The House by the Cemetery (1981)

While most people think The Beyond is Fulci's best, i personally think this is his best film. The FX effects are alot better and realistic looking then his previous movies and the villain in the film Dr. Freudstein is among the ranks of Freddy, Jason, The Shape, Pinhead, Leatherface and others as a truely scary and nasty monster. Like all Fulci's films there are some problems including some bad acting, annoying dubbed voices, multiple plot holes and things that come up but are never hinted at or talked about again but overall the film conveys a frightening atmosphere (which Fulci is great at), excellent FX and gore effects (with one possible exception, lets just say it involves a bat), a great musical score and one of my favorite and most horrific villains ever put on screen. Fulci also ends it in a very dark and ambiguous manner. Vote: 9 out of 10

Fmovies: Out of the horror films by Fulci which I own (The Beyond, City of the Living Dead and this one), this is definitely my favourite. As well as containing the most gore (I'm lucky to have an uncut version) it is also the most scary. There are plenty of moments which will make you jump and the overall images projected from the camera panning of the house in question adds to this, creating a tense and terrifying atmosphere. The murders are spot-on with plenty of blood and great effects which again add to the overall tension in the film. The storyline, though fairly thin, keeps things moving along at a quick pace to the abrupt ending which is typical of Fulci's other work. Overall, I make a point of watching this film regularly (with lights off!) as I think it is just a great horror flick. If you're a horror fan, see this! My score: 8/10.

If I have to be objective, I would say that I can understand why some people criticize "The House by the Cemetery" for being a film that lacks of logical explanations all the way through. As a matter of fact, regardless of how much I love this film and how biased I can be, I admit that it is overflowing with nonsensical and misleading sequences that only add a little bit of confusion. This is not the only occasion in which Mr. Fulci is accused of being ambiguous and practically senile for developing such random and unsystematic states of affairs in one his films. However, it is not the only time in which the results are unquestionably effective and unforgettable either. I think we ought to accept by now that several Italian horror movies, let alone the ones directed by Mr. Fulci, are not exactly to be praised because of their plot and exceedingly appropriate logic. The high point in "The House by the Cemetery", along with many other films directed by Lucio Fulci, is without doubt the atmosphere and pleasant demonstration of fear-provoking imagery.

In "The House by the Cemetery", Dr. Boyle moves to the countryside in New England with his wife, Lucy and his obnoxious little son, Bobby. His purpose is to continue an unfinished research and finding out what happened to his colleague, who killed himself and slaughtered his mistress for no apparent reason. Dr. Boyle, who is pretty excited about the research and the fact that he's going to earn five thousand dollars extra, tries to cope with the constant ranting coming from his wife and little Bob, who claims he sees a little girl who says they shouldn't go to the house. Despite the consequences, Dr. Boyle prepares for his research, without even considering that Bobby's so-called hallucinations and lies should be taken seriously. In the cellar of the house, there's something waiting for them. Something that is beyond anyone's nightmare and the Boyles are about to find out what it is.

Like I said before, it seems that many people were deeply offended by the lack of logic and while I'm not saying that this is untrue, personally, I don't think it's a blameworthy feature. Building up an extremely sensible story, obviously wasn't Lucio Fulci's strongest suit. However, what this film lacks of logic is surpassed with other things, for instance, Dr. Freudstein, who is definitely one of the most horrendous baddies and his bone-chilling appearance throughout the last minutes. The sequence in which we see the family trying to fight against this outlandish creature, taken from Mr. Fulci's worst nightmares, is by far one of the most shocking and professionally made scenes I have witnessed in a horror movie. Not to mention that there's also a nice share of gore as a bonus for those who are always in the mood for brutal murders and guts all over the place. It seems like I may be one of the few who enjoyed the nonsensical succession, like for example, the flash-back in which little Mae sees mannequin losing her head, or the eyes close-up or the arrival of Ann to the house. Those were some of the most criticized and somehow far-fetched little details that I personally enjoyed, for contributing to develop Mr. Fulci's nightmarish atmosphere, which is somehow his trademark. The music is also one of the things I really enjoyed about this film, although it seems like not many people noticed that little nicety. It's quite melancholic and beautiful. The same music is used from the beginning until the end, which s

The House by the Cemetery fmovies. Probably the best Lucio Fulci movie! Still beats any hollywood horror movie 10-0. I have seen this about 4 times and it still keeps shocking me! Looking for good horror? Rent/buy this! (here in finland, you must buy films from other countries, everything is banned here... not so cool).

Another terrifying Italian shocker from the legendary Lucio Fulci. A family move into a creepy old house and are unaware that living in the cellar is the flesh-eating zombie of a 19th Century surgeon. The little boy is soon a friend with the ghost of the late doctors daughter who warns them to stay away but to little effect. The creature gruesomely kills and dismembers a variety of Estate Agents, Copulating teenagers and Babysitters leading to a terrifying finale in the corpse-strewn cellar. The Lucio Fulci trademark of graphic gore is abundant as ever but it is the atmosphere that makes this movie stand out. Bumps in the night and the ominous crying of children coming from the cellar are just some of the factors that assault and disturb the viewer. This is a truly amazing movie that relies on shock and terror rather than revulsion. The gore just adds to what is already a truly chilling little tale of cannibalism and depravity that will linger in the mind long after you've forgotten about the illogical plot and poor dubbing. One of Fulci's best films. Deserves its cult reputation. My Rating – 9 out of 10.

In New York, Dr. Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco) assumes the research about Dr. Freudstein of his colleague Dr. Petersen, who committed suicide after killing his mistress. Norman heads to Boston with his wife Lucy Boyle (Katherine MacColl) and their son Bobby (Giovanni Frezza) to live in an isolated house in the woods that belonged to Dr. Petersen. Bob befriends the girl Mae (Silvia Collatina) that only he can see and she warns him to leave the house. Soon his parents hire the mysterious babysitter Ann (Ania Pieroni) and creepy things happen in the house, When Bobby goes to the basement, his parents discover the secret of the house.

"Quella villa accanto al cimitero", a.k.a. "The House by the Cemetery", is a sinister horror movie by Lucio Fulci. The screenplay is confused with poor development of the characters, but the supernatural atmosphere is creepy and the camera-work is great. The metaphoric conclusion, with the soul of Bob following Mae and her mother, is excellent. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa do Cemitério" ("The House by the Cemetery")

Note: On 23 March 2016, I saw this movie again on DVD with the original language (Italian) and subtitles in Portuguese.