Katarsis

Last updated
Katarsis
Sfida-al-diavolo.jpg
1965 poster for Katarsis
Directed byGiuseppe Vegezzi
Written byGiuseppe Vegezzi
Story byGiuseppe Vegezzi
Produced byFernando Cerqua [1]
Starring
Cinematography
  • Mario Parapetti
  • Angelo Baistrocchi [1]
Edited byEnzo Alfonsi [1]
Music by Berto Pisano [1]
Production
companies
  • Serena Film
  • Filmsonor [1]
Distributed byMangusta (Italy)
Release date
  • September 9, 1963 (1963-09-09)(Italy)
Running time
87 minutes [1]
CountryItaly
Budget ₤46 million

Katarsis (Italian : Sfida al diavolo), is a 1963 Italian horror film directed and written by Giuseppe Vegezzi. [1] It is his only film. [1] A group of people enter an old castle where they come across an old man (Christopher Lee) who turns out to be the Devil.

Contents

Cast

Credits adapted from the book Italian Gothic Horror, 1957-1969. [1]

Production

Katarsis was shot at Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano and Montelibretti and Olympia Studios in Romebetween 14 May and 7 June 1963. [1] [2] It had a low budget of 46 million Italian lira. [1] Christopher Lee was one of the few name actors in it; he was on-set for one week. [1] In Lee's autobiography, he states that he never saw the film or its dailies and that it was later split into two films. [1] This is incorrect; however, the film was released in two versions, the later one with more footage. [1]

Release

Katarsis was released in Italy on September 9, 1963 where it was distributed by Mangusta. [1] Shortly after it received its distribution visa, its production company I Della Films filed for bankruptcy. [1] Katarsis was then purchased by Eco Films and re-released in a re-edited version, Sfida al diavolo, in 1965. [1] [3] [4] This latter version runs 78 minutes and includes new scenes involving a dancer. [3]

Reception

Roberto Curti, author of Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969 described the director's work ranging between "naive and terrible". [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Antonio Margheriti, also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies, was an Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different genres in the Italian film industry, and was known for his sometimes derivative but often stylish and entertaining science fiction, sword and sandal, horror/giallo, Eurospy, Spaghetti Western, Vietnam War and action movies that were released to a wide international audience. He died in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Bava</span> Italian filmmaker

Mario Bava was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Macabre". His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish technical ingenuity, feature recurring themes and imagery concerning the conflict between illusion and reality, as well as the destructive capacity of human nature. He was a pioneer of Italian genre cinema, and is regarded as one of the most influential auteurs of the horror film genre.

Ernesto Gastaldi is an Italian screenwriter. Film historian and critic Tim Lucas described Gastaldi as the first Italian screenwriter to specialize in horror and thriller films. Gastaldi worked within several popular genres including pepla, Western and spy films.

<i>The Whip and the Body</i> 1963 Italian gothic horror film

The Whip and the Body is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eventual suicide. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka who is now his brother's wife. Menliff is later found murdered, but the locals believe his ghost has returned to haunt the castle for revenge.

Luigi Batzella also known as Paolo Solvay was an Italian film director, editor, screenwriter and actor. He made numerous low-budget genre films.

<i>Terror-Creatures from the Grave</i> 1965 film

Terror-Creatures from the Grave is a 1965 horror film directed by Domenico Massimo Pupillo. The film was an international co-production between Italy and the United States through M.B.S. Cinematografica, G.I.A. Cinematografica and International Entertainment Corp.

Mario Caiano was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, art director and second unit director.

Piero Regnoli (1921–2001) was an Italian screenwriter and film director.

<i>Frankensteins Castle of Freaks</i> 1974 film

Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks is a 1974 Italian horror film.

<i>The Virgin of Nuremberg</i> 1963 film

The Virgin of Nuremberg is a 1963 Italian horror film directed by Anthony Dawson.

<i>The Long Hair of Death</i> 1964 film

The Long Hair of Death is a 1964 Italian horror film directed by Antonio Margheriti. It stars British actress Barbara Steele in the roles of Helen Rochefort and Mary, Italian actor George Ardisson as Kurt Humboldt, and Polish actress Halina Zalewska in a dual role as Adele Karnstein and her daughter Lisabeth. It is set in a 15th-century feudal castle, and the nearby village.

<i>Uncle Was a Vampire</i> 1959 film

Uncle Was a Vampire is a 1959 Italian film directed by Steno.

<i>The Blancheville Monster</i> 1963 film

The Blancheville Monster, released in the UK and Italy as Horror, is a 1963 horror film directed by Alberto de Martino. The film's script by Gianni Grimaldi and Bruno Corbucci is promoted as being based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but actually only borrows elements from the short stories "The Fall of the House of Usher", "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" and "Some Words with a Mummy". Long after its release, director Alberto de Martino described his film as "a little film of no importance".

<i>Castle of the Living Dead</i> 1964 film

Castle of the Living Dead is a 1964 horror film directed by Warren Kiefer. It was released in English under the title Crypt of Horror. It was Kiefer's first film as a director.

<i>Terror in the Crypt</i> 1964 film

Terror in the Crypt is a 1964 Italian-Spanish horror film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque. The film is based on the 1872 novel Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.

<i>La bambola di Satana</i> 1969 film

La bambola di Satana is a 1969 Italian gothic horror film written and directed by Ferruccio Casapinta.

Luigi Carpentieri (1920-1987) was an Italian assistant director (1940-1949) and film producer (1947-1968). Together with Ermanno Donati, he founded the production company "Athena Cinematografica", which in 1960 became "Panda Cinematografica". All films produced by [[the company were genre films.

Ermanno Donati was an Italian film producer. Along with Luigi Carpentieri, Donati won the Nastro d'Argento award for Best Producer for the film The Day of the Owl.

Bella Cortez is a Cuban actress and dancer known for her work in Italian sword-and-sandal films of the 1960s.

<i>Blood Delirium</i> Film

Blood Delirium is a direct-to-video Italian horror film directed by Sergio Bergonzelli. The film involves the painter Saint Simon who loses his sanity after the death of his wife. Along with his butler Hermann, they meet a young pianist named Sybille who resembles his dead wife home to their castle. After Saint Simon discovers that blood from a murder victim re-inspires him artistically, he orders Hermann to seek out more women for him while Sybille is held captive in the castle.

References

Footnotes

Sources

  • Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969. McFarland. ISBN   978-1476619897.
  • Johnson, Tom; Miller, Mark A. (2009). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003. McFarland. ISBN   978-1476608969.
  • Rigby, Jonathan (2001). Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History. Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN   1-903111-64-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.