Romano Migliorini Movies
This shameless knockoff of Last House on the Left even goes so far as to repeat the detail of having the theme song performed by the lead villain. Florinda Bolkan (Non Si Sevizia un Paperino) plays a nun who takes the teenage girls in her care to a remote house where they rehearse A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ray Lovelock and a pair of thugs show up, brutally raping and terrorizing the girls -- killing one by raping her with a cane -- until Bolkan renounces her teachings and seeks bloody revenge. Utter nonsense, but AC/DC and Roxy Music are on the soundtrack, so it isn't a complete waste. Director Franco Prosperi is best known for co-directing Mondo Cane and Africa Addio. Sherry Buchanan (Dr. Butcher, M.D.) co-stars with Laura Trotter. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Florinda Bolkan, Raymond Lovelock, (more)
The Inglorious Bastards was the alternate title for the Italian adventure yarn Counterfeit Commandos. The main characters are five soldiers facing court-martial in World War II France. The quintet consists of Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, Peter Hooten, Michael Pergolami, and Jackie Basehart. The men escape, heading to the safety of the Swiss border; along the way, they pull off several random acts of above-and-beyond heroism. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, (more)
- 1967
Cult filmmaker Massimo Dallamano directed this impressive spaghetti western -- his only foray into the genre -- under the pseudonym "Max Dillman." Enrico Maria Salerno stars as gunslinger Richard Martin, whose hands are destroyed in a battle with outlaw Billy Kane (Marco Guglielmi). Years later, Martin runs a Wild West show, and harbors a fugitive named Ricky Shot (Terry Jenkins), teaching him the art of gunfighting. The vengeful Martin and his protégé eventually track down the ruthless Kane, leading to a surprising conclusion. Luigi Pistilli, Cris Huerta, Antonio Pica, and Venantino Venantini co-star in this stirring revenge film, which also features a dynamic musical score by Egisto Macchi. Filmmaker Romano Migliorini collaborated on the script. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
One of the more prominent works of Italy's premier horror stylist Mario Bava, this occult murder mystery interweaves elements of the traditional giallo thriller formula with an unusual Gothic ghost story. The tale is set in a modern-day Carpathian village rocked by a series of bizarre murders, in which the female victims are found with gold coins imbedded in their hearts. The coins are revealed to be talismans placed on the victims by the local sorceress (Fabienne Dali), meant to ward off the supernatural powers of the aged Baroness Graps (Giana Vivaldi). The baroness has been acting as an earthly liaison for the vengeful ghost of her murdered daughter, who wants to claim the villagers' souls -- with Erica Blanc next on the list. In order to free the village from the evil curse, Dali must find the sequestered baroness and destroy her. The film was released in the U.S. in two dubbed and re-edited versions, Kill, Baby, Kill! and Curse of the Living Dead (packaged as part of an "Orgy of the Living Dead" triple feature). ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Erica Blanc, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, (more)
- 1966
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An unfaithful wife is visited by medieval plague victims, who were summoned from their graves by her occult-expert husband. ~ Rovi
Ex-Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay plays the thick, musclebound host for the evil spirit of the notorious "Crimson Executioner," a sadistic Italian Baron in whose former castle Hargitay and a collection of sexy models are staging a Gothic-themed photo shoot. Before long, the sweaty brute is hauling the poor lasses into the dungeon to have at them with a wide assortment of torture devices. The film's ad slicks proudly proclaim this Euro-cheapie as being "Based on the works of the Marquis de Sade." Although this statement is pretty unlikely, it's still hard to refute: Who's to say a movie depicting the torture of numerous scantily-clad ladies isn't something the Marquis wouldn't heartily endorse? Authentic or not, it's certainly a sleazy little film, notable only for the novelty presence of Hargitay (Jane Mansfield's husband). Video-seekers can take their pick from a wide assortment of alternate titles: Bloody Pit of Horror, The Crimson Executioner, The Scarlet Executioner, Virgins for the Hangman and probably half a dozen others. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
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