The House with Laughing Windows

Last updated

The House With Laughing Windows
The-House-with-Laughing-Windows.jpg
Italian film poster
Directed by Pupi Avati
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Pupi Avati
  • Antonio Avati
  • Gianni Cavina
  • Maurizio Costanzo
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPasquale Rachini [1]
Edited byGiusuppe Baghdighian [1]
Music byAmedeo Tommassi [1]
Production
company
A.M.A. Film
Distributed byEuro International Films
Release date
  • 16 August 1976 (1976-08-16)(Italy)
Running time
110 minutes [1]
CountryItaly [1]
Box office ₤722.135 million

The House with Laughing Windows (Italian : La casa dalle finestre che ridono) is a 1976 Italian giallo-horror film co-written and directed by Pupi Avati. The film was shot in Lido degli Scacchi in the Ferrara province of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.

Contents

Plot

Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) arrives in a village of the Valli di Comacchio area where he has been employed to restore a fresco depicting what appears to be the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, which has been painted on a rotting wall of the local church by a mysterious, long-dead artist named Legnani. While temporarily taking up residence in the house that had been previously owned by the two sisters of the deceased painter, Stefano begins a romance with a new, beautiful schoolteacher, Francesca (Francesca Marciano), meanwhile learning from various townspeople that the painter had been a madman who had derived his art from real life. Specifically, Stefano learns that the artist – assisted by his two equally-insane sisters – had been a killer who brutally tortured people to death as inspiration for his horrific paintings – a practice that had likely been used for the very painting he is in process of restoring. As Stefano is discouraged for his task throughout the town, some of the villagers are brutally killed – including his employer – and he comes to suspect that their murderer is trying to deter him from discovering the full truth behind the artist and his ominous legacy within the sleepy community.

Cast

Production

The idea for The House With Laughing Windows came from a story director Pupi Avati had heard as a child involving the exhumation of a priest in the village of Sasso Marconi. [2] An early draft of the script was developed in the early 1970s under the title La luce dell'ultimo piano which was written by both Avati and Antonion Troisio. [3] It was produced by Antonio Cuomo who later backed out of the project. [3] Avati began working on the script again after the financial failure of his film House of Pleasure for Women and made several changes to the character and story. [3] The final story and screenplay was credited to Pupi Avati and Antonio Avati. [1]

The House with Laughing Windows was the first film produced by director Pupi Avati's company A.M.A. Film. [1] [4] The film was shot over five weeks between April and May 1976 in Comacchio and Minerbio, Ferrara, Italy. [1] [4] Although the credits state Incir-De Paolis Studios in Rome, this was purely listed for bureaucratic reasons. [1] [4] [5]

Release

The House with Laughing Windows was distributed theatrically in Italy by Euro International Films where on 16 August 1976. [1] On its domestic release, the film grossed a total of 722,135,201 Italian lire. [1]

The House with Laughing Windows was released on Region 1 DVD on 18 March 2003 through Paradox Entertainment. [6] On 5 January 2010 the film was released on Region 2 DVD through Metrodome. [7] [8]

Reception

The film has been received well by contemporary critics. AllMovie's review of the film was favorable, giving it a rating of 3 out of 5, and writing that "[though] fans of typical Italian horror films may find House with the Windows That Laugh [sic] lacking in the stylistic excesses of many of its contemporary companion pieces, it exceeds its contemporaries in almost every other area," and that it was "imbued with an overwhelming sense of dread that grows to an almost unbearable pitch." [9]

On review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, no score has yet been reached with only two critical ratings submitted. [10] The current ratings – both "fresh" — are from Emanuel Levy of emanuellevy.com, who gave the film a 3 out of 5, and Anton Bitel of Eye for Film, who gave the film a 4.5 out of 5, and wrote, "certainly a gripping giallo, but also an intelligent allegory of post-war Italy's struggles to emerge from the Fascist outrages of its recent past." [11]

Availability and legacy

On 9 August 2011 Trailers From Hell! uploaded a video segment on the film to YouTube, in which Eli Roth discusses his feelings on its merits and the giallo genre, opining that it is "a great place to start [into giallo]" and "amongst the best" of the genre, ultimately comparing the film to the work of Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and Lucio Fulci — "the masters of the giallo." [12]

It was screened as an outstanding example of its genre at the British Film Institute in November 2019. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurizio Costanzo</span> Italian television presenter (1938–2023)

Maurizio Costanzo was an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter, and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pupi Avati</span> Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter

Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati, is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two giallo masterpieces, The House with Laughing Windows (1976) and Zeder (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Eastman (actor)</span> Italian actor and screenwriter

George Eastman is an Italian actor and screenwriter well known for his frequent collaborations with notorious director Joe D'Amato. He is most famous for his role as the insane, cannibalistic serial killer Klaus Wortmann in the gory 1980 horror film Antropophagus. He also played a similar role in its 1981 follow-up, Absurd. Both films were directed by D'Amato and written by Eastman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamberto Bava</span> Italian film director

Lamberto Bava is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film La Venere d'Ille with his father and in 1980 directed his first solo feature film Macabre.

<i>Zeder</i> 1983 Italian film

Zeder is a 1983 Italian horror film directed by Pupi Avati, starring Gabriele Lavia. The story is about a young novelist's discovery of the writings of a late scientist who had found a means of reviving the dead.

<i>The House of Clocks</i>

The House of Clocks is an Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. In it, a wealthy older couple is murdered during a robbery by three young perpetrators. The event results in a supernatural reversal of time, symbolized by the fast, counter-clockwise movement of hands on the house's many clocks. Eventually, this leads to the resurrection of the older couple, who subsequently seek to terrorize the three burglars.

<i>The Hideout</i> (2007 film) 2007 film

The Hideout is a 2007 Italian-American mystery film written and directed by Pupi Avati. It marked the comeback of Avati to the thriller genre after a series of intimate dramas and nostalgic comedies.

<i>The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire</i> 1971 film

L'iguana dalla lingua di fuoco is a 1971 giallo film. It is directed by Riccardo Freda, who was unhappy with the film and had his name replaced with the pseudonym "Willy Pareto".

<i>Omicidio per appuntamento</i> 1966 Italian film

Omicidio per appuntamento is a 1966 giallo film directed by Mino Guerrini. The film stars George Ardisson, Günther Stoll and Ella Karin. Adapted from a novel by Franco Enna, the film has been described as "stylish" and "flamboyant", and has been seen as inspired by the work of Mario Bava.

<i>The Bloodstained Shadow</i> 1978 film

The Blood Stained Shadow Italian giallo film co-written and directed by Antonio Bido.The film follows a professor returning to his home of a coastline Italian village, where a woman is strangled like a young girl who was murdered years ago, before sinners in the town start dying as well.

The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned each year, since 1948, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics.

<i>The Mysterious Enchanter</i> 1996 film

L'arcano incantatore, internationally released as The Mysterious Enchanter and Arcane Sorcerer, is a 1996 Italian horror film directed by Pupi Avati and set in the 18th century.

Lidia Broccolino is an Italian film, television and stage actress.

<i>La Casa del Buon Ritorno</i> 1986 film by Beppe Cino

La Casa del Buon Ritorno is a 1986 Italian giallo written and directed by Beppe Cino. It is also known as The House of the Blue Shadows. The film was theatrically released in Germany as Das Haus der Blauen Schatten.

<i>House of Pleasure for Women</i> 1976 film

House of Pleasure for Women is a 1976 satirical comedy film written and directed by Pupi Avati and starring Gigi Proietti, Christian De Sica, Gianni Cavina, Al Lettieri and Vincent Gardenia.

Gianfranco Piccioli was an Italian film director, film producer and screenwriter best known for such films as The Flower with the Petals of Steel, Beach House, Bix, and The Pool Hustlers.

<i>Il bambino cattivo</i> 2013 TV series or program

Il bambino cattivo is a television film released in 2013, directed by Pupi Avati and produced by Rai Fiction. It was broadcast on November 20, 2013 on Rai 1 and Rai HD on the occasion of International Children's Day.

<i>Tutti defunti... tranne i morti</i> 1977 Italian film

Tutti defunti... tranne i morti is a 1977 film directed by Pupi Avati.

<i>Le strelle nel fosso</i> 1979 Italian film

Le strelle nel fosso is a 1979 Italian film directed by Pupi Avati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Stivaletti</span> Italian special effects and make-up artist (born 1957)

Sergio Stivaletti is an Italian special effects artist, make-up artist, director and screenwriter.

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Curti 2017, p. 157.
  2. ↑ Curti 2017, p. 159.
  3. 1 2 3 Curti 2017, p. 160.
  4. 1 2 3 Curti 2017, p. 158.
  5. ↑ Curti 2017, p. 162.
  6. ↑ "The House with Laughing Windows in Movies & TV". Amazon.com . 11 March 2003. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "House With Laughing Windows DVD". CD Universe . Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "The House With Laughing Windows (Region 2) (Import) (DVD)". Tower.com . Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Buchanan, Jason. "House with Laughing Windows – Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast – AllMovie". AllMovie . Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "La Casa dalle finestre che ridono (The House of the Laughing Windows)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Anton Bitel. "The House With Laughing Windows" . Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "Eli Roth on THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS". Trailers From Hell! . Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Buy cinema tickets for The House with Laughing Windows | BFI Southbank". BFI site. Retrieved 29 November 2019.[ dead link ]

Sources

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.