** Note -- These arrived reshrink wrapped. *
While Mario Bava remains the best-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s. Gothic Fantastico presents four titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy's ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere. Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo's Lady Morgan's Vengeance - a tale of romance and mystery sprinkled with sadism and the supernatural - as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan tries to destroy his bride with help from his sinister maid. Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino's The Blancheville Monster - a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville returns home to her brother Roderic and finds her own family out for her blood. Mino Guerinni's The Third Eye features an early role for Italian cult icon Franco Nero and a plot that borrows elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani's The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter. Madness, obsession and messed up families are the order of the day in these four lesser-known monochrome gems from Italy's peak Gothic period, restored in 2K from their original negatives for the first time alongside an array of in-depth extras.
Bonus Materials
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- New 2K restorations from the original negatives
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
- Original Italian and English front and end titles on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
- Original lossless mono Italian soundtracks
- Original lossless mono English soundtracks on The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye and The Witch
- Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
- New video introductions to each film by Italian film devotee Mark Thompson Ashworth
- Image galleries
- Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Rob Talbot, Jerome Reuter, Rod Barnett and Kimberly Lindbergs
- Fold-out double-sided poster
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
- DISC 1: LADY MORGAN’S VENGEANCE
- New commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- New video essay by author and producer Kat Ellinger
- New video interview with actress Erika Blanc
- Newly edited video interview with actor Paul Muller
- Newly edited audio interview with director Massimo Pupillo
- The complete original cineromanzo, published in Suspense in April 1971
- Trailer
- DISC 2: THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER
- New commentary by filmmaker and film historian Paul Anthony Nelson
- New video essay by writer and pop culture historian Keith Allison
- New video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
- Opening credits for the US release of the film
- Trailer
- DISC 3: THE THIRD EYE
- New commentary by author and critic Rachael Nisbet
- New video essay by author and filmmaker Lindsay Hallam
- Newly edited video interview with actress Erika Blanc
- DISC 4: THE WITCH
- New commentary by author and producer Kat Ellinger
- New video essay by author and academic Miranda Corcoran
- New video interview with author and filmmaker Antonio Tentori
