Behind the Trash

BEHIND THE TRASH

Listed below are the men and women who worked closely in the Italo-exploitation area. This will be expanded in the future to accommodate all of European exploitation’s major figures. All of the below filmmakers have played a pivotal role in this area and starred, acted, wrote or been involved in dozens of features. Features do not include made-for-TV films and are for their respective headings – for example, a director would not have an acting role under ‘final film’, even if their final directorial involvement preceded an a film in which they starred in.

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Directors

Dario Argento
Born: 7 September 1940 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Claim to Fame: Deep Red (1975), Suspiria (1977)
Trivia: Scripted a number of films before his directorial debut, including the Charles Bronson/Sergio Leone Western Once Upon A Time in the West (1968)
Final Film: The Third Mother (2007)
Where Are They Now?: Currently promoting his film The Third Mother across the world.

Lamberto Bava
Born: 3 April 1944 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Macabre (1980)
Claim to Fame: Demons (1985)
Trivia: Son of legendary director Mario Bava.
Final Film: Ghost Son (2006)
Where Are They Now?: Seems to be continuing to direct after a number of films over the past 10 years. Rumours of a ‘Masters of Italian Horror’ series have Lenzi’s name attached to a segment, along with Umberto Lenzi and Sergio Martino.

Mario Bava
Born: 31 July 1914 (San Remo, Italy)
Debut Feature: L’Orecchio (1946)
Claim to Fame: Kill Baby…Kill! (1966), Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971)
Trivia: Was a much more prolific cinematographer than director, having lensed over seventy films. He became a cinematographer in 1939.
Final Film: Shock (1977)
Where Are They Now?: Bava died in Rome on April 27 1980.

Antonio Climati
Born: Unknown.
Debut Feature: Savage Man, Savage Beast (1975) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Savage Man, Savage Beast (1975)
Trivia: Was a cinematographer for many Jacopetti and Prosperi Mondo films before directing his own with Mario Morra. Jacopetti produced many of these… his 1988 film The Green Inferno was called ‘Cannibal Holocaust 2’ in many areas.
Final Film: The Green Inferno (1988)
Where Are They Now?: Retirement?

Luigi Cozzi
Born: 7 September 1947 (Busto Arsizio, Italy)
Debut Feature: Tunnel Under the World (1969) [as director]
Claim to Fame: The Killer Must Kill Again (1975), Contamination (1980)
Trivia: Contamination appeared on the famed video nasty list drafted up by the VRA in the UK… Cozzi worked as a Second Unit Director for a number of projects with Argento.
Final Film: Dario Argento: Master of Horror (1991) [as director]; a documentary on the titular director
Where Are They Now?: Runs a horror memorabilia store in Rome ‘Profondo Rosso’.

Joe D’Amato
Born: 15 December 1936 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Scansati... a Trinità arriva Eldorado (1972)
Claim to Fame: Emanuelle in America (1977), Antropophagos (1980)
Trivia: Directed over one hundred pornographic films after the exploitation era and right until his death… one of the tortured women in Emanuelle in America sued D’Amato for causing her emotional distress due to the graphic extremity of the filmed scenes, and the director couldn’t leave Italy for 5 years until reparations were paid
Final Film: Troll 3 (1990) [as director; dozens more pornographic straight-to-video titles]
Where Are They Now?: D’Amato died in Rome on January 23 1999 of a heart attack.

Ruggero Deodato
Born: 7 May 1939 (Potenza, Italy)
Debut Feature: Hercules: Prisoner of Evil (1964)
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
Trivia: The effects in Cannibal Holocaust were so realistic that Deodato was tried for murdering his actors. He was acquitted of the charge, but the film remained banned because it depicted death to animals.
Final Film: The Washing Machine (1993)
Where Are They Now?: Deodato made a cameo role in Eli Roth’s 2007 film Hostel II, and rumours of a Cannibal Holocaust 2 (for release in 2009) are in the works.

Lucio Fulci
Born: 17 June 1927 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: I Ladri (1956) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Zombi 2 (1979), The New York Ripper (1982)
Trivia: Fulci’s New York Ripper shocked the British censors so much that Chief Censor James Ferman had the print escorted out of the country by armed guards… Fulci wrote The Wax Mask and agreed to collaborate with Argento after a long-standing hatred for the director.
Final Film: The Wax Mask (1997) [screenplay, slated to direct].
Where Are They Now?: Fulci died in Rome on March 13 1996 of a diabetes-related illness.

Gualtiero Jacopetti
Born: 4 September 1919 (Barga, Italy)
Debut Feature: Mondo Cane (1962) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Mondo Cane (1962), Africa Addio (1966)
Trivia: Began the Mondo 'shockumentary' craze with Mondo Cane... when filming Africa Addio, Jacopetti narrowly avoided being executed by African rebels for being white… After completion of Africa Addio, allegations emerged that Jacopetti staged killings for the film and was tried for war crimes, but was not convicted…worked closely with Franco Prosperi when directing his mondo pictures… married a 13 year old gypsy to avoid a statutory rape charge.
Final Film: Mondo Candido (1975) [as director]
Where Are They Now?: In retirement in Italy.

Umberto Lenzi
Born: 6 August 1931 (Massa Marittima, Italy)
Debut Feature: Mia Italida stin Ellada (1958) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Nightmare City (1980), Cannibal Ferox (1981)
Trivia: Lenzi has long been called a rip-off merchant, and he straight-out copied scenes from a number of more successful films for this 1980 cannibal picture Eaten Alive.
Final Film: Sarayevo inferno di fuoco (1996) [director]
Where Are They Now?: In retirement in Italy. Rumours of a ‘Masters of Italian Horror’ series have Lenzi’s name attached to a segment, along with Lamberto Bava and Sergio Martino.

Antonio Margheriti
Born: 19 September 1930 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Legs of Gold (1958) [as co-director]
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), The Last Hunter (1980)
Trivia: Frequently used the name ‘Anthony Dawson’ for Western audiences.
Final Film: Cyberflic (1997)
Where Are They Now?: Margheriti died in Lazio, Italy on November 4 2002 of a heart attack.

Sergio Martino
Born: 19 July 1938 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Mille peccati... nessuna virtu (1969) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Torso (1973), Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978)
Trivia: When filming Torso, it was not revealed to his actors what the ending of the film was.
Final Film: Mozart is a Murderer (1999)
Where Are They Now?: Rumours of a ‘Masters of Italian Horror’ series have Martino’s name attached to a segment, along with Lamberto Bava and Umberto Lenzi… currently filming a comedy film in Italy titled L’Allenatore nel pallone 2

Bruno Mattei
Born: 30 July 1931 (Massa Marittima, Italy)
Debut Feature: Armida, il dramma di una sposa (1970) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Hell of the Living Dead (1980), Violence in a Women’s Prison (1983)
Trivia: Took over from Fulci in 1988 for Zombi 3 along with long-time collaborator Claudio Fragasso… during the 2000s, he attempted to revive the Italian exploitation cycle.
Final Film: Zombies: The Beginning (2007) [director]
Where Are They Now?: Mattei entered a coma before dying on May 21 2007.

Franco Prosperi
Born: 2 September 1926 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: The Slave of Rome (1960) [as director]
Claim to Fame: Mondo Cane (1962), La Settima Donna (1978)
Trivia: Directed the infamous ‘mondo films’, including Mondo Cane and Africa Addio, with Gualtiero Jacopetti (and, for Mondo Cane and Women of the World, Paulo Cavara)… went on to produce Antonio Climati’s mondo films.
Final Film: The Wild Beasts (1984) [director]
Where Are They Now?: In retirement in Italy.

Michele Soavi
Born: 3 July 1957 (Milan, Italy)
Debut Feature: Dario Argento’s World of Horror (1985) [as director]
Claim to Fame: The Church (1989), Cemetery Man (1994)
Trivia: One of the youngest European exploitation directors, and made some of the last films of the seventies and eighties cycle… had bit-parts in many Italo-exploitation films, including Tenebrae, New York Ripper and Demons.
Final Film: The Goodbye Kiss (2006)
Where Are They Now?: Has directed one TV-movie in Italy in 2007, so presumably Soavi is still working in the film business.

Cast Members

Laura Gemser
Born: October 5 1950 (Java, Indonesia)
Debut Feature: Amore Libero… Free Love (1974)
Claim to Fame: Black Emanuelle (1975), Emanuelle in America (1977)
Trivia: Starred in almost all of the Black Emanuelle films and frequently collaborated with Joe D’Amato… never filmed hardcore scenes herself, despite starring in many films with XXX content... often starred alongside her late husband Gabriele Tinti
Final Film: Love Project (1992)
Where Are They Now?: Retired in Italy.

David Hess
Born: 19 September 1942 (New York City, USA)
Debut Feature: The Cold Sweat (1970) [voice]
Claim to Fame: Last House on the Left (1972), House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
Trivia: After the phenomenal success of Wes Craven’s rape-and-revenge shocker Last House on the Left, Hess starred in a number of Italian exploitation rip-offs, including House on the Edge of the Park and Hitchhike... a prominent musician and wrote music for some of his films, most notably Last House.
Final Film: Fallen Angels (2006)
Where Are They Now?: In negotiations for roles in a number of horror films, including Black Friday and a 2008 remake of Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer.

Robert Kerman
Born: New York City, USA (date unknown)
Debut Feature: Decadence of Grace (1974)
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Eaten Alive (1980), Cannibal Ferox (1981)
Trivia: Starred in over a hundred XXX films – made famous by his three Italian cannibal films.
Final Film: Spider-Man (2002) [cameo role]
Where Are They Now?: Has had bit parts in American films such as Spider-Man, but hasn’t starred in a film for over a decade.

Ian McCulloch
Born: 5 May 1939 (Glasgow, Scotland)
Debut Feature: It! (1966)
Claim to Fame: Zombi 2 (1979), Zombie Holocaust (1980)
Trivia: Despite being a British actor, McCulloch worked on three major Italian exploitation pictures – Cozzi’s Contamination, Girolami’s Zombie Holocaust and Fulci’s Zombi 2 – before returning to the UK to star in television.
Final Film: Contamination (1980)… dozens of bit parts in television shows such as Doctor Who and Poirot since.
Where Are They Now?: Been on an acting hiatus since 1991.

Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Born: 23 September 1954 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), House on the Edge of the Park (1980), Cannibal Ferox (1981)
Trivia: Notoriously hated Cannibal Ferox, and famously told off director Lenzi… starred in bit-parts in a number of Hollywood films, including Scorsese’s Gangs of New York and the 2006 remake of The Omen.
Final Film: The Hideout (2007) [post-production]
Where Are They Now?: Works as an actor, both in film and on stage, in Italy and the US.

Ivan Rassimov
Born: May 7 1938 (Trieste, Italy)
Debut Feature: Robbery Roman Style (1964)
Claim to Fame: Jungle Holocaust (1977), Emanuelle Around the World (1977)
Trivia: One of Italian exploitation films leading stars… born to Croatian parents.
Final Film: Body Count (1987)
Where Are They Now?: Rassimov died in Rome on March 14 2003.

John Saxon
Born: 5 August 1935 (Brooklyn, USA)
Debut Feature: It Should Happen To You (1954)
Claim to Fame: Tenebrae (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Trivia: Saxon was a US actor who moved into the Italian exploitation genre, starring in Argento’s Tenebrae and Margheriti’s Cannibal Apocalypse, among others.
Final Film: The Mercy Man (2007) [post-production]
Where Are They Now?: Working as an actor in the US.

Other Crew Members

Gianfranco Clerici (Screenwriter)
Born: Unknown.
Debut Feature: Zorro il Ribelle (1966)
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Holocaust (1980), The New York Ripper (1982)
Trivia: Along with Ruggero Deodato, Clerici was also charged in relation to the murders of actors in Cannibal Holocaust.
Final Film: Laura non c'è (1998)
Where Are They Now?: Unknown.

Claudio Fragasso (Screenwriter)
Born: 2 October 1951 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Meet Him and Die (1976)
Claim to Fame: Hell of the Living Dead (1980), Emanuelle in Prison (1983)
Trivia: Directed a number of films with Mattei, including Hell of the Living Dead and Rats: Nights of Terror (1984). He was often uncredited.
Final Film: Coppia Omicida (1998)
Where Are They Now?: Operates a conch-fishing vessel of Northern Italy.

Riz Ortolani (Composer)
Born: 4 September 1931 (Pesaro, Italy)
Debut Feature: Le Vacanze del Sor Clemente (1954)
Claim to Fame: Mondo Cane (1966), Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Trivia: Nominated for an Oscar for the song ‘More’ in 1966, for the film Mondo Cane, as well as for the 1970 Western Madron… has become one of the most well-respected musicians in horror cinema… his music has been used in Hollywood cinema, including Legally Blonde 2 and Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2.
Final Film: La Cena per farli conoscere (2007) [as composer]
Where Are They Now?: Working in Italy.

Dardano Sacchetti (Screenwriter)
Born: 27 June 1944 (Rome, Italy)
Debut Feature: Cat O’Nine Tails (1971)
Claim to Fame: Cannibal Apocalypse (1980), City of the Living Dead (1980)
Trivia: Scripted many Fulci films… had his career launched by Dario Argento with Cat O’Nine Tails
Final Film: The Torturer (2005)
Where Are They Now?: Continues to write scripts and teaches seminars at Florence University.

WHEN THERE'S NO MORE ROOM IN HELL...

Punch in 'zombie' into IMDb keywords, approximately 700 entires are weilded, one of the earliest being the Bela Lugosi 1932 picture White Zombie. However, the living dead were not popularised until thirty-six years later, with George A Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead. Night was violent, disturbing and amoral - perfect fodder for the Italian exploitation rip-off.

The first of the Italian zombie cycle were minor cult entries including Armando Crispino's The Dead Are Alive, Giorgio Ferroni's Night of the Devils (both 1972) and Jess Franco and Jean Rollin's erotic picture A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973), which blended the two director's affinities for pornography and horror. The most well received of these early-seventies Italo-zombie films was Jorge Grau's Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974), a Spanish co-production which saw the culprits of a series of Mansonesque murders be discovered to be zombies. The film was a minor cult hit worldwide.

However, it wasn't until Romero's second zombie film Dawn of the Dead (1978; an Italian co-production) that the cycle really began to swing. Dawn also marked the major successes of Lucio Fulci, one of Italy's most respected horror directors. In 1979, Fulci directed Zombi 2 (aka Zombie, Zombie Flesh Eaters), a loose sequel to Dawn, which was titled Zombi in Italy. Zombi 2 was one of Fulci's most successful films and became a sure fire hit among exploitation circles globally - its blend of gratuitious nudity and graphic violence placed it on the UK's video nasty list, and it gained notoriety for being widely banned the world over. Zombi 2 kicked off the 'Zombi' franchise in Italy, with virtually every zombie film going under an alternate title of Zombi. Dardano Sacchetti scripted and as a result enjoyed an extensive career in the Italo-exploitation industry, penning such classics as Cut and Run and The New York Ripper. After Fulci's picture, zombie films became an Italian exploitation craze and the early eighties marked the genre's most significant entries. Joe D'Amato, the Italian sleaze merchant of epic proportion, directed a XXX film Erotic Nights of the Living Dead and the late cult director Bruno Mattei directed his most popular picture Hell of the Living Dead in 1981. Fulci was also immensely busy in the genre and directed three more zombie films - The Beyond, House by the Cemetery and City of the Living Dead, all of which featured the graphic set pieces the director was made famous for in Zombi 2. City starred popular Italian exploitation actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice and was made infamous by the scene of stomach regurgitation.Sleaze director Andrea Bianchi also made a notable entry with Burial Ground: Nights of Terror, which was also known as Zombi 3, and featured awful make-up effects and worse acting - punters were kept pleased, however, with a nasty scene between an incestuous zombie child and his mother.

The zombie boom in Italy dwindled during the eighties, primarily due to a revival in the US. Romero directed another Dead film in 1985, Day of the Dead. Zombie parodies were beginning to be released, including Return of the Living Dead and Re-Animator. The Italian market for living dead films was dying. However, in true undead form, it didn't stop them - a sequel to Zombi 2 was committed to celluloid in 1988, nine years after the original. Titled, somewhat predictably, Zombi 3, the film suffered numerous set backs during production. Lucio Fulci was attached to the project and began directing in the Phillipenes, however he was forced to bow down after suffering a stroke. He was replaced by Mattei, who was the film's Second Unit Director, and writer Claudio Fragasso. Of Fulci's seventy minutes of footage, Mattei and Fragasso excised twenty, and added forty minutes of their own. The finished product was far more science fiction oriented and stylistically resembled Mattei's past work far more closely.

In 1989, relative newcomer Michele Soavi directed The Church, a violent zombie film that resembled Lamberto Bava's Demons (1985). His 1994 follow-up, Cemetery Man, starred Rupert Everett in the lead role of Francesco Dellamore. The film was critically acclaimed the world-over and was the last of the Italo-zombie films to come out of the exploitation era. However, in 2006, an old talent emerged to direct once more - Bruno Mattei. Having made his niche in the Italian exploitation genre during the seventies and eighties, Mattei's involvement in directing cannibal and zombie films in the 2000s could have potentially led to the genre's revival. However, Mattei's death in 2007 left behind two zombie films (Island of the Living Dead and Zombies: The Beginning), which have as-yet been unreleased.

THE FILMS

The Dead Are Alive (1972)

Directed by Armando Crispino

Starring Alex Cord

By giallo director Armando Crispino comes one of the first Italian zombie gore films. An expedition to an ancient burial site reveals that not all of the buried have died.

Night of the Devils (1972)

Directed by Giorgio Ferroni

Starring Gianni Garko, Agostina Belli

A lesser-known Italo cult classic and not conventionally a zombie film. Unpreviewed.

Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973)

Directed by Jess Franco & Jean Rollin

Starring Christina Von Blanc
One of the first Italo-zombie pictures by softcore directors Franco and Rollin, and certainly one of the first zombie films to use sex as a pivotal plot point. An Italian/French/Liechtenstein production. Unpreviewed.

Horror Rises From the Tomb (1974)

Directed by Carlos Aured

Starring Paul Naschy, Emma Cohen

A warlock executed in Medievel France returns hundreds of years later to possess the living. A Spanish production.

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)

Directed by Jorge Grau

Starring Cristina Galbó, Ray Lovelock

A Spanish/Italian co-production from the director of Blood Castle - cops discover the killers they are pursuing are far from human. One of the most critically acclaimed Italo-zombie films.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Directed by George A Romero

Starring David Emge, Ken Foree

An Italian co-production (that Dario Argento was heavily involved in), Dawn of the Dead kicked the craze off. [More]

Zombi 2 (1979)

Directed by Lucio Fulci
Starring Ian McCulloch, Tisa Farrow

One of the greatest zombie films of all time, Lucio Fulci's gore soaked opus pits a team of New Yorkers against a troupe of Carribbean island zombies. [More]

City of the Living Dead (1980)

Directed by Lucio Fulci

Starring Christopher George, Catriona MacColl, Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Also known as Gates of Hell, Fulci's second zombie feature sees an ancient ritual uncovered and the dead beginning to walk. [More]

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (1980)

Directed by Joe D'Amato

Starring Laura Gemser

Joe D'Amato's entry into the zombie horror craze more closely emulated Franco's work than Fulci's. Hard and soft versions available, both banned in Australia. Unpreviewed.

The Beyond (1981)

Directed by Lucio Fulci

Starring Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale
Long considered Fulci's best film, The Beyond is the result of an ancient ritual which opens one of the Seven Gates of Hell, allowing the undead to walk the Earth. Written by Dardano Sachetti. [More]

Burial Ground: Nights of Terror (1981)

Directed by Andrea Bianchi

Starring Karin Well

Amazingly incompetent, even by the most tolerent B-grade filmgoer's standards, but fun nonetheless. Incest! Mutilation! Zombies!

Nightmare City (1980)

Directed by Umberto Lenzi
Starring Hugo Stiglitz, Laura Trotter

From the great Umberto Lenzi (Cannibal Ferox, Man From Deep River) comes one of the cheesiest, goriest examples of Italo-zombie horror around. Classic.

Zombie Holocaust (1980)

Directed by Marino Girolami

Starring Ian McCulloch, Alexandra Delli Colli

A favourite among cult circles. Disgustingly violent and starring the main man of Zombi 2, Ian McCulloch. RIP Girolami. Also known as Dr Butcher MD, and was one of the only films to blend the zombie and cannibal genres that were so prevelant in Italian cinema at the time. [More]

Hell of the Living Dead (1981)

Directed by Bruno Mattei (Claudio Fragasso, uncredited)

Starring Margit Evelyn Newton, Franco Garofolo

Also known as Virus and Night of the Zombies. A squad of commandos attempts to control an increasing zombie population in Papua New Guinea. Bring on the cheese. [More]

The House by the Cemetery (1981)

Directed by Lucio Fulci

Starring Catriona MacColl, Paulo Malco

An unfortunate end to Fulci's zombie 'quadrilogy', with lifeless performances and dull direction. Can't even be redeemed by half-way decent gore effects. [More]

Porno Holocaust (1981)

Directed by Joe D'Amato

Starring George Eastman
Title says it all. A group of people land on an island and are confronted by a nubile monster. Written by popular Italo-exploit and D'Amato collaborator George Eastman, who also stars. Unpreviewed.

Scorpion With Two Tails (1982)

Directed by Sergio Martin

Starring Paulo Malco

By the director of such exploit classics as Mountain of the Cannibal God and Torso. Unpreviewed.

Zeder (1983)

Directed by Pupi Avati

Starring Gabriele Lavia, Anne Canovas

A writer discovers an ancient curse that has the ability to reanimate corpses and tracks it back to the experiments of a mad scientist. Unpreviewed.

Demons (1985)

Directed by Lamberto Bava

Starring Urbano Barberini

Directed by the son of legendary Italian horror director Mario Bava and produced by Dario Argento, Demons is the story of a horror film that possesses its audience into becoming flesh eating ghouls. Poorly executed, despite an abundance of gore and cheese.

Demons 2 (1986)

Directed by Lamberto Bava
Starring David Edwin Knight, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni
The original's demons stalk the occupants of an apartment block. No better than the original.

Demons 3: The Ogre (1988)
Directed by Lamberto Bava

Starring Paulo Malco

A made-for-TV movie in Italy that developed an inexplicable cult following in its native Italy. It doesn't deserve it. Trite and decidedly un-gory.

Evil Clutch (1988)

Directed by Andreas Marfori

Starring Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni

A zombie adopts the form of a beautiful woman to seduce its victims. Distributed by Troma in the US.

Zombi 3 (1988)

Directed by Claudio Fragasso, Lucio Fulci & Bruno Mattei

Starring Deran Sarafian, Beatrice Ring

The first 'proper' sequel to Zombi 2 and it was plauged with production issues, including Fulci handing over the director's chair. Aka Zombie Flesh Eaters 2.

Zombie 4: After Death (1988)

Directed by Claudio Fragasso

Starring Jeff Stryker

By Fragasso, one of the major men behind Zombi 3 and Hell of the Living Dead. Sub-par and ridiculous in every way. Aka Zombie Flesh Eaters 3.

The Church (1989)

Directed by Michele Soavi

Starring Hugh Quarshie, Tomas Arana

Co-written by Dario Argento, newcomer Soavi's film shies away from exploitation and more closely resembles a giallo than a gore flick. Similar in plot to Lamberto Bava's 1985 film Demons, but in a church. Aka Demons 3.

Two Evil Eyes (1990)

Directed by Dario Argento & George A Romero

Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Harvey Keitel

By the zombie master and one of Italian horror's most loved figures comes this two story piece from the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. Romero, predictably enough, does the zombie-oriented half.

Cemetery Man (1994)

Directed by Michele Soavi

Starring Rupert Everett

Also known as From Love and Death and Dellamorte Dellamore, this US/Italian co-production from new-wave Italo-horror director Soavi received a poor theatrical reception, and garnered acclaim on the home video circuit.

Island of the Living Dead (2006)

Directed by Bruno Mattei

Starring Alvin Anson

If one man had the ability to resurrect the long-dead Italo-exploitation genre, it was one of its masters, Bruno Mattei. Another unreleased gem. Written by Antonio Tentori, who was the scribe for Fulci's Cat in the Brain. Unpreviewed.

Zombies: The Beginning (2007)

Directed by Bruno Mattei

Starring Alvin Anson

Mattei's last film, it is not as yet ascertained as to whether this had completed post-production prior to Mattei's death. No DVD releases as of yet, but the trailer promises grisly goodness equel to the eighties Golden Era. Unpreviewed.

Thriller: They Call Her One Eye (1974)
Directed by Bo Arne Vibenius
Starring Christina Lindberg
104 mins; Not Rated; Colour

Previewed Release: R0 Synapse (cut)
Tagline: The movie that has no limits of evil!
Country of Origin: Sweden

The Film:

In light of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s ode to seventies exploitation in Grindhouse, dozens of horror films with a low-budget and were made in the seventies are being given the title of a ‘grindhouse picture’ undeservingly. Thriller, however, is a real grindhouse movie – a grimy, mean-spirited little flick that has developed worldwide notoriety.

Rendered mute after a childhood sexual assault, Madeleine (also referred to as Frigga and played by the lovely Christina Lindberg) lives with her parents on a country farm. One day when she is walking into town, Madeleine is picked up by a charming young stranger named Tony (Heinz Hopf). Tony wines her, dines her and then takes her home. He then drugs Madeleine, holding her captive for a week. When she comes to, Tony reveals his sinister intentions – Tony has gotten Madeleine hooked on a potent form of heroin and, without a fix, she will die within 48 hours. In order to get the uniquely cut form of the drug she is now addicted on, Madeleine must work as a prostitute in Tony’s brothel. When her first client arrives, Madeleine scratches his face and, as punishment, Tony cuts out her eye with a scalpel in a graphic scene filmed with a real corpse. Now Madeleine knows the kind of situation she is in and, instead of escaping, she bides her time, saving enough money and using her days off to get training in weaponary and martial arts. Finally, she has her revenge.

The Release:

Synapse have released two versions of Thriller after Quentin Tarantino brought global attention to it, saying Madeleine inspired his character Elle Driver in the Kill Bill films and asserting that ‘Thriller is the roughest revenge picture ever made’. The previewed release is the cut, yellow covered version with the subtitle ‘They Call Her One Eye’. This is devoid of about one minute of hardcore sex footage, and cuts to the eye-gouging scene. The red cover edition with the title ‘Thriller: A Cruel Picture’ has these scenes intact and is limited to 25 000 copies, as well as having a vast array of special features. Extras of the yellow covered edition (also known as the Vengeance Edition) are limited to trailers and liner notes.

The Bottom Line:

It’s difficult to know what camp to put Thriller in – arthouse or exploitation. Very often it straddles the line that runs through both camps – the film is beautifully shot, yet the moronic, slow motion action scenes and deadpan acting tend to lessen the film’s quality. As a revenge picture, it leaves a little to be desired: Madeleine had been treated so appallingly that the revenge payoff was more-than-a-little underwhelming. Regardless, this is a solid revenge film that has obviously been immensely influential amongst Hollywood filmmakers – one need look only at a frame of Kill Bill with Elle Driver or one of Loretta in Smokin’ Aces to see the resemblances. Worth watching.

Motel Hell (1980)
Directed by Kevin Connor
Starring Rory Calhoun & Nancy Parsons
101 mins; R; Colour

Previewed Release: R1 Midnite Movies double feature
Tagline: It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters!
Country of Origin: USA

The Film:

First off, let me say this – if you have any affection for horror films, then you will like this movie. If you don’t, get out. You’re not wanted. Because if you don’t like this delightful, gory and hilarious parody of seventies horror films, then you’re no fan of the horror genre.

Motel Hell is the story of Farmer Vincent (Calhoun) and his young obese sister Ida (Parsons), who own a motel (called ‘hello’ and displayed by a bright neon sign, but the ‘o’ bulb doesn’t work, get it?) in the countryside. Farmer Vincent is a very famous man – his smoked meats have developed a following, and people flock far and wide to buy in bulk. Only thing is, it’s not only ‘pork and secret herbs and spices’ that Vincent uses for his meats – human flesh is also an addition. In order to ‘catch’ his prey, Vincent booby-traps nearby roads, capturing men and women, ripping out their voice cords and burying them in his garden, with only their heads exposed. When they are ‘ripe’, Vincent dismembers them and cures them in his shed behind the hotel.

The Release:

The previewed release was the Midnite Movies double feature with the Ed Gein-based thriller Deranged. The best of the features are trailers and English subtitles, however it should be noted that the Motel Hell looks exceptionally good, and the audio quality is also above par. The disc is double-sided. There is an R4 release of the film with trailers and a picture gallery.

The Bottom Line:

A parody of the era’s ‘serious’ films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Last House on the Left, Motel Hell is one of the most outrageously entertaining B-movies I’ve ever seen. With a mix of cheesy, offbeat black comedy (‘meat’s meat, and man’s gotta eat’) and some delicate use of gore, there’s no doubt that this is a popcorn movie par excellence. To fault it, there’s not too much claret drenching the surroundings, but the hilarity and pure deranged set of proceedings makes up for this in spades. If you haven’t seen this, you’re missing out big time – do yourself a favour, and pick this one up as soon as you humanly can.

Pink Flamingos (1972)
Directed by John Waters
Starring Divine, Mink Stole
92 mins; NC-17; Colour

Previewed Release: R0 New Line Cinema
Tagline: An exercise in poor taste.
Country of Origin: USA

The Film:

Pink Flamingos is something of an underground legend, one of these films spoken in whispers. One of the few truly ‘midnight movies’, Pink Flamingos was a regular on the circuit of smutty theatres that screened everything from ultra-violence to soft porn. To truly understand Pink Flamingos, it’s vitally important to put it in chronological context: this was 1972, way before the antics depicted in Borat, South Park and American Pie. When you walked into a cinema, few could expect what John Waters was to display – incest, bestiality, murder and sheer, all out vulgarity.

There’s not much plot to Pink Flamingos – Divine (played by the actor of the same name, an obese transvestite) holds the crown for the ‘filthiest person alive’ and lives with her morbidly overweight and egg-obsessed mother Edie, her son Crackers and companion Cotton. The foursome live in a caravan parked in bush land. However, Divine finds existence shattered when competition to her title comes in the form of the Marbles, determined to claim the ‘filthiest person’ crown. And Divine realizes that the Marbles (husband-and-wife team Raymond and Connie) mean business – the latter family have a business going in which they kidnap female hitchhikers, use their retarded servant to impregnate them, sell their babies to lesbian couples and, to top it off, use these profits to fund a scheme in which they sell heroin to high-schoolers. So, in order to reclaim the title, Divine must extend her ‘filthy’ repertoire and, by film’s end, she has murdered and eaten two police officers, thrown a party with her band of misfits and, in a scene that was completely, one-hundred percent genuine, eats a freshly laid dog turd. This is comedy at its lowest denominator; it doesn’t get much sicker than this.

The Release:

New Line has released this DVD as a 25th anniversary special and, considering the film is one of the most underground of all time, they’ve done pretty well. John Waters obviously had a significant hand in the compilation of this release and he’s recorded an extremely entertaining audio commentary and has unearthed about thirty deleted scenes, all of which are introduced by Waters and range from ten seconds to three minutes in duration each. There’s also the standard theatrical trailer, also introduced by Waters. Audio/visual quality is as good as you’d expect from a film like this.

The Bottom Line:

Rude, brash, in your face and vile – Pink Flamingos is everything you’d want from a film and more. Recently rated R in Australia with seven minutes of cuts (it’s banned in its uncut form), this is testament to how well the film has aged. If you’re looking for a movie that’s guaranteed to shock and repulse you, then you simply cannot go past Pink Flamingos. One of the most underground cult classics of all time, few moviegoers are unable to recognize the image of the larger-than-life Divine in her pink dress, even if they are unable to place the film in which it comes from. Recommended, but with caution – those who found Borat sick would need a Valium to cope with this.

Silent Hill (2006)
Directed by Christophe Gans
Starring Radha Mitchell & Sean Bean
120 mins; MA15+; Colour

Previewed Release: R4 Universal
Tagline: We’ve been expecting you.
Country of Origin: USA

The Film:

When the name ‘Roger Avary’, particularly when in a writing role, is mentioned in the context of film, you can’t help but be excited. For those who don’t know, Avary was co-conspired with Quentin Tarantino to create the box-office hit Pulp Fiction, and he won an Oscar for his efforts. Having scripted and directed a number of ‘serious’ films since, including the sensational crime caper Killing Zoe, you’d be forgiven for picking up Silent Hill based on the fact that it boasted a ‘written by Roger Avary’ credit. You’d also be forgiven, then, for assuming this is a well-written film. And, with the star power of Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean, you’d also be forgiven for assuming this is a well-acted film. The truth is, Silent Hill is a film so shithouse that you feel cheated on all counts.

Based on the hit Konami video game, Silent Hill introduces Rose (Mitchell) who, at wits end over her adopted daughter Sharon’s dangerous sleepwalking, takes her to her place of birth, the mysterious Silent Hill. On the outskirts of the town and surrounded in thick fog and smoke, Rose has a car accident, knocking her unconscious. When she comes to, Rose discovers that Sharon has disappeared into the town and, with the assistance of a local police officer, sets out to find her. Unbeknownst to Rose, Silent Hill was burnt to the ground thirty years prior and its abhorrent citizens have become stuck there in permanent purgatory. Pursued throughout the town by hideous creatures and the homicidal townspeople, Rose finds no way out: the roads have given way and smoke enshrouds every square centimetre of the town. With growing panic, Rose tries to find Sharon and uncover the deadly secret of the town and its people.

The Release:

For the very few who care about whether this gets anything but a bare-bones release (or, even better, no release at all), the features consist of a featurette and TV interviews. Audio/visuals are very good, but that’s to be expected for a DVD release of a modern film.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a good night in front of the telly, skim right over Silent Hill when doing the preparatory video-store visit. Apart from being far too convoluted to satisfy someone watching this to be scared, Silent Hill could have easily been shorn of half-an-hour because, at 120 minutes, this is far too long for a horror film. On the upside, there are some decent scenes of gore, however the aesthetic of these scenes is far too video game like – blood splatters unrealistically and the gore is equally fake. Those who liked the game could probably add a star or two, but for Silent Hill virgins this is a complete waste of time.

Africa Addio [English Edition] (1966)
Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi
Starring Gualtiero Jacopetti
128 mins; Not Rated; Colour

Previewed Release: R0 Blue Underground
Tagline:
Country of Origin: Italy

The Film:

Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi are probably the most controversial filmmakers of all time. From Jacopetti’s private life (he married a 13 year old gypsy to avoid a statutory rape charge), to their final feature Mondo Candido, the duo is loved and reviled the world-over and single-handedly generated the mondo craze with the 1962 film Mondo Cane. Africa Addio is by far their most controversial feature. Taking them three years to film, this magnificent labour of love almost landed Jacopetti, cameraman Antonio Climati, and production manager Stanis Nievo an international war crimes charge after a genuine murder was captured on film. The charges were dropped, but it was alleged that the three charged filmmakers ordered a number of Congolese mercenaries with ‘camera-action’ – in other words, when they gave the word, they would kill their native prisoners. Adding to the controversy was an African delegation meeting the UN about the film’s racist content, as well as Jacopetti and Climati almost being executed at the hands of rebel soldiers (which is all captured on film). Welcome to the plight of the Dark Continent. Welcome to Africa Addio.

Translating to ‘Goodbye Africa’, Jacopetti and Prosperi’s documentary chronicles the hand-over of Africa by colonialists to the natives, and the latter’s attempts to establish government. The film begins with a vast landscape of African culture and customs, before changing into something increasingly nasty – Jacopetti and Prosperi take us to a games reserve, where we see hunters kill hippopotami, gazelles and, most tragically, elephants, one of whom is pregnant. The aforementioned controversy is generated primarily as a result of the scenes concluding the film, where the duo takes us into the bowels of rebel fighting in the Congo, where a team of Anglo mercenaries liberate a town captured by black rebels. The footage is, one can assume entirely, genuine and is not for the squeamish. Jacopetti and Prosperi take no prisoners, and the film certainly not worse off for it – the filmmakers’ blatant approach makes this one of the most effective, and certainly the most shocking, documentary features ever made.

The Release:

Blue Underground have done it again. Not a great deal by way of special features, but the DVD-Rom pressbook is a welcome edition, and is a nostalgic relic of the past. There’s a threatrical trailer as well. However, the real star of the disc is its audio/visuals – presented in 1:71:1, this looks the best it’s ever been. The mono soundtrack is also clear and audible in most part. This disc isn’t available individually, but in Blue Underground’s Mondo Cane Collection, or the Shockumentaries Volume 2 set.

The Bottom Line:

In an era where Michael Moore is the most shocking expose artist on celluloid, the work of Jacopetti and Prosperi must come as a surprise to the mainstream viewer. Completely relevant and immensely compelling, Africa Addio is the work of two men at the peak of their careers and the fact that they aren’t behind a camera in this day and age is tragic. Highly recommended.

The Wizard of Gore (1970)
Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Starring Ray Sager, Judy Clar
95 mins; R18+; Colour

Previewed Release: R0 Siren/Something Weird
Tagline: The maniac magician whose tricks really work!
Country of Origin: USA

The Film

Think Saw. Think Hostel. Think Herschell Gordon Lewis. Lewis was, and remains, a God in the horror genre, specifically in the types of film that use violence and gore as a pivotal plot device – Lewis directed the first ever gore film in 1963 with Blood Feast, an enormously controversial picture that was a mainstay in the Grindhouse circuit. Lewis followed this seminal classic with a number of similar exploitation films. One of his last was The Wizard of Gore, a much nastier and surrealistic work to its predecessors.

Montag the Magnificent (Sager) is a small time magician who can put on a sensational show. The realism of his acts, in which young hypnotised women swallow swords and are disembowelled, dismembered and mutilated, leave audience members in shocked disbelief. Montag’s technique? Nobody knows – but what is known is that, after walking away seemingly unharmed, Montag’s volunteers die of the same injuries that are depicted on stage. The phenomenon piques the interest of a TV talk show host Sherry (Clar) and she invites Montag onto her show in order to showcase his talents. Unbeknownst to Sherry is that Montag has her in his sights as his next victim.

While it may not his best film (the plot gets a bit bogged down and convoluted at times) The Wizard of Gore is certainly Lewis’ hat-tip to what was presumably one of his greatest inspirations – the Grand Guignol. The Guignol was a theatre that operated in Paris from 1897 to 1962 and was home to outrageously gory and explicit plays. Lewis clearly derived much from these performances, honing his effects from Blood Feast’s cheesy aesthetic to something increasingly nasty, as was done in the Guignol. In an exclusive interview with MJ Reviews, Lewis explained that the increase of violence was for the purpose of originality, and he raises the question, ‘what does one do for an encore… obviously, I had to open new doorways with each film.’

And he does. The violence and gore in Wizard is genuinely nasty, almost queasy, paling in comparison to that of its contemporaries (Saw, Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes et al) in the sense that Lewis shows relish in depicting these events on screen. The camera never shies away, not even when Montag plays with a young assistant’s intestines or when a hole is drilled through another’s brain. It’s over-the-top, it’s outrageous – it’s HG Lewis. And, if nothing else, it’s the sheer audaciousness of a Herschell Gordon Lewis picture that makes it an absolute delight to watch.

The Release:

Siren has sourced this release from the US DVD company Something Weird, who in turn have shown great respect to the film. A trailer, exploitation art gallery and, most notably, a commentary with Lewis is on offer here. HGL is a delight to listen to, and he always holds informative and entertaining commentary tracks on all of his films. Audio/visual quality isn’t fantastic, but that is certainly to be expected of a film of this age.

The Bottom Line:

Immensely grisly and sporting a mind-blowing ending, The Wizard of Gore is great fun, though perhaps a bit too much for Lewis newcomers. There are some pacing problems here and there, but Lewis as director never falters and, with respect to grue, it is only topped by Lewis’ follow-up, The Gore Gore Girls (which is banned in Australia). The release is also very good. Buy with confidence; you’ll have a fantastic time.

The mondo cycle

THE MONDO SHOCKUMENTARIES

The mondo film is one of the first Italian exploitation genres and paved the way for more famous entries such as Man From Deep River and Cannibal Holocaust. The definition of mondo films is fairly vague, but there are common conventions to them - essentially, a mondo (which translates to 'world') film is a pseudo-documentary that tends to sensationalise its subject matter. Franco Prosperi, one of the genre's creators, says in the documentary The Godfathers of Mondo that mondo films are 'anti-documentaries' that show a shocking and (supposedly) impartial view of the people and nations they film.

The craze began in 1962, when Italian journalists Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi and Paulo Cavara unleased Mondo Cane. As one of the taglines to the film says, 'It enters a hundred incredible worlds where the camera has never gone before!' and the film is essentially a series of set-pieces displaying shocking world practises - cults, animal slaughter and cultural oddities. Mondo Cane was immensely shocking for its time (though doesn't quite hold up now) even though not all of the footage contained within was genuine. Regardless, the film was phenomenally successful - it won the David Di Donatello Best Production award (the Italian equivelent to the Best Picture Oscar); Jacopetti, Prosperi and Cavara were nominated for the prestigious Cannes Golden Palm and composers Riz Ortolani, Nino Oliviero and Norman Newell were nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, with the piece More. It was ranked third most successful film in 1963 in the US, after heavyweights Lawrence of Arabia and The Birds. and made Jacopetti, Prosperi, Cavara and Ortolani stars in the Italian film world. A year later, the trio directed The Women of the World which, while it wasn't a mondo film as such, used many of the conventions employed in Mondo Cane. Jacopetti and Prosperi (without Cavara, and he would not return for any of their later films) directed an ill-received sequel to Mondo Cane that year.

In 1966, Jacopetti and Prosperi (pictured left) directed their most intriguing film, Africa Addio. Translating to 'Goodbye Africa', Africa Addio chronicled the change between colonial rule to independence, and the subsequent fighting that arose. Africa Addio was hugely controversial - it's depiction of Congolese rebel conflict led one of Jacopetti and Prosperi's acquaintances on-set to return to Italy and accuse them of 'camera-action', where the mercenaries being filmed murdered captured rebels at Jacopetti's bequest. Jacopetti, cinematographer Antonio Climati and production manager Stanis Nievo were all charged with murder (though curiously Prosperi wasn't arrested), and they were forced to prove their innocence before an Italian court. Eventually they were acquitted, and the men narrowly avoided becoming international war criminals. This was not the first time Jacopetti had faced a courtroom - sordid rumours abounded about the filmmaker, and in the fifties he was charged with the statutory rape of a thirteen-year-old gypsy, whom he was forced to marry to avoid prison. Controversy still surrounded Africa Addio, and accusations that Jacopetti and Prosperi asked the mercenaries to postpone their invasion of a rebel town still aren't disproven. When it finally reached cinemas, whole cities rioted and a UN delegation met to review seemingly xenophobic content.

By this time, a number of similar films began to be released in Italy. Secret Africa was directed in 1969 by Alfredo Castiglioni, Angelo Castiglioni and Guido Guerrasio, and was considered a rip-off of Africa Addio in the sense that it displayed shocking footage of the continent's culture and people. Secret Africa had none of it's predecessor's intelligence and flair, and quickly faded into obscurity. The Castiglioni's directed a follow-up film in 1971 titled Africa Ama (Africa Uncensored). This was considered far better than Secret Africa, and the brothers refined their skills as filmmakers. 1971 also saw the release of another Jacopetti and Prosperi documentary, though it was a completely inauthentic recreation - Addio Zio Tom (Goodbye Uncle Tom). Tom was a pseudo-documentary on the US slave trade of the 1800s, and employed a number of immensely graphic scenes. Tom was critically mauled, with notable reviewers such as Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert asserting it was an incitement of racial war. Tom was one of the last of Jacopetti and Prosperi's collaborations (before the sub-par Mondo Candido), and they had a fall-out regarding finances and techniques of that latter film. Mondo would never have the same raw, visceral power and quality as what the duo brought to the genre.

There was, after Addio Zio Tom, a steady downward spiral for the mondo genre, however the fact that it became boring spawned one of its most famous derivitives - the Italo-cannibal gut muncher. The first film of this cycle was Man From Deep River (1972), and was directly inspired by the mondo film's shocking images and claims to authenticity. Mondo suffered a brief old-school revival in 1974 with Savage Man, Savage Beast. Whilst this film kept with the conventions of a mondo picture, it lacked the realism as many scenes were staged. The film was directed by Jacopetti and Prosperi cinematographer Antonio Climati (with Mario Morra co-directing), and the film was produced by Prosperi. It was the first in Climati's Savage trilogy, which, like Africa Addio and Africa Ama, focussed on the plights of the Dark Continent.

Mondo films are now an extinct breed, with their closest derivitives today being the puerile Faces of Death series, which sully the name of the genre. Mondo films can also lay claim to spawning reality TV and the farces that accompany it, including the voyeuristic violence and sleaze of the likes of Cops. At worst, the mondo genre produced exploitative and more-than-a-little-bit-wrong films that lay somewhere in the cinematic gutter. However, many are held in extremely high esteem - Mondo Cane is now recognised as being one of Italy's finest pieces of cinema, and it is held in exceptionally high regard (not least for the fact that it is probably the only exploitation film ever to have come close to the Oscar stage). Often a subject of books and films (including a feature length documentary The Godfathers of Mondo, featuring interviews with Jacopetti and Prosperi, among others), the mondo film is undoubtedly the most notorious Eurotrash genre and they continue to polarise filmgoers today.

THE FILMS

In Alphabetical Order

Mondo Cane (1962)

Directed by Paulo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi

Narrated by Stefano Sibaldi

Among Italy's most internationally successful films, Mondo Cane was the first mondo film to ever be released and made cult superstars out of Jacopetti, Prosperi and composer Riz Ortolani, who was co-nominated for an Oscar with the song More.

Mondo Cane 2 (1963)

Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi

Far less of a success to the original, and the film that Jacopetti himself hated with a passion. More of a rip-off to the original than anything else.

Women of the World (1963)
Directed by Paulo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi

Narrated by Peter Ustinov

A quickly-made follow up to Mondo Cane 2 follows, as its title suggests, the female culture of the world. One of the least-received films of the cycle.

I Malamondo (1964)

Directed by Paulo Cavara

Narrated by Marvin Miller

Cavara's first sole-effort away from the Jacopetti and Prosperi tripatarch. Looks over bizzare behaviour, but lacks the shock value of its successors.

Mondo Balordo (1964)
Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero
Narrated by Boris Karloff
Translated in the US to A Fool's World, this immensely strange production narrated by horror great Boris Karloff displays the weird and perverse from across the globe.

Africa Addio (1966)

Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi

Narrated by Sergio Rossi

One of the most controversial films ever made, Africa Addio depicts its creators about to be executed by firing squad and, upon its release, made cities riot and almost brought a war crime conviction to Jacopetti. Beautifully made and thoroughly gripping to watch, this is the zenith of the mondo cycle and one of the finest pieces of cinema ever made.

Secret Africa (1969)
Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni, Angelo Castiglioni & Guido Guerrasio
Narrated by Riccardo Cucciolla
The debut of the Castiglioni Brothers whom, alongside Jacopetti/Prosperi and Climati/Morra, produced the most notable efforts into the mondo cycle. This picture was essentially a cash in on Africa Addio, however it showcased more shocking footage with only half the intelligence.

Addio Zio Tom (1971)

Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi

Starring Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi

More of a 'mockumentary' than a mondo film, this historical picture on the African slave trade is one of the most morally bankrupt and disturbing movies ever made. Known in the West as Goodbye (or 'Farewell') Uncle Tom.

Africa Uncensored (1971)

Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni, Angelo Castiglioni & Guido Guerrasio

The Castiglioni Brothers and Guerrasio's second film in their series of five mondo pictures surrounding the rituals and culture of Africa.

Savage Man, Savage Beast (1974)

Directed by Antonio Climati & Mario Morra

Narrated by Alberto Moravia

One of the mondo cycle's more notorious films, though equally dubious in its claims to authenticity, Savage Man, Savage Beast marks Africa Addio's cinematographer Antonio Climati's directorial debut. Produced by Franco Prosperi, and banned in Australia in uncut form for thirty-three years.

Mondo Magic (1975)
Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni, Angelo Castiglioni & Guido Guerrasio
Narrated by Mac Mauro Smith
More of the notorious Castiglioni Brothers (and collaborator Guerrasio) in their quest to uncover the most shocking rituals of the world. By this time, they have outdone Jacopetti and Prosperi by way of grue, but certainly not intelligence and beauty.

This Violent World (1976)

Directed by Antonio Climati & Mario Morra
Violent and grisly, and almost entirely lacking the beauty and magnificence of the Jacopetti/Prosperi collaborations. Probably the last of the 'true' mondo films.

The Last Savage (1978)

Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni & Angelo Castiglioni

Narrated by Riccardo Cucciolla

Another overly grisly Africa shockumentary by the Castiglioni Brothers.

Shocking Africa (1982)
Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni & Angelo Castiglioni
The last film in the Castiglioni's mondo series. More of the same, but with more shocking (and presumably inauthentic) footage.

Sweet and Savage (1983)

Directed by Antonio Climati & Mario Morra
Narrated by Franco Prosperi
Almost entirely edited from Climati and Morra's earlier films Savage Man, Savage Beast and This Violent World. Considered by many as a shameless cash in.

Mondo Cane 3 (1986)

Directed by Stelvio Massi

More Mondo Cane rip-off madness. Titled Mondo Cane Oggi in its native Italian, this lacks the authenticity and quality of the 1962 original, as many of the later mondos did.

The Godfathers of Mondo (2005)
Directed by David Gregory

Starring Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi, Riz Ortolani
A sensational documentary on the mondo cycle, specifically the films of Jacopetti and Prosperi (the best of the genre) and features candid interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.