The House by the Cemetery (2010)

In a few parts, this film reminds me of The Amityville Horror and The Shining (in a roundabout way) yet it's nothing like either film. The creature in the basement puts me in mind of Leatherface lol.The film is a bit gory and bloody - but in a good way. The story is very interesting. The ending of the film is quite strange and I didn't care for it that much. The rest of the film was really good though.As far as the dubbing into English, I didn't have a problem with it. I'm sure they could have found a better voice for Bob Boyle's (Giovanni Frezza) part but the voice used was okay enough.This one would be a good film the Halloween season - it's a decent horror film overall.6.5/10

The concluding chapter of the Gates of Hell/Death/Zombie trilogy though there are no gates of hell to be found. There are two zombies though there is plenty of death. Plus, there is MacColl who would rather be somewhere else. This movie is more of a slasher film with supernatural overtones than the apocalyptic vision seen in City and The Beyond.Again, Fulci lets this movie meander after a good beginning. There is plenty of gore but not as much as City or The Beyond and I am pretty sure I saw the uncut version. The film however is bogged down by characters acting like they have undergone lobotomy. In order to serve the purpose of red herrings, they act suspicious for no reason. People see trails of blood in their house and act as if nothing is wrong. In addition to that, the dubbing, as has been covered a million times, is awful. In this case, it turns Bob who as it is looks annoying into a truly detestable boy, way more than Kevin from Home Alone.After the killer is unveiled, the movie picks up pace for the last 15 minutes ultimately concluding with a deliberately obtuse though not incomprehensible ending. Fabio Frizzi's absence is sorely felt as despite The Beyond being quite dull, his score lifted things quite a bit. The acting is pretty mediocre with MacColl looking bored. The gorgeous Ania Pieroni is utterly wasted. Fulci could have at least sneaked in a nude scene for old time's sake! Paolo Malco looks disinterested as well and he did much better in The New York Ripper. Overall, the film is pretty mediocre despite Fulci showing some spark for the first 10 minutes and the last 15 minutes. I still think City is the best film of this overrated series. Watch if you like Fulci but otherwise do not enter this house.

When a New York family moves to a small town where they found the perfect place to stay, it's a nice looking mansion. However the child has a special psychic gift of seeing a girl that warns him not to move into the house but he didn't listen, the house had terrible things that occurred once by a sick mad doctor named Freudstein who conducted horrible atrocious experiments on people. Now the family has moved in, weird supernatural occurrences keep popping up and the guests are starting to disappear one by one in a bloody way. Ghastly, spooky and gory as hell haunted house/zombie thriller from Italy's horror maestro Lucio Fulci is one of his greatest hits yet! it's also his scariest besides "The Beyond". Sure the plot lacks coherence but the dark atmosphere, a pulse pounding score, and graphic sequences of violence & gore such as skull-stabbing and a demonic bat being mutilated by scissors. The film contains that H.P. Lovecraft-like feel that Fulci would sometimes throw into his supernatural movies as this movie is a prime example, it mixes both the haunted house and zombie movie genre into one movie and it's a clever idea. Lucio Fulci makes a nice cameo appearance in this movie so look for him, this is one of my all time favorite horror movies and a must see for fans of the genre but not for the squeamish or those easily frightened. My rating: 8/10 Similar movies recommended: "The Shining", "Pet Semetary", "House (1986)", "The Others", "City of the Living Dead", "Re-Animator", "Poltergeist", "Dawn of the Dead (1978)", "Making Contact (a.k.a. Joey)", "The Ring (Japanese and American)", "The Amityville Horror (1979)", "Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror", "Versus", "Demons 1 & 2", "Cemetery Man", "House on Haunted Hill (1958 and 1999)", "The Orphanage", "The Devil's Backbone", "Burnt Offerings", "Phantasm", "Suspiria", "Phenomena", "Inferno", "Night of the Living Dead (1968)", "Day of the Dead", "Blood Diner", "Maniac", "The New York Ripper", "The Innocents", "Silent Hill", "Bride of Re-Animator", "Beyond Re-Animator", "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (a.k.a. Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue)", "Hellraiser 1 & 2", "Beyond The Door", "Shock", "Tenebre", "An American Werewolf in London", "From Beyond", "Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead)", "Evil Dead 1 & 2", "The Sentinel (1976)", "Final Destination Series", "The Changeling", "The Legend of Hell House", "House of 1000 Corpses", "Mirrors (2008)", "1408", "The Grudge", "Ju-On: The Grudge", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Event Horizon", "Stir of Echoes", "Cannibal Apocalypse", "Return of the Living Dead 3", "Beetlejuice", "In The Mouth of Madness", "The Toxic Avenger", "The Gate", "The Fog (1980)" and "The Beyond".

One thing that jumps out at me when watching movies like this one, Italian Horror films have the best music. Haunting melodies that engross the viewer and pull you into the film. House By The Cemetery is no exception. This story of the Haunted Freudstein House is made all the more memorable and creepy thanks to the music. Some of the acting is a bit stilted here, possibly due to the horrible dubbing of the children. Little Bob may be voiced by the worst dubbing actor in cinema history. It actually hurts the film. I suggest watching the original Italian language version if possible. A bunch of standout gore scenes and a thick atmosphere really help to make this one a classic, and the story is pretty good, keeping interest until the end. The ending itself is a bit of a head scratcher, but I am sure there is some deep, metaphysical meaning that I just don't get. Overall, a good film, and a great addition to any Horror collection.