Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror (Blu-ray)

While groundbreaking director Mario Bava remains the most well-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s as part of a hugely prolific and popular cycle. Gothic Fantastico presents four off-the-beaten path titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy's ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere. Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo's Lady Morgan's Vengeance, a delicate tale of romance and mystery, with a sprinkling of sadism and the supernatural, as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan attempts to destroy his new bride with help from his sinister maid. Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto de Martino's The Blancheville Monster, a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville returns home to her brother Rodéric and discovers her own family may be out for her blood. Mino Guerrini's The Third Eye features not only a very early role for Italian cult film icon Franco Nero, but a plot that borrows several elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani's The Witch takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter. Madness, obsession and messed up families are the order of the day in these four lesser-known monochrome gems from Italy's peak Gothic period, fully restored in 2K from their original negatives and presented alongside an array of in-depth extras.

Rating: TV14