The House by the Cemetery (1981)



After some creature features and a disaster flick, I decided to go back a few decades and visit some Italian horror. My first selection in that genre for this week is the 1981 Lucio Fulci entry The House by the Cemetery.


Plot/ A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.


This is definitely a polarizing flick from the Fulci catalog, but it is one of my favorites. This Italian splatterfest has enough blood and gore for any horror fanatic and is backed by an outstanding soundtrack that sets the moods perfectly. The make-up and special effects work, the cinematography is solid, and as I already mentioned, the soundtrack was eerie and dark. Yes, the performances are a touch uneven, there are some plot holes, and the gore may turn some viewers off because of the overall violent tones (more of a problem today with all the sensitivities that exist), but those elements do not harm this one in any way. In the end, Fulci is one of those filmmakers that can be a lightning rod and many will either love his work or hate it. However, if you look within his films, the shocking aspects act as cover for some important social issues that are still problems today.  If you love blood, gore, and violence, you should check this one out. It definitely isn’t the sugarcoated horror of today.


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