Plot: What’s it about?
Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) is an art restoration expert, so when a high profile piece needs work, his name is always mentioned. His latest project isn’t as well known as some of his other work, but it is important, to be sure. A small church has a painting of St. Sebastian, one in which he is being tormented and put to death. The piece is visceral to say the least, with a realistic, almost eerie texture, as if the artist could see the pain & suffering involved. As painted by an artist known as Legnani, the painting is the subject of much discussion in the town, as to the methods used by the painter to achieve such results. It is known that he used real experiences in pain to make his artwork more powerful, but in the case of the St. Sebastian piece, the talk goes beyond that. Some believe he arranged for people to be tortured and killed, all in the name of realism for his artistic masterpiece on the events. When Stefano begins his work, a string of strange murders begins and of course, he seeks to find answers. As it turns out, no one is certain of Legnani’s death and even his two sisters’ whereabouts remain unknown. So Stefano and his girlfriend begin an investigation into Legnani’s actions, as well as the recent deaths. But are the rumors true about Legnani’s methods and has he returned, or is some other evil menace at play?
Although it took over twenty-five years, The House With Laughing Windows has been released in America, as part of Image’s Euroshock Collection. The timing is quite good too, since the movie was just restored to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, so while it took a while, the debut is a most impressive one. As you can imagine, there has been much said about this movie, which means the hype has grown over the years. And since this is the first chance for most fans here to check it out, it has some big shoes to fill, to be sure. Whenever these long unavailable pictures debut, its sure that some fans will be let down, since they expect so much, there’s no chance even a great movie could live up to all the hype. So does The House With Laughing Windows live up to the high expectations some genre fans have created? While I think it is a good movie and a worthwhile genre picture, it is not the masterpiece it is often hailed as. I would think most will expect something along the lines of Dario Argento or the like, whereas Pupi Avati instead uses a slow pace, minimal visual flash, and as far as blood and sex, don’t expect an avalanche. The writing is good and the movie succeeds in tension & atmosphere, but I think there’s ample room for improvement. Even so, this is a solid movie and it earns a solid recommendation to genre fans.
Video: How does it look?
The House With Laughing Windows is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This excellent visual presentation was taken from the film’s original negative, which was restored for a recent overseas release. This edition looks even better than the import however, with less compression hiccups and such to mention. The print used still has some minor grain, but the image is quite clean and looks very sharp. I will say that the lighter scenes fare better than the darker ones, but all the sequences look great, so no need for concern. Its just that the darker scenes have a little more grain, while the lighter ones come off as almost pristine. I was stunned by the quality of the import and as such, I am pleased to see that Image has brought over that restored version, plus fine tuned the compression a little.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio has also been given much attention, as we have a trio of options, all worthwhile inclusions. As with the import, we have Italian language tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 and the original mono, but Image has upped the ante in this department, to be sure. That is because in addition to those two tracks, Image has included a DTS 5.1 soundtrack, adding immense value to their treatment of this cult classic. While I would normally choose the original mono, I sampled all three tracks and was quite pleased with them all. The new 5.1 mixes come off as effective, thanks to subtle presence that turns the screws, adding tension to the film’s atmosphere. These new mixes never force surround presence however, so the presentations are natural and serve to support the movie, not overpower it. The mono option sounds dated, but clean and more than passable and of course, English subtitles are provided here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a fifteen minute retrospective featurette, some talent files, a selection of lobby card artwork, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
