There are only 500 copies available of Bizarre Italian - Vol.1, the anthology collecting the most representative short films of Italian underground horror, whose first volume of 2014 retrieves films made between the 1980s and 1990s. We are talking about films shot with few means and zero budget by young inexperienced filmmakers. The material that with Bizarre Italian has been brought to the surface is time-worn, forgotten, unknown, and therefore rare and valuable.
Short films made for fun or passion and previously destined for oblivion are immortalized in this DVD with all their flaws and simplicity. Bizarre Italian is invaluable but only for collectors. Except for two to three shorts, in fact, the average technical quality is bad and does not reach sufficiency. Moreover, the picture and sound quality (justifiable in part by analog) are so poor that they detract from its overall value.
The eight short films saved by Paolo Fazzini (here our interview), the creator of the project in collaboration with Pierpaolo De Iulis, are, "Drop out" by Max Della Mora, "Nightmares" by Stefano Barbieri, "Carot's Taste" by Latino Pellegrini, "Warm snow" by Paolo Fazzini, "Maleficent" by Nicola Lombardi; "The invasion of the pornonauts" by John Polesello, "Reverend" by Marzano Bros. and "Macabre" by Maurizio Quarta.
The anthology DVD of Bizarre Italian is produced and distributed by Rave Up Records.
On the cover towers the title "Bizarre Italian" written in tricolor block letters. Note the VHS logo, proudly displayed in the lower left corner. The booklet (consisting of four pages) contains an introduction to the DVD, data sheets of the shorts, the plot of each short, and biographies of the directors. Its size, however, exceeds the height of the DVD case, so one is forced to fold it in two to fit inside. Minor flaw.
The image of a VHS on the label of which is written "Bizarre Italian" serves as the background to the menu, which is presented as if it were an analog recording screen. To the right, in block letters, it presents the content menu: Play, Shorts, Interview and Extras.
The menu itself, as well as the cover and every little detail, are reminiscent of old VHS, just as even the disturbances in the interviews hark back to those found in the more worn videotapes, for a perfect vintage feel. In fact, as a result, one has the feeling of viewing not a DVD but an old, worn and dusty videotape, which is why those nostalgic for the old home-video system will appreciate it the most.
Extras are "Lady Trash" by Giovanni Polesello and interviews done with individual directors (Max Della Mora's is not among them). Each director talks about his or her film by framing the period and the way it was made.
Thus there are eight amateur shorts all different from each other for a total of 150 minutes in which we witness everything, even real homages to cult films.
Paving the way for the underground horror of Bizarre Italian - Vol. 1 is the engaging "Drop out" (1986) by Max Della Mora in which there is more careful direction and clear references to David Cronenberg's Videodrome. The story centers on two students who reach the basement of their school to retrieve a notebook. Among the shelves they find a videotape whose viewing will cause monstrous and devastating effects.
Follows "Nightmares" (1987) by Stefano Barbieri ("Uncle Tolo"), a clear homage to Nightmare. The director also oversaw its special effects.
A young man watches Craven's film with his girlfriend who, however, is not the least bit interested in the viewing because she is not a fan of horror films. During the night what the young woman saw on the screen is reflected in reality with ominous results.
It goes to the demented Carot's Taste (1989) by Latino Pellegrini in which the main character, forced by his mother, eats carrots to win a contest. Something goes wrong when he decides to feed on something else. A fairly insane, unwatchable short film.
"Warm snow" (1990), the fourth drug-focused short, is the one that strains the viewer's tolerance because of a character, the mad painter Larsen who, wearing a strange costume, jumps and runs throughout the film. A delirious cinematic beginning for Paolo Fazzini, the director of the intense and successful Mad in Italy (2012).
Unhealthy "Maleficent" by Nicola Lombardi (1990) in which a woman, in revenge for a wrong suffered, tortures a boy through voodoo rites. Much appreciated story and the leaden atmosphere that envelops the entire short. It does not go unnoticed.
High rate of dementia in the "The invasion of the pornonauts" (1993) by John Polesello in which references to Romerian and Fulcian cinematography are discernible. Out of tedium, Lady Domina uses the living dead to destroy humanity. Jack, a survivor, is transformed into Captain Superpower by a mad doctor. The encounter between Lady Domina and Jack will change the fate of the world.
Good directing technique in "Reverend" (1994) by the Marzano Bros. in which the main character is a priest whose destiny leads him to face a series of dangerous situations.
It comes full circle with the somber short film "Macabre” (1999) di Maurizio Quarta, un film disturbante che omaggia Nekromantik di Buttgereit. Un uomo raggiunge una casa perché rimasto in panne. Qui lo accoglie una donna con un passato oscuro. Macabre è già stato recensito here su DarkVeins dove si parla della filmografia del regista. Inoltre Maurizio Quarta ci ha concesso un’intervista che potete trovare a questo link: Interview with effect designer and director Maurizio Quarta.
Bizarre Italian - Vol.1 è un progetto lodevole che mira a recuperare vecchi film horror amatoriali i quali, riusciti o meno che siano, sono la testimonianza di una decade cinematografica forse più genuina perché priva degli escamotage del digitale.
