The Worst Film Ever

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

One of my all time favorites.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Well, I guessed wrong! I thought the daughter was maybe into voodoo / black magic but nothing was ever mentioned of it and that is what surprised me! I already guess right about the severed head in the freezer so when that was revealed it was no shock - just the tail end of the film gave me the surprise and it wasn't what I expected at all. It's always fun to guess the outcome and to get a surprise ending instead of a "yep, I knew it".The movie make you wonder if something supernatural is happening or if there is an unsuspected, unseen killer lurking during some of the scenes. They make it obvious that the mother and the daughter both are off their rockers but it's also obvious there is something more going on that will not be revealed until the very tail end of the film.It's a strange film - not great, not awful but fun to watch.7/10

New Orleans wife Jane Baker is secretly having a steamy affair, when one day she receives news of a terrible accident of one of her children. In the rush to get the hospital, her lover crashes the car and is decapitated. After spending time in a mental institution, she returns the boarding house to stay, which were she would meet her lover. The blind landlord Robert Duval holds a crush on her, but her affections are for someone else and when he hears her calling out her former lovers name every night. He knows something is not quite right. After the disappointment that was "A Blade in the Dark", I got around to watching Lamberto Bava's low-cost debut film "Macabre" and I was extremely entrenched by this sedate, tightly constructed Gothic horror oddity. The morbid premise is atypically straightforward, therefore predictable, but on the other hand strangely fascinating as the mood and atmosphere sweeps you up then trying for anything graphic and blaring with punch. Lamberto's stylish trimmings notably display an edgy, conniving sense of simmering tension amongst the chamber piece structure. Ubaldo Continiello's smoothly tailored jazz score of sorrow melts well with Franco Delli Colli's aesthetic handling of the agile photography. The editing gets the right feel. Writers Pupi Avati, Lamberto Bava, Antonio Avati and Roberto Gandus' twisted material dabbles successfully into the psychological obsession and passion of love (or maybe the perversely forbidden sexual fulfilment) and the increasing frustration for attention. Boy it's demented, and unusual. Just wait for the crackpot ending! The clear-cut script works well with its foreseeable, bleak mystery to keep you infatuated, by setting up a likable intimate protagonist Robert and rally up anxiety ridden situations. Bernice Stegers's performance of Jane smokes it up with an ever-growing desire and very assured impact. Stanko Molnar doesn't lose ground either, with his stupendous portrayal of Robert. Veronica Zinny potently gets on your nerves with a creepy turn as Jane's daughter Lucy.

Unhappily married New Orleans resident Jane Baker (superbly played by gorgeously voluptuous brunette knockout Bernice Stegers of "Xtro" fame) has a steamy adulterous affair with hunky Fred Kellerman (a brief, but solid appearance by Roberto Posse). Kellerman gets gruesomely decapitated in a freak car accident. Jane moves into a boarding house with handsome, smitten young blind landlord Robert Duval (an excellent performance by Stanko Molnar) after spending a year in an asylum. Moreover, she continues to remain intimate with Kellerman's severed head. Director Lamberto Bava, who also co-wrote the compact and incisive script (the story is based on a real-life event!), expertly crafts a moody, deliberately paced and character-driven low-key oddball horror tale which serves as a poignant and provocative cinematic meditation on love and obsession. The uniformly aces acting from a fine cast rates as a substantial plus, with especially praiseworthy turns by Stegers, Molnar, Posse, Veronica Zinny as Jane's bratty, snoopy, deranged daughter (she drowns her own little brother in a bathtub early in the movie in a truly shocking and disturbing scene), and Ferdinando Pannullo as Jane's bitter ex-husband. Franco Delli Colli's smooth, elegant cinematography, Ubaldo Continiello's cool, mellow, jazzy score, a flavorsome New Orleans atmosphere, and the admirably tasteful and restrained handling of the delicate subject of necrophilia further enhance the overall sterling quality of this compellingly strange picture. Marred only by an unfortunate tacky cheap scare ending, but that minor quibble aside still highly recommended and well worth checking out for fright feature fans who want to see something fresh, unusual and original.

The debut film for Lamberto Bava (son of Italian horror master Mario Bava) was this bizarre, twisted, and compelling horror-thriller.Blind landlord is trying to figure out why it seems that his female tenant is still receiving nightly visits from her long-dead lover.Supposedly based upon an actual crime that took place in New Orleans, Macabro is one truly creepy and off-the-wall film. The story is full of suspense with a dash of dark humor (especially for that wild ending). Director Bava proves himself a worthy follower of his father as his direction is done with some gusto, giving this film a heated atmosphere of strangeness and building tension in all the right places. The downbeat music score and Gothic-like set pieces are a good touch as well.The stars are another strong feature of this film. Bernice Stegers does a terrific turn as her warped character. Young Veronica Zinny is great as Stegers evil little daughter. Best of all though is Stanko Molnor as the sympathetic landlord who falls in love with Stegers.An outstanding trip into the weird, Macabro is the answer for those seeking an unconventional horror-thriller. It remains one of Bava Jr.'s finest works.*** 1/2 out of ****