house by the cemetery 2020

Lucio Fulci was on fire in the early '80s with a string of stylish gore films like The Beyond and City of the Living Dead. You can follow that trail of blood right on into The House by the Cemetery (1981), which was released just a year after The Shining, and lifts many of the same spook house ingredients: blank-faced kid with psychic visions, creepy ghost girls, and (due to budgetary constraints, I’m sure) a small stream of blood rather than an entire service elevator.

Italian horror pays about as much attention to plot as a five-year-old in advanced algebra class, and House is no exception. It’s not that narrative logic was beyond him, but Fulci seemed to be competing toe-to-toe with rival Dario Argento (Suspiria) to see who could make the most non-sensical horror film. House comes awful close to winning the prize; blending ghosts, zombies and mad-scientists with several set-piece gross out effects. An over-the-top bat attack shows exactly why the director's boundary-busting approach to filmmaking has aged so well in today's era of predictable scares.

Blue Underground’s new Blu-ray edition is their much-anticipated follow-up to Fulci's The New York Ripper, which pretty much set the standard for horror restorations in 2019. And if House is any indication, 2020 is looking even better! With a 4K derived transfer from the original and uncut camera negative, there's absolutely no room for complaints. All the extras from the previous edition are ported over along with a new commentary from author Troy Howarth, Q & A with actress Catriona MacColl, interviews with co-writer Giorgio Mariuzzo and author Stephen Thrower, plus the original motion picture soundtrack on a separate CD. The packaging includes a lenticular 3D cover and collectable booklet.