THE CLASSIC ITALIAN SHOCKER – AVAILABLE IN THE UK FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
Directed by three time Palme d'Or nominee Pupi Avati (Il Cuore Altrove; Magnificat; Bix), the long sought after and highly regarded Italian shocker THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS finally comes to DVD in the UK for the first time ever courtesy of Nouveaux Pictures.
Deservedly hailed by many as a masterpiece of Italian cinema, this intelligent thriller successfully eschews the gore-laden "slasher" aesthetics of most Italian horror movies in favour of a far more sinister and atmospheric kind of terror, favourably reminiscent of Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" and Roman Polanski's "The Tenant".
On the recommendation of a friend, Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) is commissioned to work on the restoration of a ghoulish, unfinished fresco in the church of a sleepy rural village portraying the bloody execution of the martyred Saint Sebastian. Stefano discovers the original painting is the work of a local but long-since disappeared artist, Legnani, a disturbed soul dubbed the "painter of agony" by the villagers because of the grim subject matter of his works.
As Stefano settles into his task, he soon begins to feel a deep sense of unease, a sensation exacerbated by the eccentric behaviour of some of the locals. His inexplicable feeling of dread is reinforced when he receives an anonymous phone call advising him not to touch the painting, followed by a call from his friend telling him about a terrible tale relating to the fresco's creation. Stefano's further inquiries into the painting's origins take on a baleful quality following the sudden death, a possible murder, of someone claiming to have the information he needs to satisfy his curiosity. With the help of Francesca (Francesca Marciano), a pretty supply teacher from a nearby school with whom he has begun an affair, Stefano sets about solving the bizarre puzzle for himself. Their investigations lead them to the mysterious "house with laughing windows" where they unearth a dark and terrifying secret.
A superlative chiller that heaps on the tension and suspense with each sinister revelation and a constant threat of impending violence, THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS builds to a shattering, totally unexpected and unforgettable finale.
THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (cert. 18) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Nouveaux Pictures on 25th September 2006.
