THE SHUNNED HOUSE. With Fedrica Quaglieri. Directed by Ivan Zuccon. Running time: 100 minutes. Not rated (Brain Damage Films on VHS). The stories of H.P. Lovecraft present a challenge to any filmmaker trying to adapt them. The great American fantasy writer always wrote of "nameless horrors" and "indescribable creatures," so how can you show them onscreen? One of the few filmmakers to do right by Lovecraft is Italian director Ivan Zuccon, a genuine talent who has made several Lovecraft-inspired films, the latest of which is THE SHUNNED HOUSE. Shot on digital video, it looks better than many 35mm movies, with its Mario Bava-inspired lighting scheme and fluid tracking shots. The film combines three Lovecraft tales: THE SHUNNED HOUSE, THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN and DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE. Each tale takes place in a different era: the 30s, the 40s and the present. It's all filmed in a real house somewhere in the Italian countryside, and the house itself becomes a character, ala Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING, which this film in many ways resembles. There are some truly creepy and disturbing scenes here, and some of the images will haunt you for days--especially that of the insane woman whose lips are sewn shut, and who is compelled to pound her head against the wall over and over. Zuccon is a filmmaker to watch: if this is the kind of movie he can make on a low budget, what could he do with lots of money? You can get THE SHUNNED HOUSE on video from Brain Damage Films. If you're a Lovecraft fan, or a fan of the genre, don't shun it. --Bruce G. Hallenbeck
Review of The Shunned House
