High Tension:Four Films By Lamberto Bava — High Tension( Blu-ray/ CD boxset)

During the late 1980s, cult director Lamberto Bava agreed to film a four-part anthology series for Italian TV under the banner of High Tension. But after the executives saw the completed features’ extreme themes, graphic violence, and nudity, their broadcast was blocked for nearly a decade, going on to exist as grey market bootlegs for many years. From Severin, here is a four Blu-ray/ CD boxset- presenting classy 2k scans of all four films, with a host of new extras.

On the first disc in the set, we have 1988’s  The Prince Of Terror (Il Maestro Del Terrore), and this is a blend of an off-kilter house invasion thriller, postmodern horror film satire, and wacky gore fest.

The just over one and a half hour film starts off very puzzling, as we see a woman waking up in an RV, and we see two chopped off fingers sitting by the side of a meat slicing machine. She goes outside the RV, which seems covered in cobwebs, in the middle of a bare-branched forest- a dead man sits in a pit of water, and he rises up, moving towards the woman. Suddenly, ‘cut’ is called, and we realise we’re watching a film within a film. We meet our two lead characters-  celebrated horror director  Vincent Omen(Tomas Arana), who has a rather Jeremy Sands look, and sleek, back-haired/chequered-jacketed Paul Hilary( David Brandon) a screenwriter who has worked on many of Vincent’s films.  The pair argue, with Paul getting thrown off the project.

Next, we see Vincent on the golf course being interviewed- he comes across very smug & self-assured, and is seemingly unconcerned by the loss of his screenwriter.  It’s made very clear that the director is playing with a golf ball with the numbers 666 on, halfway through his game some someone catches said ball…we then switch to the film's main locations, a large house on a gated estate- where we meet Vincent’s rather obnoxious/annoying family taking in his permed/ whiney/ constantly pick up her dog daughter, and his overdressed to the nines/ trophy wife.

They have a few equally obnoxious friends appear for supper, but they rush off fairly quickly when the power goes off, and his lost golf ball gets thrown into the middle of the table.

As the night unfolds, the family receives taunting phone calls. There’s a blood-spurting toilet- before things really kick in, with skinned pets, a black-gloved to slimy hand stalker. As things go on, beatings occur, folks are bricked up, hands are stabbed, and decapitations occur, though the most impressive/ original effects come via the use of golf balls.

The acting is either stilted or way OTT, and the film's pacing is a little mixed, with a few chase scenes going on way too long, with repetitive/grating soundtrack cues. The Prince Of Terror certainly tries a few different things. Sure, there are a few issues here, but the film stands as passable late 80’s euro horror/satire- with some neat ideas/ scenes along its length.

 

Extras-wise, for this disc, we have a few things. First off is a commentary track from genre experts/ authors Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. They begin by talking about how all four films were made between late 1988 and spring 1989, though they are not sure which was made when, as there isn’t a huge amount of information about the films due to them being TV productions. They touch on how there are a fair few heavy hitters in the credits, and that the film really steps out of what is normally expected for a TV film. We find out that all of the movies were shot first with an English track, with the hope of selling them on the international market. They discuss how the film, like a lot of the director's work, has a very playful meta feel. They chat about the film's screenwriter, Dardano Sacchetti, who has also worked with most key Italian genre directors over the years. They pointed out props from the directors’ other films in one scene. Later on, they talk about the film's lead actors, the illogical plot, and more. It’s a fine enough track, though they do tend to talk about the series as a whole instead of wholly focusing on the picture to hand.

Otherwise, we have two shot on film interviews with Lamberto Bava- The Adventure Of Anfri (16.48) which focuses on the whole of the High Tension series. And We Call Him Maestro (17.52), which focuses on The Prince Of Terror.

 

On the second disc, we find 1989’s The Man Who Wouldn't Die ( L’uomo Che Non Voleva Morire). This, I guess, is best described as a neo-noir/ thriller with quite a cynical tone and some effectively brutal murders.  The film focuses on an art robbery that goes awry, with one of the gang members in the hospital, and a highly expensive painting has gone missing.

The film opens in a half-lit hospital room, where doctors are removing oxygen tubes from a man whose condition is seemingly improving. But he seems very scared/ on edge- as he grabs and won’t let go of the doctor's hand.

We then see the same man from the hospital bed, driving a van through a small town up into the hills to a large gated property. We find out the van driver is named Giannetto (Gino Concari), and he’s part of a gang of five who are about to break into the house and steal art.

They break in & tie up the man & woman in the house, Giannetto showing himself as particularly sleazy/ nasty- as he feels up the tied woman. Next, a well-dressed woman with a pretty boy driver pulls up at the house- her name is Madame Jaclaud( Martine Brochard), and she starts marking certain paintings/ art with chalk- with the gang wrapping these items up, but Giannetto decides to cut a painting of a nude from a frame, then hide it in one of the house's outbuildings.

Finishing off his unpleasant sleaziness, Giannetto returns to the tied-up woman, pulling off her clothes to start raping her. The tied man manages to move towards the pair- repeatedly bashing Giannetto over the back of his head, leaving him near death…and here I’ll finish my plot detailing.

As the rest of the film unfolds, panic ensues as the gang realise Giannetto is alive in hospital, the painting is missing, and Martine Brochard is less than pleased. We move from eerier hospital corridor stalking, to brutal black-gloved killings, taking in a head-smashing/ drowning shown from below, and a nail gun to the face attack.

The film has some decent twists, effective moments of tension, and the daring choice of using such an unlikable character as its hero. The Man Who Wouldn't Die is a decent enough neo-noir/ thriller- yes, there are moments of 80’s vapidity which do feel somewhat trying, but there are enough interesting ideas/ twists to keep you watching.

 

Extras-wise, for this disc, we have the following: The Scerbanenco Touch (22.17) interview with Lamberto Bava regarding the film.  He starts off by discussing the short story, the film based on Italian crime by Giorgio  Scerbanenco, touching on how all his work features horrible/ cynical characters. We find out that in the past, his father had planned to film the story, but for one reason or another, it never happened. And that this was the first of the High Tension films to be shot. He goes on to talk about shooting in expensive locations and lessons he’s learned over his career. Stephen King Italian Style (15.24) Interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti.

 

 

Onto disc number three, and we have 1989’s School Of Fear (Il Gioko). This is largely a mystery with some light horror touches, regarding a young female teacher starting work at an exclusive school, where both students & teachers have gone missing/turned up dead under suspicious circumstances. This, I’d say, is most TV movie-like of the batch- due to its tone, and very fleeting uses of blood.

After the passable enough pre-credits, which sees a woman/ girl being chased by something through the bowels of the school, and trying to get out of a rain-lashed storm drain. We meet lead Diana Berti (Alessandra Acciai)- an Italian literature teacher, who has a new job at an exclusive mixed-gender school- her predecessor disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Making her way to the school early in the morning, she first meets a shifty and abrupt thirty-something school handyman at the school gates. Before making her way inside the building, to meet the place's principal, played by Daria Nicolodi.

In her first class, we see one of the female students is missing, another one wants to film the teacher with a video camera, and there is a general feeling of curt strangeness about the students.

As the film unfolds, we find out the students are involved in a ‘Game’, which some of them are fearful of. Other students seemingly disappear, Diana goes searching in the school's creepy lower floors, and she befriends a detective with designer stubble.

Clearly, there are attempts to mimic Suspiria with half-seen moments of weirdness going on between Nicolodi and the balding male vice president, but she largely seems to be rather on autopilot.

The mystery of what’s behind the game brings some pull/ interest to the whole thing. But the most compelling moments occur when Diana is roaming through the lower floors, which are adorned with murky specimen jars, broken anatomical models, and mazes of broken chairs/ furniture. There is only one real one of bloody unease- when Diana watches lo-fi footage of a doll with her face being made gory, before its body drops from a height. There are effective moments of unbalancing flashback, where a female teen in a princess dress is chased by a gang in fancy dress.

The film rolls in at the one-hour and forty-minute mark, and really, it could have been snipped of about twenty minutes of repetitive scenes. As our lead, Acciai is fine, having a more low-key Chloë Grace Moretz quality. Some of the young actors aren’t half bad, often better than the adult actors.

School of Fear doesn’t really live up to its title, as the fear element is largely clichéd/underwhelming. I’d say this is the least of the four films here, as it feels too TV-like, lacks any real punch/ gore, and goes on way too long.

For this disc, we have the following extras. The Tale Of Evil Children (18.15) Interview with Lamberto Bava. He starts off by touching on films his father & himself have made about evil children. He talks about how, as a child, Bambi freaked him out. He talks about the original story by Roberto Gandus- how he felt it was missing something, so he brought in two other writers to polish it up. We find out it was filmed in the city of Livorno, and he touches on different locations. 

Otherwise, there’s Play The Game (9.45) Interview with screenwriter Roberto Gandus. And When Bava Met Boswell (31.56) interview with composer Simon Boswell.

This release takes in a second CD- simply entitled Boswell/ Bava, composer Boswell and director Lamberto Bava collaborated on many films over the years. This CD takes in a total of fifteen tracks by the composer, and I must say it’s a nicely varied compilation- showing the different sonic sides of Mr Boswell. We move from the moody synth string swoon meets brooding electro beat bound of “Snow” from  1989’s The Mask of Satan. Onto the jaunting /bounding synth orchestration and warbling electro choirs of “Dinner” from 1987’s Graveyard Disturbance. Through to the climbing electro vibe pulse and simmering voice like synth tones of “Titles” from 1989’s The Ogre, onto urgent to sassy guitar/ choppy synthesiser tones of “One Eyed Jill”  from 1987’s Delirium.  All in a very listenable & enjoyable compilation.

 

Finally, we have 1989’s Eyewitness( aka Testimone Oculare). This is a mix of Giallo and erotic thriller- with some effective eerie POV stalking, and tense psychosexual moments.

The film opens in a mall just before the nightly shutdown. In one of the clothes shops, we see petty criminal buddies Elisa (Barbara Cupisti), and scared-faced & one-gloved Karl (Giuseppe Pianviti) planning to steal a shirt, with Elisa stripping off to show her bare breast as she switches her shirt for the stolen one. Karl says he’ll get the car ready out back. We then switch to one of the offices above the mall, where one of the female workers is having sex with her boyfriend, as her boss, the department store manager( Alessio Orano) is peeping at them from outside the office- he knocks over a plant pot, the boyfriend runs out, with the Store manager coming into attack her. She runs through the lights off mall half dressed- they get to the clothes stall where Elisa is hiding out- the manager wraps his belt around his secretary's neck, and starts to rape her- smashing her head through the shop window front- with  Elisa seemingly seeing the whole thing.

The alarm goes off, the night guard appears, and the manager runs off. Floppy fringed/permed-haired cop Commissioner Marra(Stefano Davanzati) appears at the scene, and we then find out Elisa is blind/partially sighted- so she didn’t see the attacker but felt his aura.

As the film unfolds perverse/ deranged store manager starts stalking/ attacking/ killing new victims.  As Elisa and Commissioner Marra join forces to track down the perpetrator of the crimes, initially, the policeman focuses on Elisa’s friend Karl.

 Cupisti makes for a believable enough lead, and later on, we get to see the disabled people-focused commune where she & Karl live.   Orano, as our rapist/ killer shifts between being sweaty & deranged, cool & calculated, and devious.  And Davanzati displays a good range of emotions.

We get a few tense attack scenes- with unsettling psychosexual undercurrents.  As well as eerier and taunt POV shots. The Simon Boswell soundtrack sits effectively between being uneasy & tensely edgy.  All in all, Eyewitness is most certainly the highlight of this set, being a well-structured/well-acted blend of Giallo and erotic thriller.

 

Extras-wise, for this final disc, we have a few things. First off is a commentary track from genre experts/ authors Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. They begin by talking about how the bootlegs of this film were terrible, with little colour/ depth to them- so this new scan is a revelation. They touch on how refreshing the films' take on disabled people is, being ahead of its time. They comment on the use of nudity in the film, which was very bold for a made-for-TV picture. They talk about the actor who plays the killer, Alessio Orano, and discuss other notable roles. They discuss the effective use of pulsing, as well as pointing out other actors as they appear.  Later on, they talk about the film's use of real locations and the use of nighttime streets. They touch on Fabrizio Bava- Lamberto’s son, who works on all of the films as a casting director. Discuss the film's influences, and much more. It’s another great track, though once again, they do tend to talk about the High Tension series in general, instead of purely focusing on the film to hand

Otherwise, we have The Last Giallo (14.52) Interview with director Lamberto Bava, and Love is Blind(12.26) Interview with actress Barbara Cupisti.

 

In conclusion, it's certainly wonderful to see these four films receive the full/ proper release they deserve, with lovely 2k scans, interesting extras, and of course, the bonus of the CD release bringing together a great selection of tracks that Mr Boswell penned for Lamberto Bava films.