Madness (1980)

People are voting emotionally.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

"Madness" or "Holiday Massacre" superficially looks like another umpteenth "Last House on the Left" rip-off, but actually it's not. LHotL and all of its copies revolve on two major themes, namely rape and revenge, whereas this flick doesn't feature any 'actual' rape and certainly not any revenge. This is merely a typical late 70's/early 80's sexploitation effort with a bit of additional violence near the ending. Joe Dallesandro, the handsome but slightly eccentric star of various Andy Warhol movies, stars as a badass fugitive convict in a very remote and rural area. He escapes from a prison that doesn't look like a prison and kills a farmer with a pitchfork. He has to pick up the loot from a previous heist in a countryside cabin, but the place is occupied by three people on a summer holiday weekend. Now, since this is an Italian exploitation thriller, it means that the "victims" are in fact equally sleazy and heinous as the criminal. Sergio is supposedly happily married with his wife Liliana, but has an affair with his nymphomaniac sister- in-law Paola. Paola herself is a genuine bitch on a continuous quest for lust and power. "Madness" is a competent but not highly memorable thriller. The plot is predictable and all too quickly reverts to clichéd situations and detestable conclusions. Women's right activists, in particular, should avoid this movie at all costs, since the script proudly concludes that women provoke being rape victims and end up enjoying it after all. The film does benefice, however, from the isolated cabin filming location. Fernando Di Leo perfectly manages to create an atmosphere of despair and inescapably. You can also almost sense the heat and sexual oppression through the screen. Di Leo is of course a very experienced and visionary director. He wrote and directed multiple downright brilliant crime/gangster movies "Manhunt", "Caliber 9" and "The Boss". Another strongpoint of the film is excellent soundtrack by Louis Bacalov. Recommended, but perhaps only if you're familiar with European – and then particularly Italian -exploitation from the late 70's and early 80's.

Written and directed by the magnificent Fernando Di Leo, whose brilliant 'Milieu-Trilogy' ("Milano Calibro 9", "La Mala Ordina", "Il Boss") stands out as the absolute highlight in Italian crime cinema, "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" (aka. "Toy") of 1980 is a delightfully sleazy Thriller that is often unfairly referred to as a mere "Last House on the Left" rip-off. Fact is that Kidnapping and Hostage situations were themes that were immensely popular in Italian 70s and early 80s cinema (the most outstanding example being Mario Bava's masterpiece "Cani Arrabbiati" of 1974), and that, apart from sleaze, violence and a hostage situation, this film hasn't too much in common with Wes Craven's debut shocker. It is interesting to see how Italian genre/exploitation directors liked to utilize everything as widely as possible: Di Leo simply re-employs the brilliant score (by film composer Bruno Nicolai and Progressive Rock band Osanna) to his own greatest masterpiece "Milano Calibro 9".A married couple Sergio (Gianni Macchia) and Liliana (Patrizia Behn) and the wife's nymphomaniac younger sister Paola(Lorraine De Selle), who has an affair with her sister's husband, are spending a week-end at their cottage in the mountains. As fate wants it, the violent criminal and prison-escapee Joe (Joe Dallesandro) is looking for something in exactly the same house. When Sergio has gone hunting and Liliana has gone shopping, Joe enters...The political incorrectness of Italian Exploitation cinema - one has got to love it. A rape-victim complimenting her rapist for his skills as a 'good lover' is quite unimaginable in present-day cinema. "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" is gritty, violent and full of delightful sleaze and nudity. However, it is not as gratuitously sadistic as some other Italian hostage films, such as Aldo Lado's "L'Ultimo Treno Della Notte" ("Night Train Murders", 1975) or Ruggero Deodato's "La Casa Sperduta Nel Parco" ("House on the Edge of the Park", 1980), both of which are rightly labeled "Last House on the Left" rip-offs (as opposed to this film). The performances are pretty good. Especially Joe Dallesandro, the favorite actor of every sleazebag-director of the 70s, is very good in his role of the thug. Sexy Lorraine De Salle (who is best known for playing the lead in Umberto Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox") is very good in the role of the seductive, manipulative bitch, and furthermore she's naked for about half of her screen-time. Gianni Macchia who plays the husband, had appeared in Di Leo's own "La Mala Ordina" ("Manhunt", 1972) before. Patrizia Behn, who plays the wife, is virtually unknown, but beautiful and delivers a good performance in her role as the film's only likable character. One hilarious aspect about "Vacanze Per Un Massacro": All the Sleaze and Violence is taking place underneath a giant portrait poster of John Travolta. Apart from a few extras in the beginning, the film only features four characters.With the exception of the wife, all characters are dirtbags, which may lessen the ability to care for them, but enhances the wonderful grit-factor. The score is obviously great, as it is the same that was used in "Milano Calibro 9". Overall, "Vacanze Per Un Massacro" isn't as good as Di Leo's fantastic Mafia trilogy, but nonetheless highly recommendable to fans of gritty and sleazy Exploitation cinema, and my fellow Di Leo fans in particular. 7.5/10

Director Fernando Di Leo is best known to us horror nuts for SLAUGHTER HOTEL (1971), a sleazy "giallo" that forgets to be thrilling or horrific and instead concentrates mainly on getting its female cast members naked during gratuitous lesbian and solo sex scenes. This one (which I saw under the title HOLIDAY MASSACRE) is his third foray into the horror/thriller genre and basically follows the same exact formula, cramming as much nudity in as possible but seemingly forgetting about everything else. Ostensibly a thriller taking it's cue from Wes Craven's THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (which influenced many concurrent Italian/Euro exploitation films), all this really is is an excuse to have lead actress Lorraine De Selle parade around nude for about 85 minutes. Naturally, if you're a Lorraine fan you'll probably enjoy this for what it is, but if you're going in expecting an actual thriller or horror film you will likely walk away pretty disappointed.Convicted thief and murderer Joe Brezzi (Joe Dallesandro) escapes from prison, murders a man with a pitchfork, steals his car and then heads off to find 300 million lira he'd stolen and hid in a secluded vacation home right before he was arrested. Before he can get inside and get the loot (which is hidden underneath the fireplace), married couple Sergio (Gianni Macchia) and Liliana (Patrizia Behn) show up looking for a little weekend R&R. Also tagging along is Liliana's self-absorbed and bitchy younger sister Paola (Lorraine De Selle), who is secretly having an affair with Sergio. That evening there's a lengthy sex scene for the couple (and a solo effort from Ms. De Selle on the couch), as Joe patiently waits outside. The next day, Sergio goes hunting, Liliana goes into town get some groceries and Paola decides to stay behind to sunbathe (topless, of course). Joe strikes when the getting's good, knocks out Paola and starts chipping away at the fireplace with a pick axe. When Paola comes to, she's "raped" (well, it starts as a rape...) and then her sister and brother-in-law show up for more of the same.A pretty low-budget affair, with minimal location change, minimal action and a very small cast, this one lacks suspense and tension and isn't nearly nasty or violent enough to be worth recommending. Dallesandro is the only one who manages to keep his clothes on the entire time (even during the rape scene) and basically coasts through this entire film with an annoying "angered" looking facial expression. Another constant annoyance is a huge poster of John Travolta's grinning mug hanging on a wall in the room where most of the film takes place. And despite the title there really is no "massacre" aside from a little rifle shooting at the very end.

Paula and Sergio are married and own the small house in the mountains where they only travel to at weekends and Lillian is Paula's sister,who just happens to be having an affair with Sergio.Sergio is going hunting,Paula is going shopping and Lillian is staying home to sunbathe naked.Lillian puts on the radio and we hear a news report a thief and murderer who has escaped from jail and is on the loose after murdering farmer with a pitchfork.The criminal named Joe Brezy has stolen the car and is hiding near the house.He has buried 300million lira in the house(from the previous robbery).Joe takes the three of them hostage whilst he digs for his loot.When he finally gets his loot he plays Paula,Lillian and Sergio against each other telling Paula about the affair her husband and sister are having."Vacanze per Uno Massacre" is a cheaply made thriller highly influenced by rape and revenge sub-genre.Lorrainde de Selle provides lots of full-frontal nudity and the climax is violent and memorable.It's a crying shame that this nasty little tale of sexual tension is so obscure.8 out of 10.