Macabro (1980)

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 (story and screenplay), Pupi Avati (story and screenplay)

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	...	Sally

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 | murder | dead child | mother kills own child | blindness | 

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Taglines:

Prepare yourself for the Shock of a Lifetime!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English Italian

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

This was the first solo directing credit on a feature film for Lamberto Bava.

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Connections

Referenced in Terror Firmer (1999)

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Soundtracks

Jane in Love
Performed by Norberto Gil Ventura

User Reviews

Macabre indeed

When it is indicated that a movie is based on a true story I always am very hesitant to watch such a movie. True stories can be more shocking but most of the time it often is exaggerated. So I always try to ignore the true story angle in order to enhance the viewing experience. "Macabro" is in fact a very simple story with only one mystery. While it has the illusion of being so much more there is no depth at all. The background on the characters is very minimal and in this case much needed to intensify our empathy towards them. Without it most of the main characters seem a bit off. The buildup in tension is decent. The problem is the mystery itself. It just isn't compelling enough to sit through 90 minutes. I agree with the comments given on this board that it would have suited more as a 30 minute episode part of an anthology film or series like "Tales of the unexpected","Twilight Zone" or something similar. The ending is pretty interesting to say the least but hardly surprising although it was intended to. And it can be debated if it was necessary to end like this. I am not out on that one. "Macabro" isn't your typical giallo and will therefore disappoint many fans of this genre. But overall this movie can be entertaining.