Lost in Reincarnation

Black Magic Rites (Renato Polselli, 1973)

Many moons ago, I foolishly bought a Danish DVD of Renato Polselli's follow-up to his ultra sleazy giallo Delirum (1972) without realising there weren't any English subtitles for it. Black Magic Rites (1973), AKA The Reincarnation of Isabel, was way more obscure back then, and your host was desperate to check it out on account of its reputation of being completely insane. With complete naivety, I figured I could at least cobble together a semblance of the film's plot according to the actions on screen. No chance! Gave up very early into the film as I didn't have a clue what the hell was going on. Fast forward to the present day and Indicator Films has released a very lavish 4K UHD of the film; more importanly it has English subtitles! Turns out the film gods struck their cruel blow upon me once more as Black Magic Rites is still an incomprehensible film even with the subtitles.

I wasn't alone in finding Black Magic Rites a confusing experience, both critics, David Flint and Kim Newman, were equally perplexed by it when I rewatched it with their commentary. It became all the more amusing with them trying to keep their professional composure during the film's excessive moments of unbridled sleaze and gory sacrificial goings on. Stephen Thrower, AKA Jess Franco's #1 Stan, who can talk a good one regarding the Spanish pervy midget's softcore Eurotrash films being neglected cinematic masterpieces, was equally as befuddled with Polselli's opus as the rest of us. What is an absolute certainty, is the unified acknowlegment that Black Magic Rites is a thoroughly entertaining psychedelic acid trip for die hard fans of Italian exploitation cinema.

I wonder if Peter Strickland's fictional movie The Equestrian Vortex from Berberian Sound Studio (2012) was inspired by Black Magic Rites.

As far as the main plot goes, Black Magic Rites appears to revolve around a collective of vampires performing Satanic sacrifices to resurrect a buxom witch and Dracula's beloved known as Isobel (Rita Calderoni). With the aid of choppy editing, the viewer is repeatedly transported from the fourteenth century to the modern day (the 1970s, in this case), to the point you're flummoxed with what time period certain scenes are set. Equally confusing are the cast (many from Delirium) appearing in both eras as reincarnated descendents of the angry mob who witness Isobel's burning at the stake. Extremely out there seventies clothes and hairstyles also muddy the waters as you're still left wondering if the scene you're watching is set in the Middle Ages or the decade that taste forgot.

Despite all these bewildering factors, Black Magic Rites is a deeply alluring oddity for anyone vested in Italian horror: on the one hand it starts off as a retread of Mario Bava's The Mask of Satan (1960), AKA Black Sunday; while on the other, it's a hallucinogenic departure form any sense of normality. You're never really sure whether the red body stocking clad vampires are performing their sacrificial rituals in a dungeon below the film's gorgeous castle - the same one from Massimo Pupillo's Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) - or in some kind of dimensional limbo. They're my favourite scenes from the film; gruesome as they are, they look gorgeous thanks to their technicolour lighting and jet black backgrounds; bizarrely reminding me of a school disco. Stylistically, the film evokes the ethereal and erotica vibes found in Jean Rollin's works, and also the influence of celebrity Satanist Anton LaVey. Coincidentally, LaVey used to mingle with the actress Jane Mansfield, who was once married to the film's male lead Mickey Hargitay.

Italian horror tends to be perceived as part of the wild and wacky side of horror cinema, and in Black Magic Rites' case it's more than undeniable. I've seen more than my fair share of utterly batshit Italian horror and Polselli's film has to be one of the more out there offerings. Much of it is inexplicable, e.g. why does one of the characters have a hilarious facial twitch? Even the film's dialogue, which was also written by Polselli, is abstract; lines like, "Vampires need blood that's not contaminated by human semen" doesn't make a shred of sense. The only real restraint is Gianfranco Reverberi's melodic, yet tame score. Imagine if the ritual scenes had a similar dark hippie vibe like what Bruno Nicolai delivered for the cultist scenes from Sergio Martino's All the Colours of the Dark (1972).

It's not often when a genre film I can barely understand wins me over this way. Most tend to fail and come off as pretentious art house in sheep's clothing. Black Magic Rites is a phantasmagoric and captivating entry in genuine Italian horror canon, which explains why it's so appealing despite its incoherentness.

Mamma Mia

Full Circle (Richard Loncraine, 1977)

Big mistake watching director Richard Loncraine's introdcuction to his semi-obscure British-Canadian co-produced chiller Full Cirlcle (1977) AKA The Haunting of Julia. Loncraine describing it as "almost a good film", somewhat put a damp squib over my expectations; especially after having shelled out a fair bit on the lavish looking BFI 4K release of it. Fortunately, Full Circle turned out to be a wonderful missing link between the classic horror films Don't Look Now (1973) and The Changeling (1980). Not quite on the same level as them, but an excellent film, regardless.

Full Circle begins with a cautionary and fatal example of always chewing your food, as Katie, daughter of wealthy American living in London, Julia Lofting, played by ginger pixie Mia Farrow, literally chokes it at the breakfast table while eating an apple. Ridden with guilt after performing an unsuccessful emergency tracheostomy on her daughter, Julia sinks to suicidal depression and becomes estranged from her money grubbing husband, Magnus, played by Keir Dullea.

After being discharged from hospital, Julia attempts to rebuild her life by moving in to a new apartment, far from Magnus's watchful eye. Shaggy haired, antiques dealer Mark, played by Tom Conti, is her rock of support as she slowly tries to pick up the pieces while Magnus continously harasses her. It's just rotten luck that she just also happens to be experiencing supernatural goings at the same time. Going on into any further detail would totally spoil the mystery of the film, so I'll leave it there.

Despite Loncraine's personal assessment of Full Circle, the film totally charmed me. Its slowburn pacing and rich atmosphere worked perfectly for its premise. This was a captivating viewing experience. As a horror afficionado, familar with certain tropes and cliches, being unable to second guess certain plot outcomes made the film a fresh experience. Farrow's performance as the guilt-ridden, grieving mother is superb. The supporting cast are also effectively good; particularly Conti. I also liked Anna Wing, better known for playing Lou Beale off EastEnders, as the dotty spritualist Mrs. Flood. Small, minor details like the contrast between Julia's well-off lifestyle and Mrs. Flood's impoverished dwelling really highlighted seperate worlds; just as much the ones conveyed for both the living and the astral plane.

Worth noting that Colin Towns's soundtrack is suitably eerie and chilling. Particularly fond of how he layers a melancholic piano melody with an eerie modern synthesizer riff; complimenting Julia's fragile mental state and the supernatural elements. Town's music is a strong reason why the film's haunting atmosphere is such a success.

Mark this up as another film which has me regretting not seeing when I was a child. Full Circle would have scared me out of my wits back then. A truly rewarding discovery, and definitely amongst my favourite watched so far this year.