***This is going to be a mid-monthly tradition now, I guess. At least until social distancing standards are completely abandoned. Maybe even after that. Some updates will be bigger than others – it all depends on what differences I can find. I've also added HBOMax selections this month.***
Are you self isolating? Are you thinking about broadening your cinematic horizons? Perhaps you’d like to learn about a specific genre? I’m here to help. Now that we've covered giallo (plural: gialli) films, let's move on to the wider world of Italian horror, focusing mostly on the key decades between the '60s and mid-'80s.
Netflix and Hulu have pretty pathetic foreign film selections, not to mention an utter lack of movies made before 1980, so, once again, they weren’t particularly helpful. Amazon Prime has a healthier selection, however, as do a number of free streaming services available via Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, et cetera. I compared a bunch and, for the sake of simplicity, I found the best in terms of content and video quality to be Tubi, Midnight Pulp Midnight Pulp (a "+" will be included wherever subscription fees apply), VUDU’s free selections, The Roku Channel, Shout Factory TV (though most of their titles can also be watched via Amazon Prime), Popcorn Flix, and Dark Matter TV (again, a "+" will be included wherever subscription fees apply). And, of course, who can forget smaller, but no less important paid services, namely Criterion Channel, Fandor, and Shudder.
Again, be warned – all of the free apps have ad breaks (I know, it sucks) and the video quality is inconsistent from app to app. Sometimes it's genuine HD, other times, it's sub-VHS. Apologies if I’ve suggested something with particularly grim A/V quality and be aware that the availability is based on the research I did on May 4, 2020. Given the nature of streaming media, I imagine very few of these titles will be available in perpetuity. I've included links to my own reviews of some of these films and be aware that, despite my classifications below, complete director filmographies are not currently available free/subscription streaming.
Dario Argento Horror Movies
Suspiria (1977) – Midnight Pulp
Inferno (1980) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and VUDU Free
Phenomena (aka: Creepers; this is the 110 minute version, 1985) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and Midnight Pulp
Two Evil Eyes (Italian: Due occhi diabolici; co-directed with George Romero, 1990) – VUDU Free and Popcorn Flix
BONUS: Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria remake (2018) is an Amazon production and streaming on Amazon Prime.
Mario Bava Horror Movies
Caltiki the Immortal Monster (Italian: Caltiki il mostro immortale; co-directed with Riccardo Freda, 1959) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp
Black Sunday (Italian: La maschera del demonio; aka: Mask of Satan, 1960) – Fandor and Midnight Pulp +
Black Sabbath (Italian: I tre volti della paura; Italian version, 1963) – Fandor and Midnight Pulp +
Hercules in the Haunted World (Italian: Ercole al centro della terra; working title Ercole contro il vampiro, lit: Hercules vs. the Vampire, 1961) – Amazon Prime
Planet of the Vampires (Italian: Terrore nello spazio, 1965) – Amazon Prime
Lisa and the Devil (Italian: Lisa e il diavolo, 1973) – Amazon Prime and Fandor
Shock (Italian: Schock, 1977) – Amazon Prime
BONUS: Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (Italian: Le spie vengono dal semifreddo; Mario Bava, 1966) – Amazon Prime (a 007 spy spoof)
BONUS 2: Erik the Conqueror (Italian: Gli Invasori; aka: The Invaders and Fury of the Vikings, 1961) – Amazon Prime (a colorful, slightly supernatural Viking adventure)
Lucio Fulci Horror Movies
Zombie (Italian: Zombi 2; aka: Zombie Flesh Eaters, 1979) – Shudder
City of the Living Dead (Italian: Paura nella città dei morti viventi; aka: Gates of Hell, 1980) – Amazon Prime, Shudder, and VUDU Free
The Beyond (Italian: ...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà; aka: 7 Doors of Death, 1981) – Shudder, The Roku Channel, and Dark Matter TV (under the title 7 Doors of Death)
The Black Cat (Italian: Gatto nero, 1981) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp
House by the Cemetery (Italian: Quella villa accanto al cimitero, 1981) – Shudder
Manhattan Baby (aka: Eye of the Evil Dead, 1982) – Amazon Prime
Conquest (Italian: La conquista de la tierra perdida, 1983) – Shout Factory TV (not technically a horror movie, but a weird, violent fantasy movie)
Zombie 3 (Italian: Zombi 3; co-directed with Bruno Mattei, 1988) – Midnight Pulp +
BONUS: Contraband (Italian: Luca il contrabbandiere, 1980), Fulci's hyper-violet poliziotteschi, is streaming on Amazon Prime
BONUS 2: The Devil's Honey (Italian: Il miele del diavolo; aka: Dangerous Obsession, 1986), more of an erotic thriller than horror movie or giallo, is streaming on Midnight Pulp +
BONUS 3: The Wax Mask (Italian: M.D.C.: Maschera di cera, 1996) – Shudder (Fulci was set to direct with Argento producing, but he maestro passed away before filming started. Sergio Stivaletti completed the movie as director)
Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) Horror Movies
Emanuelle in America (1976/77) – Midnight Pulp +
Emanuelle & the Last Cannibals (Italian: Emanuelle e gli Ultimi Cannibali; aka: Trap Them and Kill Them, 1977) – Midnight Pulp + (Warning: This film depicts genuine animal butchery)
Beyond the Darkness (Italian: Buio Omega; aka: Buried Alive, 1979) – Midnight Pulp +
Anthropophagous (aka: Anthropophagous: The Beast and The Grim Reaper, 1980) – Midnight Pulp +
Absurd (Italian: Rosso Sangue; aka: Horrible, 1981) – Midnight Pulp +
Ruggero Deodato Horror Movies
Cannibal Holocaust (1980) – Shudder (Warning: This film depicts genuine animal death/butchery)
Cut and Run (Italian: Inferno in diretta, 1985) – Amazon Prime, VUDU Free, and Tubi (more of a violent action movie than a true horror movie)
Body Count (Italian: Camping del terrore, 1986) – Amazon Prime
Riccardo Freda Horror Movies
Caltiki the Immortal Monster (Italian: Caltiki il mostro immortale; co-directed with Mario Bava, 1959) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp
The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock (Italian: L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock, 1962) – Amazon Prime
The Ghost (Italian: Lo spettro, 1963) – Amazon Prime
Umberto Lenzi Horror Movies
Eaten Alive (Italian: Mangiati vivi!, 1980) – Midnight Pulp + (Warning: This film depicts genuine animal death/butchery)
Cannibal Ferox (1981) – Shudder and Tubi (Warning: This film depicts genuine animal death/butchery)
Ghosthouse (Italian: La casa 3, 1988) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
Antonio Margheriti Horror Movies
The Long Hair of Death (Italian: I Lunghi Capelli della Morte, 1964) – Amazon Prime
Castle of Blood (Italian: Danza macabra, 1964) – Tubi
Killer Fish (Italian: Killer Fish - L'agguato sul fondo, 1979) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
Lamberto Bava Horror Movies
Macabre (Italian: Macabro, 1980) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
Devilshark (Italian: Shark: Rosso nell'oceano, 1984) – Amazon Prime
Demons (Italian: Demoni; Lamberto Bava, 1985) – Shudder
Demons 2 (Italian: Demoni 2... L'incubo ritorna; Lamberto Bava, 1986) – Shudder and Popcorn Flix
Michele Soavi Horror Movies
The Church (Italian: La chiesa; Michele Soavi, 1989) – Amazon Prime
Stagefright (aka: Deliria, Aquarius; Michele Soavi, 1987) – Amazon Prime and VUDU Free
Bruno Mattei and/or Claudio Fragasso Horror Schlock
Hell of the Living Dead (Italian: Virus; aka: Night of the Zombies, 1980) – Amazon Prime and Fandor
The Other Hell (Italian: L'altro inferno; Mattei solo) – Amazon Prime and Midnight Pulp +
Zombie 3 (Italian: Zombi 3; co-directed by Lucio Fulci & Mattei, 1988) – Midnight Pulp +
Zombie 4: After Death (Italian: After Death - Oltre la morte; Fragasso solo, 1989) – Midnight Pulp +
The Rest (some of these are terrible, but that's their charm)
Atom Age Vampire (Italian: Seddok, l'erede di Satana; Anton Giulio Majano, 1960) – Tubi
Curse of the Blood Ghouls (Italian: La strage dei vampiri; aka: Slaughter of the Vampires; Roberto Mauri,1962) – Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Shout Factory TV
The Blancheville Monster (Italian: Horror; Alberto De Martino, 1963) – Amazon Prime
Terror in the Crypt (Italian: La cripta e l'incubo; aka: Crypt of the Vampire; Camillo Mastrocinque, 1964) – Amazon Prime
Bloody Pit of Horror (Italian: Il boia scarlatto; Massimo Pupillo, 1965) – Amazon Prime, Fandor, and Tubi
Nightmare Castle (Italian: Amanti d'oltretomba; Mario Caiano, 1965) – Fandor, Midnight Pulp +, and Popcorn Flix
Beyond the Door (Italian: Chi sei?; Ovidio G. Assonitis, 1974) – Amazon Prime and Dark Matter TV
Slave to the Cannibal God (Italian: La montagna del dio cannibale; Sergio Martino, 1978 – Amazon Prime (Warning: This film depicts genuine animal death/butchery)
Burial Ground (Italian: Le notti del terrore; Andrea Bianchi, 1981) – Popcorn Flix
Witchery (Italian: La Casa 4; Fabrizio Laurenti, 1988) – Amazon Prime andShout Factory TV
The Black Cat (Italian: Il gatto nero; Luigi Cozzi, 1989) – Amazon Prime (A would-be sequel to Suspiria and Inferno)
Metamorphosis (Luigi Montefiori, 1990) – Amazon Prime and Shout Factory TV
Dark Waters (Italian: Temnye vody; Mariano Baino, 1993) – Amazon Prime