Casa dalle finestre che ridono, La (1976)

Director:

Pupi Avati

Writers:

Antonio Avati (screenplay)
Antonio Avati (story)

Release Date:

16 August 1976 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Drama

Plot:

Stefano, a young restorer is commissioned to save a fresco representing the suffering of St. Sebastiano...

Plot Keywords:

Italian Horror | Giallo | Bizarre | Crucifix | Surreal

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lino Capolicchio	...	Stefano
Francesca Marciano	...	Francesca
Gianni Cavina	...	Coppola
Giulio Pizzirani	...	Antonio Mazza
Bob Tonelli	...	Mayor Solmi
Vanna Busoni	...	Teacher
Pietro Brambilla	...	Lidio
Ferdinando Orlandi	...	Police Marshall
Andrea Matteuzzi	...	Poppi
Ines Ciaschetti	...	Concierge
Pina Borione	...	Paraplegic Woman
Flavia Giorgi	...	Poppi's Wife
Arrigo Lucchini	...	Grocer
Carla Astolfi	...	Chambermaid at Boarding House
Luciano Bianchi	...	Franchini the Librarian

Also Known As:

House with the Windows That Laugh
The House of the Laughing Windows (USA) (DVD title)
The House with Laughing Windows (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | France:-12 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Cento, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company:

A.M.A. Film

Creepy, classy slow burn mystery horror

This one seems to really divide the reviewers here. The pace is undoubtedly slow and there is a relative absence of gore and nudity. Still, contrary to what some people have said, there is definitely some effective gore and a little nudity, so on that front the movie is not entirely lacking. I found this on the whole to be an excellent departure from the usual Italian fare. I had no problems with the slow pace because I found the story very intriguing, the cinematography beautiful to behold and the direction frequently creepy and surreal. This all served to keep me hooked throughout and I found the final twenty minutes or so all the more shocking for the fact that the movie is mostly very restrained. I didn't find this quite perfect, for there are a few plot points that could have been explained better and a few more scares would not have gone amiss, but for the most part I found this to be an impressive outing that gave me a satisfactory case of the creeps. Recommended to the patient and serious minded horror lover.