The House with Laughing Windows

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Italian Rarity
Review: *Plot/ending analyzed*

This is a very good film directed by the man who also did "Zeder: Voices of the Dead". Although similar in tone, this film explores a man's quest to solve an illogical mystery and it is more provincial thus regulating us to the ominous and desolate village landscape, such as the canal, the empty houses and the isolated stretches of land. The man in question is an art restorer who is called to the small village of Palerma Southern Italy to restore a fresco painted by a degenerate artist. As he is led by the hunchback dwarf mayor, the man begins to assume a mysterious air about him, namely that people are hiding something in the village. His suspicion is further activated when he finds that the artist who painted the scene in the old church, was a maniac and pervert. More and more he uncovers strange rumors and ghastly pieces of evidence, including a dicto-graph voice tape and a journal from the 1930's. His visit to the old house where the artist lived uncovers peculiar mouths painted on the windows. There are also two eerie sisters who contributed to the artist's suicide and they were followers of a reclusive cult that was situated in South America. Most of the film has a sense of unnerving atmosphere and it is very unusual and pleasant to learn that one does not know what premise will be laid out next. The ending was a surprise because one can only assume what occurred.


Rating:
Summary: interesting little film that's weathered the test of time
Review: I put this on at two in the morning after work one night and sat through it (and the subtitles) with nary a yawn... and was quite creeped out by the end credits. It has everything that makes a great giallo- intriguing camera shots, a plot that ravels itself back together in the last few minutes, picaresque locations populated by physically and emotionally twisted subcharacters (and I thought America had cornered the market on twisted rednecks- Get a load of the altar boy!). An artist on a restoration project begins recieving death threats and investigates further after a friend gets pushed from his window, leading to a reel tape of the artist (not a spoiler- it's in the opening credits) describing his flesh tortured in conjunction with his art (how pomo). Kudos to Image for releasing this film undubbed because you'd miss out on the eerie flavor of the phone calls and that reel tape - probably the creepiest tape used in a film after the opening credits of "Klute". On a technical note, remember to click in the subtitles option before viewing the film, and don't watch the making of until after the movie - it has spoilers. You may need to watch it after anyway, just to have a better transition to shutting off the t.v. in a dark house! So, overall, one of the more plot oriented giallos that still can carry itself into suspension of disbelief, and with very little lost relevancy.

Rating:
Summary: interesting little film that's weathered the test of time
Review: I put this on at two in the morning after work one night and sat through it (and the subtitles) with nary a yawn... and was quite creeped out by the end credits. It has everything that makes a great giallo- intriguing camera shots, a plot that ravels itself back together in the last few minutes, picaresque locations populated by physically and emotionally twisted subcharacters (and I thought America had cornered the market on twisted rednecks- Get a load of the altar boy!). An artist on a restoration project begins recieving death threats and investigates further after a friend gets pushed from his window, leading to a reel tape of the artist (not a spoiler- it's in the opening credits) describing his flesh tortured in conjunction with his art (how pomo). Kudos to Image for releasing this film undubbed because you'd miss out on the eerie flavor of the phone calls and that reel tape - probably the creepiest tape used in a film after the opening credits of "Klute". On a technical note, remember to click in the subtitles option before viewing the film, and don't watch the making of until after the movie - it has spoilers. You may need to watch it after anyway, just to have a better transition to shutting off the t.v. in a dark house! So, overall, one of the more plot oriented giallos that still can carry itself into suspension of disbelief, and with very little lost relevancy.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Italian horrorfest
Review: I watched Pupi Avati's "Zeder" before seeing "The House of the Laughing Windows" and was decidedly indifferent to the overall impact of the former. Sure, you have an original idea about a hidden message on a typewriter ribbon, a few gore scenes, and an occasionally creepy series of events. But "Zeder" as a whole was an excellent idea poorly executed. I found "House" to be a better movie overall, with an even creepier series of events, an interesting and complex plot, and a truly shocking conclusion. The movie even looks better than "Zeder," although that might have something to do with the DVD transfer and the fact that "House" is a feature film whereas "Zeder" was a made for Italian television. Still, we should commend Avati because both films transcend the usually vapid world of Italian cinema. There's Argento, who always does a good job, and Lucio Fulci, who rarely does a good job but who used imaginative gore effects break taboos, but most movies arriving here from the boot reek. It's too bad we haven't seen more from Pupi Avati in recent years. I have no idea if he is still making horror movies. He is probably working on Italian soap operas or some other mind deadening television project.

"The House of the Laughing Windows" centers on a painting in a church in the little village of St. Sebastian. This objet d'art is frightful looking thing mercifully unfinished by its deceased creator, but that doesn't stop a big city restoration expert from rolling into town when he receives an offer to clean the painting up. The priest at the church is nice enough to him, but the townspeople are downright hostile concerning this guy's presence. Only a female teacher in the village acts friendly towards the young man--real friendly, by the way--because she too is an outsider. The residents so despise his presence that someone sneaks into the church and vandalizes the painting, thereby destroying all of the progress made on it. Being a sort of curious type--I guess you would need to be if you wanted to restore ancient paintings--the man begins to investigate his surroundings and the history of the painting. He soon discovers more than he ever wanted to know about this odd little town and its frightened denizens. With the help of an alcoholic village outcast, he slowly unearths the grim story behind the painting as well as discovering the reason people do not want him to proceed with his work. The final scenes of the film show our restorer in serious trouble as he comes face to face with the meaning of the painting and the inspiration for its horrific creation.

"House of the Laughing Windows" possesses some imagery sure to deliver the chills. The painting sits looms over the proceedings like a dark storm cloud. Once you understand the story behind this object, the implications of it are downright deadly. I also enjoyed that creepy tape recording that pops up every now. The barely audible rasping on that tape provides one of the eeriest set pieces in the entire film. Moreover, greatly enjoyable is the uncloaking during the conclusion to the film, when our hero learns the terrible secret of the painting and why the townspeople knew mucking around with the past insures ghastly results. There is, of course, the house with the laughing windows, which serves as a major clue to uncovering the secrets of the painting. The house is a neat, if slightly strange, idea on the part of the director and screenwriter of the film. Throw in an effective soundtrack and "House of the Laughing Windows" may well rank as one of the oddest, scariest films to come out of Italy in a long time.

Avati's film does not rank as the best horror film from Italy, obviously. Mario Bava and Dario Argento have done much better films than "House." As good as this movie is, it still shares some flaws with other Italian films. The acting here is mediocre, not a huge shock considering the wooden performances that plague nearly every Italian horror film I have ever seen. The pace of "House" tends to grate on the nerves after awhile, too. There must be something in the water over there because anytime a horror movie from Italy runs for almost two hours you are sure to glance at your watch a time or two. The uneven pacing in these types of films often dilutes the impact of the very message the director tries to convey. It's a dilemma for someone like me because I cannot stand to see cut films, but sometimes movies flow better with certain scenes removed. In a perfect world, DVD companies would include a cut and uncut version of the film in order to let the viewer decide which one looks and feels better. I'm dreaming, of course, as only a few companies actually do this. Anyway, a tighter version of "House" might alleviate some of the time drag.

The disc presents "House" in widescreen, which is always nice. Although the transfer looks a tad soft in places, I thought the quality rated better than good. A nonsensical trailer on the disc gives you little idea of what the film is about, but is still intriguing nonetheless. Also thrown into the package is an interview with Pupi Avati and a few of the principals involved in the movie. This helpful extra gives you a little information about the film and what the creators hoped to accomplish with it, as well as how they feel about the movie twenty plus years after its initial release. I recommend "House" for all lovers of shriek cinema; it is a cracking good film with a conclusion that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Italian horrorfest
Review: I watched Pupi Avati's "Zeder" before seeing "The House of the Laughing Windows" and was decidedly indifferent to the overall impact of the former. Sure, you have an original idea about a hidden message on a typewriter ribbon, a few gore scenes, and an occasionally creepy series of events. But "Zeder" as a whole was an excellent idea poorly executed. I found "House" to be a better movie overall, with an even creepier series of events, an interesting and complex plot, and a truly shocking conclusion. The movie even looks better than "Zeder," although that might have something to do with the DVD transfer and the fact that "House" is a feature film whereas "Zeder" was a made for Italian television. Still, we should commend Avati because both films transcend the usually vapid world of Italian cinema. There's Argento, who always does a good job, and Lucio Fulci, who rarely does a good job but who used imaginative gore effects break taboos, but most movies arriving here from the boot reek. It's too bad we haven't seen more from Pupi Avati in recent years. I have no idea if he is still making horror movies. He is probably working on Italian soap operas or some other mind deadening television project.

"The House of the Laughing Windows" centers on a painting in a church in the little village of St. Sebastian. This objet d'art is frightful looking thing mercifully unfinished by its deceased creator, but that doesn't stop a big city restoration expert from rolling into town when he receives an offer to clean the painting up. The priest at the church is nice enough to him, but the townspeople are downright hostile concerning this guy's presence. Only a female teacher in the village acts friendly towards the young man--real friendly, by the way--because she too is an outsider. The residents so despise his presence that someone sneaks into the church and vandalizes the painting, thereby destroying all of the progress made on it. Being a sort of curious type--I guess you would need to be if you wanted to restore ancient paintings--the man begins to investigate his surroundings and the history of the painting. He soon discovers more than he ever wanted to know about this odd little town and its frightened denizens. With the help of an alcoholic village outcast, he slowly unearths the grim story behind the painting as well as discovering the reason people do not want him to proceed with his work. The final scenes of the film show our restorer in serious trouble as he comes face to face with the meaning of the painting and the inspiration for its horrific creation.

"House of the Laughing Windows" possesses some imagery sure to deliver the chills. The painting sits looms over the proceedings like a dark storm cloud. Once you understand the story behind this object, the implications of it are downright deadly. I also enjoyed that creepy tape recording that pops up every now. The barely audible rasping on that tape provides one of the eeriest set pieces in the entire film. Moreover, greatly enjoyable is the uncloaking during the conclusion to the film, when our hero learns the terrible secret of the painting and why the townspeople knew mucking around with the past insures ghastly results. There is, of course, the house with the laughing windows, which serves as a major clue to uncovering the secrets of the painting. The house is a neat, if slightly strange, idea on the part of the director and screenwriter of the film. Throw in an effective soundtrack and "House of the Laughing Windows" may well rank as one of the oddest, scariest films to come out of Italy in a long time.

Avati's film does not rank as the best horror film from Italy, obviously. Mario Bava and Dario Argento have done much better films than "House." As good as this movie is, it still shares some flaws with other Italian films. The acting here is mediocre, not a huge shock considering the wooden performances that plague nearly every Italian horror film I have ever seen. The pace of "House" tends to grate on the nerves after awhile, too. There must be something in the water over there because anytime a horror movie from Italy runs for almost two hours you are sure to glance at your watch a time or two. The uneven pacing in these types of films often dilutes the impact of the very message the director tries to convey. It's a dilemma for someone like me because I cannot stand to see cut films, but sometimes movies flow better with certain scenes removed. In a perfect world, DVD companies would include a cut and uncut version of the film in order to let the viewer decide which one looks and feels better. I'm dreaming, of course, as only a few companies actually do this. Anyway, a tighter version of "House" might alleviate some of the time drag.

The disc presents "House" in widescreen, which is always nice. Although the transfer looks a tad soft in places, I thought the quality rated better than good. A nonsensical trailer on the disc gives you little idea of what the film is about, but is still intriguing nonetheless. Also thrown into the package is an interview with Pupi Avati and a few of the principals involved in the movie. This helpful extra gives you a little information about the film and what the creators hoped to accomplish with it, as well as how they feel about the movie twenty plus years after its initial release. I recommend "House" for all lovers of shriek cinema; it is a cracking good film with a conclusion that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Rating:
Summary: Long lost 'classic' is a huge disappointment
Review: THE HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS (La Casa dalle Finestre che Ridono, 1976): A young artist (Lino Capolicchio) is summoned to a church in a remote Italian village to restore a crumbling fresco depicting the horrific martyrdom of St. Sebastian. But the man who originally painted the fresco - long believed dead - appears to have been psychologically disturbed, and Capolicchio stumbles on a murderous secret concealed by powerful factions within the village itself...

Long unavailable outside Italy, and highlighted by a glowing review in Phil Hardy's seminal reference work 'The Aurum Film Encyclopedia Horror' (published as 'The Overlook Film Encyclopedia Horror' in America), Pupi Avati's THE HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS was recently restored for its European DVD premiere, and it's that print which forms the centerpiece of Image's US disc. However, despite its reputation as an undiscovered classic, the film is a huge disappointment, a horror movie for people who don't really like horror movies, directed by an acclaimed filmmaker whose early work routinely embraced elements of fantasy and horror (BALSAMUS L'UOMO DI SATANA, THOMAS E GLI INDEMONIATI, ZEDER, etc.) before he abandoned the genre and dedicated himself to the successful pursuit of 'upmarket' material (NOI TRE, STORIA DI RAGAZZI E DI RAGAZZE, BIX, etc.). Photographed by regular Avati collaborator Pasquale Rachini on bleak but picturesque Italian locations, the film strives to evoke an atmosphere of dread through languid pacing and deliberate camera movements, but poor post-synch Italian dubbing and weak performances by most of the supporting cast makes it difficult for viewers to engage with the narrative's emotional dynamic (when a number of major players are killed toward the end of the film, the effect is almost negligible). The climactic sequences contain a number of genuine surprises, but the build-up leaves much to be desired, and Avati's creative ambitions are scuppered by funereal pacing and a lack of interesting characters. There's no nudity and very little gore, and consequently, no suspense. Too commercial for the Art-house crowd and too pretentious for trash aficionados, THE HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS fails on all counts, and barely warrants a second glance. Those who prefer the likes of DON'T LOOK NOW to THE TOOLBOX MURDERS (for example) may enjoy it, but everyone else will be bored rigid by this unremarkable potboiler.

The print on Image's all-region disc was derived from a PAL source at 25fps and runs 105m 57s (110m 21s at 24fps), and the movie is letterboxed at 1.85:1, anamorphically enhanced. Picture quality is OK, though some have complained that the optional English subtitles are marred by puzzling artefacts during playback on certain types of DVD player. For no good reason at all, Image has provided Dolby and DTS 5.1 soundtrack options alongside the original 2.0 mono version, and while the extra dimension adds a little bass to the proceedings, the movie's limited soundtrack doesn't really lend itself to this kind of audio revision. Extras include a trailer and a short featurette in which Avati, Capolicchio, co-star/writer Gianni Cavina and composer Amedeo Tomassi reminisce about the movie and its cult reputation.

NB. While the DVD packaging describes it as 'The House With Laughing Windows', the subtitles on the print itself identifies the film as THE HOUSE OF THE LAUGHING WINDOWS.

Rating:
Summary: Frightening, Highly Original Horror Masterpiece
Review: THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976): Stefano (Lino Capolicchio), an art specialist, is hired by members of a rural Italian village to perform restoration work on a disturbingly violent fresco of Saint Sebastian painted on a decaying church wall. He meets and falls in love with a beautiful teacher, Francesca (Francesca Marciano), while staying for free in a house once owned by the sisters of the long dead artist. Stefano gradually learns that the painter and his sisters were monstrously depraved sadists who bloodily tortured people to death as inspiration for his horrific art. Various murders ensue and Stefano realizes that the killer is attempting to stop him from learning more of the village's secrets.

This shocker may be filled with lunatics, violent killings and an undeniably horrific climax, but it is filmed without any of the sleazy exploitation one might expect from the above synopsis. Pupi Avati directs the gruesome proceedings with masterful precision, utilizing a careful, leisurely pace in order to slowly build up a truly palpable sense of malice. While not failing to resort to some tried and true suspense techniques throughout, Avati finds it equally important to linger with moody, loving attention on the exceedingly desolate landscape surroundings and claustrophobic interiors. Cinematographer Pasquale Rachini's beautiful imagery creates a sure sense of place and atmosphere and helps make Stefano's growing feelings of isolation and dread all too real.

Lino Capolicchio plays Stefano with seriousness and intelligence, and his excellent performance is greatly responsible for the film's overall success; its impossible not to care about what happens to him in the film's disturbing, ambiguous finale. Francesca Marciano is equally fine as Stefano's love interest; their relationship is presented in a fairly realistic manner, and although inserting a romance into the storyline is more than a tad formulaic, Marciano is so charming and beautiful its certainly easy to see why Stefano falls for her so quickly.

Director Avati may have developed a solid international reputation as a serious auteur with a lengthy filmography full of critically acclaimed "arthouse" character studies like THE STORY OF BOYS AND GIRLS, but in the U.S. his reputation rests mostly on two cult horror films, ZEDER and THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS. ZEDER has long been the most visible of the two, having managed a domestic release on videotape in the 1980's with the more exploitable title of REVENGE OF THE DEAD, as well as a (disappointing) DVD release in 2000 under its proper title. HOUSE, on the other hand, has languished in relative obscurity since its 1976 release in Italy, despite critical raves across the board, including from such estimable sources as Phil Hardy's THE OVERLOOK FILM ENCYCLOPEDIA: HORROR and VIDEO WATCHDOG magazine.

Now, finally, HOUSE has received a much deserved DVD release as part of Image Entertainment's Euroshock Collection. Thankfully, the print used is in stunningly pristine shape; the movie literally looks brand-new. The film's beautiful visuals are presented in their original aspect ratio, letterboxed at 1.85:1 (although the DVD's box claims 1.78:1). The Italian language soundtrack has optional English subtitles. Extras include a still/lobby card gallery, a surprisingly boring trailer and, most impressively, a short (subtitled) Italian language retrospective/documentary featuring a fascinating interview with Avati who obviously feels great love for this gem of a horror film. And so will you.

Rating:
Summary: creepy
Review: Unusual giallo with a very interesting and compelling story that makes for a riveting viewing experience.
Try it. You will not be disappointed.
Superb transfer.