departing radically from the voodoo- related
the Public Cinematographic Register on Febru-
mood of Zombi 2, and linking the film to Fulci’s
ary 22, 980, credited solely to Sacchetti and still
previous work, most notably Non si sevizia un
titled La paura. However, this as well displays
paperino (972), which also featured a priest as
46 1980: Paura a source of evil. The Catholic doctrine and im-and Tommy are dispatched while making out in
agery becomes associated with damnation in-
their car. Here, the link between “forbidden” sex
stead of salvation: the opening scene features an
and punishment becomes blatant, and the infa-
inscription on a gravestone (“The soul that pines
mous moment in which Rosie starts crying tears
for eternity shall outspan death”) which in ret-
of blood makes for yet another subtly blasphe-
rospect sounds like a bitter parody of the Gospel’s
mous image, possibly inspired by Messiah of Evil
“promise of eternity,” and Father Thomas smear-
(973) but with a more direct significance for
ing Emily’s face with a disgusting substance filled
Italian audiences, as it refers to the Catholic
with living worms looks like a perverted rendi-
“miracles” of the bleeding Virgin Mary statues
tion of the baptism ceremony.
(such as the Madonna Addolorata in Giampilieri,
Sacchetti’s script hints at another key Gothic
Sicily).
element, the return of the repressed: the under-
But the story also has its share of flaws,
ground crypt where the climax takes place, hidden
which look more like the result of unconvincing
behind Father Thomas’ gravestone, looks like a
tampering with the original concept than an at-
dark half, a parallel world nourished by the sins
tempt at a dreamlike mood. Rather than as a co-
of the living which lies in wait to rise to the surface
herent whole, the action proceeds in fits and
and take its revenge at the opportune moment
starts, with bizarre non sequiturs such as the col-
(the memory of the hidden passage behind the
umn of fire that appears in the New York apart-
fireplace in La maschera del demonio comes to
ment where the séance has taken place, perhaps
mind). The film connects even deeper to the
a remnant of the original concept of linking the
Gothic tradition by way of another typical element
living dead plague to the Salem witches. On the
of the genre, the séance. As Mary, MacColl plays
other hand, the gory and suspenseful set- pieces
a psychic heroine with many traits in common to
sometimes barely make sense themselves, as
Sette note in nero’s Virginia Ducci, a damsel- in-
with the case of the appearance of the elderly
distress who remains basically powerless through-
dead woman in Sandra’s house.
out the movie—a Cassandra of sorts who predicts
Despite its budgetary shortcomings (which
terrible ruin but cannot do anything to stop it. Her
called for several cost- cutting choices, such as
fragility, which makes her a “dweller of the twilight
the same night- time shots of Dunwich repeated
void,” a link between two worlds, is best expressed
throughout the movie) and a cast that is not up
in the premature burial scene by the pictorial
to the task (except for MacColl and Lombardo
image of the flower petal which falls from the rose
Radice, that is), Fulci develops suspense with a
on Mary’s chest, after a feeble breath emanates
commanding knowledge of the medium. This
from the young woman’s lungs, revealing that she
leads to some show- stopping moments such as
is, indeed, still alive. It is moments like this
the scene in which Peter saves Mary from pre-
(already described in detail in the script, it must
mature burial: here the thrills come not only
be added, yet beautifully rendered on screen)
from the race against time, but by the fact that
which illustrate the measure of Fulci’s sensibility
the savior might actually harm the woman he is
and care toward the genre.
Characterizations are kept to a mini-
with a pickaxe whose edge penetrates inches
mum—Emily (Antonella Interlenghi) is barely
from Mary’s eye. It must be noted that Sacchetti’s
introduced before she is mercilessly dispatched,
script features only one pickaxe blow, while Fulci
only to return later as a zombie—and often hint
triplicates them, like a Russian roulette with
at sexual repression. Gerry (Carlo De Mejo) is
three bullets. As gratuitous and preposterous as
a psychoanalyst (not Fulci’s favorite profession
it may be, it remains a top- notch sequence,
by far) who we assume is hopelessly in love with
which not only reprises the likes of Dreyer’s
the beautiful Sandra (Agren), who in turn is in-
Vampyr, Corman’s The Tomb of Ligeia and
troduced while discussing her incestuous desires
Freda’s L’orribile segreto del dr. Hichcock in a re-
toward her father. Bob the village idiot—intro-
freshing way, but also plays with Fulci’s own
duced via an impressive exterior shot outside
oeuvre, from Sette note in nero to the splinter-
his abode—keeps an inflatable sex doll in his
in-the-pupil scene of Zombi 2.9 In turn it would
shack and is said to be literally a son of a bitch
become a classic, openly quoted by Quentin
(being retarded, he is also among the first to ex-
Tarantino in Kill Bill: Vol. 2.0
perience paranormal visions of the impending
The director is immensely aided by Fabio
apocalyptic events), while Rosie (Daniela Doria)
Frizzi’s score. The composer had already collab-
1980: Paura
47
Mary (Catriona McCall) is rescued from the coffin where she was buried alive in a French lobby card for Paura nella città dei morti viventi.
orated with Fulci on several films since the mid–
with gross moments of gore (with special make-
Seventies, including Sette note in nero and Zombi
up effects by Franco Rufini and Rosario
2, and his work in Paura della città dei morti
Prestopino2) which seem only too preoccupied
viventi ranks among his best: the unorthodox
to shock and disgust the viewer. Interestingly,
choice of instruments—such as the jangling,
the film’s most celebrated graphic horror mo-
arpeggioing acoustic guitars in the track appro-
ments are not included in the original story nor
priately titled Irrealtà di suoni (Unreality of
in the CSC script. The scene with Rosie and
Sounds), or the Mellotron in Apoteosi del mistero
Tommy in the car is absent in the former, which
(Apotheosis of Mystery)—enhances the film’s
features the bit where Woody is devoured by cats
dreamlike, irrational mood. Frizzi was particu-
in a rubbish dump instead. It can be found in
larly satisfied with the use of the Mellotron to
the CSC draft, yet, it climaxes in a decidedly dif-
convey a feeling of dread: “I was born musically
ferent way. After witnessing the ghastly appear-
at the time of the great success of The Beatles
ance of the dead priest, the two teenagers try to
and The Rolling Stones. I knew that they had
drive away, but their car won’t start; maggots
used the Mellotron (the harmonizing flutes in
start falling from the sky like rain, covering the
The Fool on the Hill, for instance, were a Mel-
windshield and windows and obscuring their
lotron). I inquired if I could find one in Rome,
sight. The vehicle is surrounded by zombies and,
rented it and learned how to play it. The best
in a Romero- inspired image, “dozens of livid,
zombie voices you can find on the planet.” Frizzi
fleshless arms penetrate inside the car,” before
would reuse Apoteosi del mistero with some vari-
the script cuts abruptly to another scene. There
ations in his scores for …E tu vivrai nel terrore!
is no trace whatsoever of the scene’s highlight,
L’aldilà and Un gatto nel cervello (990).
the infamous intestine barfing bit, which seems
to have been a last- minute addition.
48 1980: Paura Bob’s death, the film’s most infamous gory
special effects guys turn up with a rather uncon-
highlight, is also quite different from the original
vincing replica of Doria’s face.
story and the CSC script draft. Here, after Bob
As Fulci once claimed, “what I am really
is discovered by Ann’s father, he manages to es-
scared of are TV news. My nightmares, or Ar-
cape, but the man shoots him in the leg and
gento’s, are imaginary. Whereas TV news show
blows up his knee. The badly injured Bob is sur-
real nightmares lived daily by real people.”4 Not
rounded by the villagers, who tie his leg to a car’s
surprisingly, the film’s most infamous gory high-
fender and drag him around. One of the boy’s
light, Bob’s atrocious death, leaves any super-
legs gets stuck, and the scene climaxes in the
natural implication aside. Fulci described it as
gruesome sight of Bob being graphically quar-
“a cry I wanted to launch against a certain type
tered like in a medieval ordeal, before the eyes
of fascism.” It is an astonishing portrayal of
of his torturers. Incidentally, the same scene was
human evil, as opposed to the ghostly curse that
described in a very similar way in Sacchetti’s
forms the movie’s core: an act of gratuitous, ex-
original story: the only difference is that Bob is
treme violence, symbolically directed to the
not shot by Ann’s father, but stabbed in the leg
same body part as the zombies’ attacks, the
by a little girl. In its early conception, the se-
brain—and therefore by extension to free, indi-
quence was even closer in tone to the lynching
vidual and independent thought. It implies not
of the maciara (Florinda Bolkan) at the hands
just unspeakable horrors that are far more ter-
of the villagers in Non si sevizia un paperino. It
rifying than any revenant in the film (namely, a
was possibly dropped due to budgetary reasons
father’s unspoken incestuous desires, a nod to
and replaced by a simpler (although even more
Fulci’s own version of Beatrice Cenci as well as
shocking) version, in which the meek, retarded
to Sandra’s early monologue in the film about
Bob has his skull drilled from side to side by the
incest), but also a grim meditation on the state
jealous father (Venantino Venantini) of the girl
of modern society, where savage fury and hatred
he was hanging out with. According to Geleng
are barely concealed under a façade of civilized
this was Sacchetti’s idea.3
behavior, and are pushing to come loose at any
Finally, in the CSC script the zombies don’t
minute in the form of violent repression at the
squash their victims’ skulls but simply bite them
expense of the weak and the marginalized. The
(offscreen, in Sandra’s case), and poor Peter Bell
revolt of the undead takes in turn the form of a
ends up with his throat ripped open by Sandra.
generational revenge: once she returns from the
The living dead’s different modus operandi is one
dead, Emily slaughters her parents, and the
of the film’s most significant departures from the
teenage zombies (Rosie, Bob, Tommy) assault
subgenre’s canon: Fulci’s zombies are not driven
the squalid bar where the middle- aged locals
by a pathological hunger, but by a punishing
spend their time idling, chatting and drinking.
rage, which doesn’t aim at the consumption of
But all this is barely and incoherently sketched,
the bodies, but at the destruction of the minds.
so much so that the living dead suddenly mate-
This latter change further proves the direc-
rialize out of nowhere and disappear likewise.
tor’s willingness to detach from the Romero-
Fulci and Sacchetti’s following collaborations
inspired mayhem and follow a different ap-
would result in much tighter scripts.
proach to graphic violence. In his later horror
Paura nella città dei morti viventi climaxes
films, however, Fulci would perfect the mixture
with an extended “good vs. evil” confrontation
of subtle atmosphere and over- the-top gore with
set in a huge underground catacomb riddled
much more convincing results: here, the recur-
with skeletons, an impressive set- piece built by
ring images of zombies squeezing the brains out
Geleng at the De Paolis studios. Fulci and Sac-
of their unfortunate victims as if they were ripe
chetti would reprise and improve upon the idea
grapefruits are shoddy and unimpressive. Even
of an underground hell, a parallel world of sorts,
the much- discussed scene of Daniela Doria’s
for …E tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà. The result
character barfing up her own intestines doesn’t
is quite impressive, and the director was pre-
live up to its fame, coming off as enthusiastic
sumably very happy to get rid of his annoying
but slapdash, and perhaps more in tune with
leading man by having him dispatched by the
some Hong Kong oddities as, say, Centipede
zombies, thus promoting Carlo De Mejo’s Gerry
horror (982, Keith Li), due to the actress’ will-
as the savant hero. But Sacchetti’s early story
ingness to actually barf baby veal intestines on
envisioned quite a different denouement, with
camera for the first part of the scene before the
a sting in the tail. After dispatching Father
1980: Paura 49
Thomas and apparently delivering the place
strong emotions aroused by the viewing could
from evil, Mary and Gerry walk away in a snowy
cause considerable damage to the entire vascular
landscape. She explains to him that he was the
system.”
only one who could stop evil, because the spirit
Critics were ambivalent toward the film.
of Enoch is inside him. Then, suddenly, her
The Corriere della Sera’s reviewer, Giovanna
voice and feature change, “her eyes become evil,
Grassi, wrote ironically that “lately Lucio Fulci
and before Gerry can do anything she bites him
seems to have been ensnared by some malevo-
savagely on the throat. Red drops of blood fall
lent living dead,”7 adding that “the passage from
on the snow, while in Mary’s eyes a smile of
giallo to horror, blow by blow, seems to harm
black triumph appears.” Such a grim ending re-
Fulci, who relies on truculent effects and orgies
connected to the tradition of the Italian Gothic,
of blood and gruesome murders in his attempt
with the leading lady turning into a primary
to relaunch Italian Fantastic cinema.” The re-
force of evil (see La maschera del demonio, I
viewer dismissed it as “incoherent and stretched
Wurdalak, even Estratto dagli archivi segreti della
beyond measure” and complained about its lack
polizia di una capitale europea) and gave sense
of atmosphere and bad acting, even though it
to the references to the Book of Enoch which
praised Lombardo Radice’s acting and Frizzi’s
are lost on the screen.
score.
Whereas the CSC script draft for La paura
On the other hand, La Stampa hailed the
ends as follows. Just as Mary and Gerry return
film as “a grand guignol with class” and gave it a
to the surface, they meet John- John, the little
surprisingly positive, if rather patronizing re-
kid who is one of the few survivors of the zombie
view:
plague. “The kid runs toward them and hugs
them.” The End. But the film features an unex-
Until now, Lucio Fulci’s 20-year-old film career had
pected coda instead. Mary and Gerry’s relieved
dissipated amid “popular” products, appreciated by
the less demanding audiences and mistreated or neg-