DARK SIDE PROUDLY PRESENTS THE BEST OF ITALIAN HORROR The Italians have long had a unique approach tomaking horror movies, starting with their famed Psycho-type giallo thrillers – a genre gleaned from cheap Italian pulp novels with yellow covers, combining elements of mystery, horror, and eroticism. Dario Argento shot to fame with giallo hits The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970) and The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971), but the legendary Mario Bava beat him to the punch with Blood and Black Lace (1962), a grisly slasher film featuring a psychotic killer murdering fashion models. Violence and eroticism go hand in (black-gloved) hand in Italian giallo movies and in this very special edition of The Dark Side we bring you interviews with the filmmakers and actors at the sharp end; and with some of the lovely ladies of Italian cinema who often found themselves at the even sharper end of a knife or razor! Italian cinema can be very creepy in a classical fashion as well, and so we are proud to bring you a lengthy interview with Barbara Steele, star of Mario Bava’s mist-shrouded 1960 favourite, Black Sunday. The Italians also excelled at copying successful US horror hits, and some feel that Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) was a better film than its inspiration, George A. Romero’s 1978 Dawn of the Dead. We make no judgements here, but are delighted to include a vintage Fulci interview, as well as plenty of fascinating background information on the making of the notorious Italian Video Nasty, Cannibal Holocaust (1980). There’s a lot more to satisfy the appetite of genre fans, because when it comes to horror a-la-Italia, we really cover the slaughter-front in this incredible 100 page special. It’s in stores in the UK only on October 23rd but we’ll be posting out a week earlier to pre-order customers. Please Note that this is not included in any subscription packages and will not be in shops abroad. Foreign orders are £15 for European customers, £22 for Canada and Australia.
