due to the "Demons" films success; they tried to deceive the audience with misleading titles, even though it is obvious that this is a disconnected story. Having said that, I think it's unfair on the other hand, to say that "La Casa dell'Orco" is not worth the look. Honestly, the movie is quite atmospheric and even though there are a few unintentionally hilarious situations, I thought it was genuinely creepy on the whole. Nevertheless, I think it's fair to say that the story somehow tries to emulate Lucio Fulci's "The House by the Cemetery". Of course, that's just a speculation I have, but I think I have my valid evidences. For instance, in both films, Paolo Marco is the man of the family, in both films, there's an irritating little son named Bobby, in both films, the woman of the house is a beautiful thirty-something, who seems to be the only one to see that there's something really wrong in the new house, and in both films, there's something really, really wrong going on in the basement. I'm sorry but I can relate both films very easily and I'm not saying that as an accusation. For the contrary, my point is that those who enjoyed "The House by the Cemetery" are probably going to enjoy this movie as well, keeping in mind of course, that "La Casa dell'Orco" is far less pretentious, less scary, not nearly as atmospheric, but the formula is still there.

In "La Casa dell'Orco", Charel, her husband Tom and their little son, Bobby, go on a vacation trip to an old deserted castle, situated in the heart of an Italian villa called Trifiri. Leaving aside the beauty of the place, shortly after their arrival, Charel starts to have the feeling that she has been there before, which is impossible, considering that she had never been to Trifiri before. Sadly, Charel can't get over her déjà vu and the worst part is that her visions, come along with the image of a horrendous creature going after her. Tom, who is not a very patient guy to begin with, advices her to leave the nonsensical hallucinations aside and enjoy the vacation. However, the woman's visions become more and more real and the peace and quiet that they were supposed to enjoy, suddenly turn into a living nightmare. The old nightmare from Charel's childhood becomes real and this time, she won't be able to escape without confronting that menacing ogre first.

As it is expected, the plot somehow turns out to be a little bit simplistic and as a consequence, it is hard to fill an hour and a half. This means that "La Casa dell'Orco" offers more than a couple of sequences with nothing but total silence and the image of the main character, walking around the castle for several minutes, reviving the images of her childhood and nothing else. It gets rather tedious from time to time, but overall, it's nothing serious. Like many Italian horror films that came out throughout the late eighties, this movie is pretty stylish and effective, but it also offers a nice variety of unintentionally funny moments, that make the movie unforgettable in a way. For instance, the part in which Charel is brutally slapped by her husband and instead of going to her bedroom crying like I would have expected, she strikes back against him by punching him on the face really hard and running away to the woods like a maniac. The funniest thing however, is the fact that two minutes later, they're a happy couple again, as if punching each other like that, was the most natural thing in the world. I know it's silly, but I myself, found it absolutely hilarious. The ogre (which is obviously the villain of the story) looks creepy and funny at the same time too and let's face it: a villain who can freak us out and make us laugh a little bit, it's twice as welcomed. It reminded me of Michael Jackson in "Thriller", but much more natural and human, of course. But if focusing on the genuinely good aspects that I mentioned before: the music composed by Simon Boswell is one of the high points and even if it pretty much always the same, it fits perfectly and it helps to create a rather dark atmosphere during the moments of tension. So if I have to give my final statement regarding this movie, I'm going to have to say that I can't help loving it, including the small flaws and most people who enjoy these typical Italian horror movies from the late eighties, won't be disappointed by this one. It has all the typical and always well received clichés, like the crazy old man who actually speaks the truth, the foxy local woman who is said to be a witch, a creepy castle, a huge dark basement with a terrible secret and the local folks who try to prevent the tourist with their hostility, to stay away from the infamous lands. I would say that "La Casa dell'Orco" deserves two thumbs up and a punch at your spouse's face, as a way to pay tribute to the heroine of the story. Take this movie for what it is and enjoy it.