Illustration : Graham Humphreys

The Wailing
 

Riccardo Freda | Italy, France | 1980

This supernatural giallo and penultimate film from the late multi-tasking Italian filmmaker, Riccardo Freda, showboats a veritable mishmash of clichéd horror elements, literally throwing everything in but the kitchen sink, and rendering the film’s denouement a somewhat implausible mess. The small supporting cast is headed by Black Emanuelle herself Laura Gemser, who delivers a somewhat predictably cardboard performance as Beryl — a rôle that merely required the actress to do little more than strip and die!

Upon completion of his latest film, highly strung actor Michael Stanford (Stefano Patrizi; The Tough Ones) returns after many years to his parental home — a remote old mansion in the countryside; accompanying him is his girlfriend Deborah (Silvia Dionisio).

His widowed and ill mother, Glenda (giallo favourite Anita Strindberg) lives there alone, with the exception of the family manservant: the loyal yet mysterious Oliver (John Richardson). When, the following day, they are all joined by Stanford’s director and a couple of the film’s personnel, the unwelcome guests are soon beset by a series of mystifying events, quickly followed by brutal murder — all carried out by a ubiquitous, black-gloved, shadowy killer.

 

 

Originally released on the Mr. Video label as Satan’s Altar, this largely forgotten, low-rent film next appeared on tape through Dealerpack Ltd., a small London based distribution company. Re-titled as The Wailing, Dealerpack (noted on the sleeve as Budget Pack) were required to remove 1m 18s before achieving the official ‘18’ certificate rubber stamp of BBFC approval. Fortunately, it appears that these cuts were never implemented, as the tape was released without any of the required BBFC edits. 

The video sleeve itself is a lavishly illustrated piece by Evil Dead artist Graham Humphreys, who had precious little concept to go on, taking inspiration for his design from The House on Haunted Hill and its star, the legendary Vincent Price. The central image of the screaming woman was re-cycled from the Palace Evil Dead video sleeve.

There are two slightly different cuts extant for the film: the Italian Raro DVD release as Murder Obsession has several supplementary expository scenes, the majority of which only have an Italian language soundtrack; additionally, some scenes are shown in a different order. 

The attack on Beryl (Gemser) in the bathtub is longer in The Wailing (this is featured as an extra on the DVD), and, there is also exclusive footage showing Beryl putting on her dressing gown and then later hesitantly walking around the house library in the darkness. Also worthy of note are the two differing soundtracks: The English dub is inferior to the Italian language track, with many selected scenes featuring unique, overstated electronic music cues.

 

aka : Murder Obsession; Satan's Altar; Follia omicida; Fear

cast : Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard, Henri Garcin, Laura Gemser, John Richardson, Anita Strindberg, Silvia Dionisio