Screen Drafts (Home Version) 20 : The Entirety of Italian Horror

Dennis (me) V (my wife) and our friends Scott and Nick play a game based on the popular podcast screen drafts every few months or so. We watch dozens of movies based on the topic at hand (Italian horror in this case) and we have vetoes and overrides; those and positioning in the top 18 list we are attempting are all decided by trivia. For a more detailed breakdown of the game check the first ten or so write ups found on this blog. Scott chose Italian horror. It is a crazy big topic, but we did our best. The next topic as chosen by my wife will be horror themed and strange music videos. Everyone left this game with left over vetoes and overrides except Scott he left with just the veto. Games 18 and 19 were done on my letterboxd because I was busy working on a writing project. I am doing this write up because this is TWENTY so that means something.

 https://letterboxd.com/dennis_brian/list/screen-drafts-home-version-lets-saw-eli-roth/   18

https://letterboxd.com/dennis_brian/list/screen-drafts-home-version-zombie-films/  19

Scott started us off with pick 18. He was into this film and its ending and thought it might be a fine idea to get the whole trilogy on the list. I vetoed Mother of Tears feeling it was low quality, but my wife overrode the veto because she liked some of the death scenes.

18. Mother of Tears (2007) Dario Argento  

I had next pick and arguably went with something just as trashy. I picked Demons III: The Ogre. I once rented a theater to show this when I had a Lamberto Bava podcast.  I had watched Harvey (1950) that morning at the cinema and benign fantasy checked my boxes. I could have picked Tenebrae (1982) over this Bava television film. Both are about writers whose works come to life, but I was feeling ogres and flowers. I announced that if this is the only Demons film to make the list, I am fine. And it was!

17. Demons III (1988) Lamberto Bava

Vanessa chose Dark Glasses (2022). I almost vetoed. I think it is a nice return for Argento, but is not a good enough movie. She was excited by the chase scene and moved by the relationship with the lead and her ward. I was struck by the vulnerability of a blind sex worker. No one else had seen it and no veto was played.

16. Dark Glasses (2022) Dario Argento

Nick picked Murder Rock next. He loved the music and dance. He loved the chase scene in the apartment, the hat pin murder weapon. He also liked the killer.  I loved her crush on the man who murders her in a dream. Scott loved the film thought it did a good job with the red herrings.  He also loved the dancing. V liked it at this placement and not much higher

15. Murder Rock (1984) Lucio Fulci

Scott next picked Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. He liked the sexiness of it and the Poe of it. None of us had it seen it or it had been so long that no veto was offered on what we were sure was a classic.

14. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972) Sergio Martino

I picked a Carrie inspired Fulci next called Aenigma (1987).  I was really saddened by the prank and interested in the revenge aspect of the film. I also highlighted the death by snail part because I had a fear of snails as a child. Only my wife had seen this and liked it well enough not to veto.

13. Aenigma (1987) Lucio Fulci

Nick  chose The Red Queen Kills Seven Times. He loved the music, the fashion setting and the asylum escape. He loved most of it but felt the twist did not play fair. Scott liked it all except the lack of a supernatural element when it feels like one should be there. No veto offered.

12. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) Emilo Miraglia 

Asia Argento gave her all in several films. The best of which might be The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) which I played at eleven. I feel her performance is amazing and much of this is a commentary on Italian machismo, a topic that comes up from time to time in these films. The other notable thing is the fantasy world and the idea of being moved by art. Scott liked it once she entered the fantasy realm. V and Nick liked it just enough not to veto.

11. The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) Dario Argento

V chose Lamberto Bava's Delirium to crack our top ten. Scott had not seen it. Nick liked being back in the fashion modeling world and liked the machismo commentary, and I liked the characters enough not to veto. She chose it because she liked the bat shit nature of the story and thought it was beautifully shot. This is the highest ranked Lamberto.

10. Delirium (1987) Lamberto Bava

Scott played Inferno at nine. We all praised the iconic opening. Scott liked the music quite a bit. No objections except it could possibly have been higher.

09. Inferno (1980) Dario Argento

V next played Black Sabbath. She was super terrified by the image below. She also thought Karloff's story was wonderful and the telephone story was tense. She found them all of more or less equal merit. Scott was not moved by any of the stories. I loved the telephone one but could take or leave the others. We all talked about film introductions, William Castle and how showmanship is missed. No veto was offered because this is a far reaching classic.

08. Black Sabbath (1963) Mario Bava

Now dear reader, I have always worshiped the character of Emanuelle. I admire her agency and sexual frankness. I hope every story or book I write in the future has an Emanuelle like character. I also think Laura Gemser is second only to Barbara Steele in movie star beauty. I also think cannibal movies have to be on this list. I tried to play the Emanuelle movie with cannibals which is crazy and fun and heroic. Only V had seen it. She was reluctant to let it play but did. Nick did a rare have not seen this but have bad vibes veto. So I had to play a movie about a mongering rapey man in a cannibal jungle called Cannibal Ferox (1981).  I stand on the left with Emanuelle, but no vetoes were offered on this second choice, a film Eli Roth took a great deal from.

07. Cannibal Ferox (1981) Umberto Lenzi

Scott had a great deal of affection as did Nick for the ending of Bay of Blood. Scott also cited the great many films and books inspired by it. So here it is, the last Bava at number six.

06. Bay of Blood (1971) Mario Bava

Nick then picked the first Argento and more to come with The Bird with the Crystal Plummage (1970).  He had picks 4 and 5 and picked another Argento at 4, Deep Red.  He liked how Monica went insane. He liked how the title fit into the story. He felt it all played fair with the clues. He loved the medium character in Deep Red.  No vetoes offered.

05. The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970) Dario Argento

04. Deep Red (1975) Dario Argento

V then tried to play Argento again, Suspiria vetoed by Scott because he wanted it higher. And then Phenomena vetoed by me because that is just too high for it. She settled for Torso (1973).  She found the film stacked with intriguing incident. She also loved the ending. Nick found it a bit obvious in its red herrings but both Nick and Scott liked the final girl and its creative clues.  

03. Torso (1973) Sergio Martino

I feel in love with Barbra Steele watching this draft. It could have been any number of films where V would have liked Nightmare Castle or Castle of Blood. I picked this one because it fooled me at every turn. I did not expect that the doctor would run off with the money. I did not expect the husband to be alive. This has maybe the least sexy Steele performance , but it is maybe her best work. Only V saw this, but no vetoes were offered.

02. The Ghost (1963) Ricardo Freda

Every scene in this is painterly. When Scott chose this as number one, it seemed the best choice for all of us. I pointed out Jessica Harper's hot streak from Phantom of the Paradise (1974)  to Pennies From Heaven (1982). We all loved Argento's ability to tell a complex story while still focusing on imagery.

01. Suspiria (1977) Dario Argento