LUCIO FULCI (1927–1996)

ITALIAN SHOCKER

Initially known for his comedy scripts, Lucio Fulci gained fame and notoriety as the director of one of the most graphically violent and sadistic horror films ever made.

Born in Rome, Fulci initially trained to be a doctor but then decided on a career as an art critic. Shortly after, he moved into film, initially as a documentary filmmaker and assistant to great Italian directors such as Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini and Mario Bava. He grafted as a screenwriter for other directors before making his feature directorial debut with The Thieves (1959). In contrast to his reputation today, the subsequent decade saw him build his career on a series of commercially successful comedies, particularly the collaboration with knockabout comedy duo Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia. However, only a handful of films from his first decade as a filmmaker saw international distribution. They reveal Fulci to be a competent, but not inspired, director.

His foray into spaghetti westerns and historical adventures notwithstanding, Fulci’s reputation rests on his move into horror, with Perversion Story (1969) and A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971). He initially followed Bava in directing giallo: a brand of Italian horror that blended crime, psychological thriller and the fantastic. But his visual style lacked the flair of his mentor. As he progressed, Fulci’s journey into horror saw him cast his net beyond giallo, as evinced by Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979). Excessive gore came to the fore, and such scenes as the encounter between a large splinter of wood and an eyeball became the kind of set piece audiences could expect in a Fulci film.

His collaboration with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti produced a series of films that caused censorship problems in many of the countries they played. If City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery (both 1981) shocked audiences, they only hinted at what was to come. British censors were so shocked by The New York Ripper (1982) – a serial killer thriller that Fulci saw as his homage to Alfred Hitchcock – that every print of the film was flown back to Italy. The reputation of this infamous film now defines Fulci’s legacy. What sophistication he might have lacked when compared with his giallo peers, he made up for in graphic detail, which few directors have dared or wanted to emulate.