Michele Soavi began his directing career with THE CHURCH, a muddled religious chiller, in 1988. In that film he showed some ability in creating some visually interesting and inventive images (particularly that of the writhing mound of bodies) while possessing a certain artistic style all of his own, inspired by Argento himself. In DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE, Soavi reaches the peak of his achievements in what is most probably his best movie: although it works as a conventional horror film too, this film is primarily a study of the boundaries between life and death, and all that they entitle. It also explores the human mind in its longing for love and the effect that despair and isolation can have on it. While DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE may not always be a straightforward or easy-to-follow movie, its sheer uniqueness and visual scope makes for engrossing viewing.
This offbeat film opens with star Everett nonchalantly shooting a zombie in the head which has climbed in through his door. We learn that this is all in a typical evening's activity for him, as he is cursed with looking after a graveyard which repeatedly spawns the living dead from its graves. Expect no Romeroesque zombie movie here, though, as the zombies themselves - although regularly appearing - are just visual filler, a backbone on to which the rest of the human drama and plot lies. Sergio Stivaletti's special effects are as good as ever, and as the film has a noticeably higher budget than Italian productions have had previously, the SFX of the zombies are quite remarkable; this time they really do look like complex, rotted creatures, treading a thin line between looking funny and looking scary.
There are a few "invasion" scenes in the film in which the zombies attack in hordes and come this close to dispatching Everett once and for all, only for Everett to escape or kill them just in the nick of time. These are nice touches and had me jumping in my seat once or twice. Everett himself is the capable hero of the movie, a pessimist who narrates the various bizarre events occurring in his life; of course, now that he's gone mainstream, his work will never be as interesting or profound. Everett is supported well by a talented cast, especially Francois Hadji-Lazaro who threatens to steal the show with his comic support as Everett's mute but faithful companion. The "charms" of actress Anna Falchi are also thrown into the mix, with the undeniably beautiful woman recurring in a number of roles. Am I the only one who thinks that Stanley Kubrick himself stole some of the couple's chemistry/bizarre relationship for EYES WIDE SHUT?
Watch out for the many bizarre and unexpected moments in this film, from the midnight tryst between Everett and Falchi being interrupted by a hungry zombie to the terrible bus crash in which a load of schoolchildren are massacred. DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE is definitely not for the weak of heart, and its pretty strong stuff with hints of necrophilia and the like, while mixing in sex with gore in a way to most likely offend the censors. Although not explicitly gory, we see many people getting shot in the head, brains being blown out and skulls cloven in two. One of my favourite scenes in the film has Everett visiting a sick friend in hospital; as each doctor and nurse comes in to interrupt him, he offhandedly shoots them in the head until the bodies are piling up on the floor! By the end of the movie, the film has come a long way. It began as a straightforward zombie horror film, turned into a bleak love story and actually moves into serial killer mode in the last half an hour. The final shot has to be one of the most courageous, bizarre and frankly fantastic that I've ever seen in a movie and really tops off what already has been a great film. Surreal, macabre and definitely absurd, DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE is definitely a contender for the best horror film of the '90s.
This offbeat film opens with star Everett nonchalantly shooting a zombie in the head which has climbed in through his door. We learn that this is all in a typical evening's activity for him, as he is cursed with looking after a graveyard which repeatedly spawns the living dead from its graves. Expect no Romeroesque zombie movie here, though, as the zombies themselves - although regularly appearing - are just visual filler, a backbone on to which the rest of the human drama and plot lies. Sergio Stivaletti's special effects are as good as ever, and as the film has a noticeably higher budget than Italian productions have had previously, the SFX of the zombies are quite remarkable; this time they really do look like complex, rotted creatures, treading a thin line between looking funny and looking scary.
There are a few "invasion" scenes in the film in which the zombies attack in hordes and come this close to dispatching Everett once and for all, only for Everett to escape or kill them just in the nick of time. These are nice touches and had me jumping in my seat once or twice. Everett himself is the capable hero of the movie, a pessimist who narrates the various bizarre events occurring in his life; of course, now that he's gone mainstream, his work will never be as interesting or profound. Everett is supported well by a talented cast, especially Francois Hadji-Lazaro who threatens to steal the show with his comic support as Everett's mute but faithful companion. The "charms" of actress Anna Falchi are also thrown into the mix, with the undeniably beautiful woman recurring in a number of roles. Am I the only one who thinks that Stanley Kubrick himself stole some of the couple's chemistry/bizarre relationship for EYES WIDE SHUT?
Watch out for the many bizarre and unexpected moments in this film, from the midnight tryst between Everett and Falchi being interrupted by a hungry zombie to the terrible bus crash in which a load of schoolchildren are massacred. DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE is definitely not for the weak of heart, and its pretty strong stuff with hints of necrophilia and the like, while mixing in sex with gore in a way to most likely offend the censors. Although not explicitly gory, we see many people getting shot in the head, brains being blown out and skulls cloven in two. One of my favourite scenes in the film has Everett visiting a sick friend in hospital; as each doctor and nurse comes in to interrupt him, he offhandedly shoots them in the head until the bodies are piling up on the floor! By the end of the movie, the film has come a long way. It began as a straightforward zombie horror film, turned into a bleak love story and actually moves into serial killer mode in the last half an hour. The final shot has to be one of the most courageous, bizarre and frankly fantastic that I've ever seen in a movie and really tops off what already has been a great film. Surreal, macabre and definitely absurd, DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE is definitely a contender for the best horror film of the '90s.