Quella villa accanto al cimitero (1981)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1981
Running Times: 75 mins 20 sec (UK - on Vipco video, 1993)      76 mins 26 secs (UK video - on Elephant Video, 1988)      78 mins (USA - cut versions)     81 mins 56 secs (on Vipco video and DVD, 2001)     84 mins (Italy)      84 mins 49 sec (UK - theatrical release, 1981 - with cuts)     85 mins (Australia)     87 mins (USA - uncut version)
Format: Kodakcolor     35mm
Ratio: Techniscope     2.35:1
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Fulvia Film
Producer: Fabrizio de Angelis
Unit Manager: Paolo Gargano, Fabrizio De Martino

SCRIPT
Script: Lucio Fulci, Dardano Sacchetti, Giorgio Mariuzzo
Story: Elisa Livia Briganti

DIRECTION
Director: Lucio Fulci
Assistant Director: Roberto Gandalia

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Sergio Salvati
Camera: Franco Bruni
Assistant Camera: Maurizio Lucchini
Key Grip: Giacomo Tomaselli
Chief Electrician: Alfredo Fedeli
Stills: Antonio Benetti
Colour: LV - Luciano Vittori
Negatives: Kodakcolor
Colour: LV
Stills Processing: Atelier Fotografico
Cameras/Equipment: Cinenoleggio S.p.A.

EDITING
Editor: Vincenzo Tomassi
Assistant Editor: Pietro Tomassi
Cutting Room Assistant: Armando Pace

MUSIC
Music: Walter Rizzati
Music Copyright: DEAF S.r.l.

SOUND
Sound Engineer: Ugo Celani
Boom: Eros Giustini
Sound Mix: Gianni Amico
Sound Studios/Sound Sync: C.D.S

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Gianetto De Rossi, Maurizio Trani
Make Up Assistant: Antonio Maltempo
Hair: Maria Pia Crapanzano
Wigs: Rocchetti/Carboni
Costumes: Claudia D'Obici, Massimo Lentini
Assistant Costumes: Claudia D'Obici
Costume House: Safas/SAT Costumes
Seamstress: Bertilla Silvestrin
Fabrics: D'Angelo

SPECIAL MAKE UP
Special Effects Make Up: Gianetto de Rossi, Maurizio Trani

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Gino de Rossi

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Massimo Lentini
Set Dressings: Mariangela Capuana
Prop Master: Rodolfo Ruzza
Set Furnishings: Arredamenti Cineteatrali Grp, L'Immaginoteca, E. Rancati

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Daniela Puccini, Daniela Tonti
Production Secretary: Guglielmo Smeraldi
Paymaster: Ptello Tomassini

LOCATIONS
Locations: Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Concord, Massachusetts, USA; New York City, New York, USA; De Paolis Studios, Rome, Italy

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Nazzareno Cardinali

CAST
Paolo Malco (Dr Norman Boyle)
Katherine (Catriona) MacColl (Lucy Boyle)
Giovanni Frezza (Bob Boyle)
Ania Pieroni (Anne)
Giovanni de Nava (Doctor Jacob Tess Freudstein)
Dagmar Lassander (Laura Gittleson)
Silvia Collatina (Mae Freudstein)
Daniela Doria (first female victim)
Carlo de Mejo (Mr Wheatley)
Giampaolo Saccarola (Daniel Douglas)
John Olson
Lucio Fulci (Professor Muller - uncredited)
Elmer Johnson (Harold?)
Ranieri Ferrara
Teresa Rossi Passante (Mary Freudstein)

Norman Boyle, a New York based academic, is assigned to investigate the suicide of Dr Peterson, a fellow scientist who moved into a rambling New England house, formerly owned by one Dr Freudstein, then murdered his mistress, then hung himself. With his wife Lucy and son Bob, he relocates to the long abandoned house and no sooner have they moved in than Bob is being visited by a mysterious young girl, May who seems to be able to fade in and out of photographs at will and who nobody can see or hear. As bodies start to pile up, it becomes clear that there's something very nasty lurking in the basement...

Continuing in the same vein as his tremendous L'aldila (1981), Fulci created the quite extraordinary Quella villa accanto al cimitero as his third film of 1981. The movie is at its very best when Fulci generates an atmosphere of unease rather than simply going for the all out gore scenes, though the grisly secret in the baseement is brilliant handled. The result is a finely wrought, often surprisingly poetic excursion into the macabre that stands near the very pinnacle of Fulci's career.

Australia
Video Distributor: Roadshow

Denmark
Video Distributor: Vipco

France
Video Distributors: UCG; Broadway/Cimitiere; Rene Chateau

Germany
Video Distributor: UFA

Greece
Video Distributor: Videosonic

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Medusa
Video Distributor: Avo Film

Japan
Laserdisc Distributor: Daiei

Netherlands
Video Distributor: Thorn-EMI

Sweden
Video Distributor: Video Invest

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Eagle
Video Distributor: Videomedia/Vampix; Elephant; Vipco (VIP083 - retail; VIP083R - rental; (VIP083R - widescreen))
DVD Distributor: Vipco (VIP083DVD; VIP083WSDVD - widescreen)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Almi Pictures
Video Distributor: Vestron Video

Australia
Rating: R (with cuts)

France
Rating: -16
UCG video release cut to 82 mins 20 sec; Rene Chateau video version cut to 82 mins 28 sec

Germany
Rating: 18
The theatrical prints were alledgedly seized by the authorities

Greece
The Videosonic release is cut to 82 mins 28 sec

Italy
Rating: 18
Avo Film released the film on video cut to 82 mins 21 sec

UK
Ratings: X; 18
The Videomedia/Vampix release is cut to 81 mins 6 sec; Elephant release cut to 76 mins 34 seconds; Vipco release cut to cut to 75 mins 20 sec (7 mins 27 sec were removed by Vipco before submission to the BBFC - by the time the Board finished with it, almost 10 minutes had been removed!)

USA
Rating: unrated

AWARDS

1983
Fantasporto
International Fantasy Film Award: Best Film (Lucio Fulci) - nominated

1981
March
Day Unknown: Italy - shooting begins

April
Day Unknown: Italy - shooting ends

August
14: Italy - theatrical release (in Rome)
21: Italy - theatrical release (general)

1982
March
24: France - theatrical release

November
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release

1983
February
Day Unknown: Portugal - shown at the Fantasporto Film Festival

1984
March
1: USA - theatrical release

1988
March
7: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release - with 4 mins 11 secs of cuts)

2001
April
2: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release - with 33 seconds of cuts)

May
21: UK - DVD release (Vipco (VIP083DVD; VIP083WSDVD - widescreen)); rental video release (Vipco (VIP083R)); retail video release (Vipco (VIP083)); widescreen video release (Vipco (VIP083W))

Read the fine print. You may have just mortgaged your life!

Due to the graphic nature of this film, no one under 17 will be admitted.

Can anyone survive the demented marauding zombies in...

The House By the Cemetery - UK/US title
The House Outside the Cemetery
Slagtehuset ved kirkegarden - Danish title
La maison pres du cimitiere - French title
Das Haus an der Friedhofsmauer - German title
Het Huis Bij het Kerkhof - Dutch title
A casa do cemiterio - Portugese title
Aquella casa al lado del cementerio - Spanish title
La casa accanto al cimitero
Freudstein - shooting title

BOOKS

Aurum Horror of Film: Horror (2nd edition) p.370
credits, review

Beyond Terror pp.279
credits, review, synopsis

MAGAZINES

The Dark Side 63 p.25
review

Delirium 4 pp.41-43
credits, synopsis, review

L'Ecran Fantastique n16 pp.38, 52
review

L'Ecran Fantastique n22 (1982) pp.8-13
interview with Lucio Fulci

Halls of Horror 27 p.22
UK video infornmation

Monthly Film Bulletin p.20
credits, synopsis, review (by Julian Petley)

Necronomicon 1 pp.19-20
illustrated review

Rivista del cinematografo v55 n9/12 (September/December 1982) p.406
credits

Scapegoat 1 p.11
UK censorship details

The Seduction of the Gullible (2nd edition) pp.99-101
illustrated credits, synopsis, review (by John Martin)

Starburst no.35 p.8
note

Starburst no.42 (1982) p.14
review (by Alan Jones)

Starburst no.64 p.43
note

Starburst no.73 p.42
note

Variety 11 April 1984 p.20
review (by Lor)

Video Week 5 January 1987 p.8
note

OTHER SOURCES

British Board of Film Censors Monthly List December 1981
UK censorship details

Variety Italian Production Chart 29 July 1981 p.20
credits

scientists, houses, psychics, babysitters, bats, decapitations, scalpings, old dark houses, children, gore, pokers, zombies, the supernatural, alternate dimensions, human experiments, splatter, living dead, basements

Last Updated: 23 August, 2009