Hotel Fear (1978)

So much average

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Long neglected Gothic Giallo from Francesco Barilli that is entirely undeserving of such treatment. I have noticed that Luc Merenda is generally given short shrift as an actor, which is something I've never truly understood, but even his skeptics might be in for a pleasant surprise here, as he really delivers an excellent performance as a sleazebag, rapist Lothario replete with a righteous scumbag 'tash and oily, slick-backed barnet. Mention must be made of the excellent score by Adolfo Waitzman who creates a subtle sense of fear and degeneracy to the Gothic proceedings. For me personally this film is a truly great discovery and one more needlessly obscure Italian thriller that towers above much of the tedium produced today.

Its so satisfying to see a film like Pensione Paura, a rarity that really excels. Never released in English speaking territories and hence best seen on fan subtitled rips, its as worthy an outing of Italian horror as any others from the same period, indeed is actually superior to many. Best to know as little as possible about the plot before viewing as the film is slow in its revelations and hardly conventional, but essentially Pensione Paura is the tale of Rosa, daughter to hotel owners at the tail end of WW2 and awaiting her fathers return from fighting, who finds herself at the mercy of her assorted and somewhat dubious patrons. Its not really a plot focused film, more a matter of mood, slow accumulation of uneasy events, of aberrant characters, creating a mounting doom-like weight till all gives way. Little is fully explained, there are a variety of intrigues that move the characters along without ever becoming fully clear. Like Rosa we make our way through the fog of mystery, through the hotel with its colors, its peepholes, all decaying in isolation, fluid camera work and rich reds, blues and yellows compelling us in the journey. And the beautiful Leonora Fani as Rosa (one of her classier roles, she was also in Giallo A Venezia and Bestialita) makes for a perfect centre, pushed to the edge of her resources with innocence rubbing raw its almost impossible not to care for her and feel increasingly afraid. A shame she never achieved all that much fame as she really is terrific, highly watchable even in the quietest moments. Luca Merenda is the other big hitter of the film, in a bolder role as a scuzzy ageing playboy, he makes for a splendid arrogant brute, while Spanish veteran Francisco Rabal (Dagon) is warm yet frayed as one of the more sympathetic figures of the piece. Even the smaller roles convince, everyone coming together to make the film a smooth journey so as affairs turn darker and darker into a freaky and uncompromising finale it packs all the more ultimate punch. There is a small sense in which the film is too traditional, there are assorted moments, though variously suspenseful that remind us we are watching a giallo of sorts, and so the ultimate potential is never quite fulfilled. The relationship of characters and location is there, social and geographical isolation feeding the base and craven in man, decaying environment fuelling moral downward spiral, but the these themes aren't all that developed for all that they intrigue. Also the tension and fear of the piece stems more from events than themes, so instead of the truly exploratory, revelatory piece that lurks under the surface we have a top notch genre film that merely shines a searchlight. Yep, its still top notch. Could have done with a bit more blood, but for all that I've been jabbering you should know there are still some shocking jolts and a bit of sleaze and nudity. Its an arty film but it ain't yanking your chain, its still accessible. Those who shun slow burns should stay far away as for much of the first two thirds this only just about feels like horror, but if you can dig the suspense this is highly recommended. 9/10

This an interesting giallo from the director of "Perfume of the Lady in Black". It has a period World War II setting and greatly resembles the Salvatore Samperi film "Scandalo". The story centers on a mother (Lidia Bondi) and daughter (Leanora Fani), who are trying to run a pensione (hotel) after their husband/father has disappeared while fighting in the war. The mother is hiding her army-deserter lover (Francisco Rabal) in the attic while Fascist soldiers are encamped nearby. Meanwhile, a perverted couple staying at the hotel, older woman (Jolene Fierro) and her studly younger lover (Luc Merenda), are conspiring to get their slimy hands on the teenage daughter. This latter subplot is especially reminiscent of "Scandalo", but where the mother was the main protagonist there, the daughter is here, and this eventually takes a decidedly gialloesque turn with a series of mysterious murders. The ending is also quite different (and actually kind of ridiculous).The historical setting makes this somewhat unique as a giallo, but it's quite possible this movie was merely aping "Scandalo" there. It's principal strengths though are definitely Luc Merenda and Leanora Fani, who also appeared together in "The Last Round". They have similar roles here as, respectively, a handsome but vicious brute and his young, seemingly vulnerable victim. Merenda usually rates below other handome, more famous Italian leading men like Franco Nero (who was in "Scandalo") and Fabio Testi, but he was actually better than either when it came to playing an out-and-out villain. Leanora Fani was similarly underrated as an actress. She was one of the many Italian "lolitas" of the era, but unlike a lot of the others (Gloria Guida, Eleanora Giorgi, etc.) she actually looked like a teenage girl (even though she wasn't), and she generally specialized in playing vulnerable victims as opposed to predatory vixens.Francisco Barilli does a good job of creating a dark, moody atmosphere. The off-the-wall ending topedoes any real pretensions this movie might have had to be a serious historical drama like "Scandalo", but it certainly succeeds as a giallo (where bizarre endings are common). I actually thought this was better than Barilli's somewhat overrated "Perfume of the Lady in Black". It's definitely worth a look.

Francesco Barilli's follow-up film to his equally mesmerizing "Perfume of the Lady in Black" is definitely among the most underrated horror films ever! I wonder why it became so obscure, considering how great it actually is, and overall, it's very upsetting to think that it will probably never get the recognition it deserves (it's only available in Italian with no English subs, as apparently it was never officially released in the US or any other English-speaking country that I'm aware of) In many ways, the film is something of a bettered version of "Perfume", as even though the scenario is quite different, many themes, ideas that were presented in a more subtle way in it's predecessor, are considerably more developed in this one. Also, to everyone who labels Italian horror as style over substance, this one proves the contrary, as it's script (written by Barilli in collaboration with Barbara Albertini and Amedeo Pagani of "The Night Porter" fame) is one of the most complex, intelligent and well written of genre films being released at that time period. The film takes it's time developing each characters and their own inner conflicts. This does take a while, and for most of the first half, it plays out more like a drama than it does horror, but this doesn't hurt the film at all in my opinion, as it only adds to the build-up for a insanely brutal finale and helps us identify with our leads. The plot basically follows a young girl named Rosa, who runs a small inn with her mother during the World War II. After her mother is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Rosa finds herself at mercy of her mother's sinister, sexually depraved guests, but not before a cloaked figure starts prowling the dark hallways of the inn, with horrifying fates in store for those who harm Rosa. The gruesome-yet-beautiful story blends perfectly with the trademark giallo visual style (lots of blue and red gels, as well as some gorgeous locations at the Italian countryside), as well as the haunting score by Afoldo Waitzman (who also composed the score for "A Bell from Hell"), present in almost every single scene, and very important to help characterizing the protagonist, and her surroundings. Leonora Fani was the perfect casting choice in the difficult role of Rosa. She has that angelical, innocent look that the character requires, but is also a very talented actress, as shown through her claustrophobic descent into madness, as the film progresses. Luc Merenda is also great in it, and it was interesting to see him play against the type (just watch "Torso" to see what I mean), as the nasty and hateful Rodolfo. Overall, another unheralded masterpiece from a very underrated director. It's a pity that Barilli didn't make more horror films, as his two entries in the genre are on the same level as (almost) everything Bava or Argento has done. 10/10