House By The Cemetery was the fourth and last of a series of Horror films that made Lucio Fulci a major cult figure in America. House is easily my favorite of the four films and quite possibly my favorite Italian horror film of all time. A cold, mysterious piece of gothic cinema, House is not to be missed by lovers of Italian Horror or Fulci's films. Maestro Fulci packs the picture with all sorts of weird little touches like the decapitated store window dummy that foreshadows the death of the baby sitter which in itself informs the death of Katherine MacColl at the film's conclusion. Like a number of classic Italian horror outings, House has a very ambiguous plot point concerning the nature of Dr. Freudstein's immortality. We are told that he must "kill to revive his cells" but are not 100% sure what this entails. Does he consume his victim's flesh, take skin grafts from their bodies (the appearance of his victim's remains make these two theories plausible) or is their some kind of alchemical process whereby the act of murder somehow keeps him alive? It's left for the veiwer to decide but one thing is certain, the process works but has done nothing for the evil Doctor's looks. With the exception of his left hand (which he ironically loses via the blade of an axe), Freudstein looks like a dessicated corpse. No wonder he hides in the dark basement of the house. Freudstein with his shocking appearance and his moldy suit of clothing ranks as one of if not the best of Fulci's monsters. Watch for the scene after he has captured Bob and lost his hand. He rocks back and forth in a corner nursing his wound while a child's sobs are heard over the soundtrack. Is this the voice of Bob's ghostly playmate crying over the possible fate of her friend or is it meant to be Freudstein himself, crying over the pain of his dismemberment?
All in all a great sequence. Fulci gives the film something that his previous three lacked, a happy ending. Well, of sorts. Bob has witnessed Freudstein murder both his parents and is about to suffer the same fate when he is saved by the ethereal little friend who we find out is indeed the ghost of Freudstein's murdered daughter. The girl and her mother (also a ghost) will now take care of Bob and protect him from Dr. Freudstein but Bob is now part of the ghostly limbo in the which they live, never to return to the real world. The final shot is a beauty as the Mother ghost leads the two children down the path away from the material world as the camera pans back around to show the house where Freudstein is quietly and patiently awaiting his next victims. It's a great way to end a movie that is claustrophobic, gory and scary as hell. House By The Cemetery marked the end of an era.
Not long afterwards uncut, unrated films would vanish from the nation's cinemas and become the domain of home video. I regret never seeing this film as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen.
Watch House By The Cemetery on a cold, crisp night. It's an experience you won't soon forget.
All in all a great sequence. Fulci gives the film something that his previous three lacked, a happy ending. Well, of sorts. Bob has witnessed Freudstein murder both his parents and is about to suffer the same fate when he is saved by the ethereal little friend who we find out is indeed the ghost of Freudstein's murdered daughter. The girl and her mother (also a ghost) will now take care of Bob and protect him from Dr. Freudstein but Bob is now part of the ghostly limbo in the which they live, never to return to the real world. The final shot is a beauty as the Mother ghost leads the two children down the path away from the material world as the camera pans back around to show the house where Freudstein is quietly and patiently awaiting his next victims. It's a great way to end a movie that is claustrophobic, gory and scary as hell. House By The Cemetery marked the end of an era.
Not long afterwards uncut, unrated films would vanish from the nation's cinemas and become the domain of home video. I regret never seeing this film as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen.
Watch House By The Cemetery on a cold, crisp night. It's an experience you won't soon forget.