14 October 2024
The House with Laughing Windows (1976)
110 min.
Directed by Pupi Avati.
With Lino Capolicchio, Francesca Marciano, Gianni Cavina, Giulio Pizzarani, Vanna Busoni, Andrea Matteuzzi, Bob Tonelli, Pietro Brambilla, Ferdinando Orlandi.
Bizarre, sometimes haunting Italian horror.

Capolicchio plays Stefano, a painter hired to restore a church fresco in a rural community.

A recently deceased villager painted the depiction of St. Sebastian's death, and Stefano soon discovers the artist used a rather unsavory method to achieve his art.

Obsessed with the moment of death, the man needed live individuals to capture his perfection and - with the help of his two demented sisters - the three would commit murder after murder in their search for the perfect models for their art.

But the artist is dead, Stefano finds.

So who could be the present maniac who's picking off local villagers in mysterious ways?

The intricate plot will keep you guessing until the shocking conclusion.

However you slice and dice it, this one's a stunningly memorable effort from Avati.

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