A
Dark, Pagan Evil has Lain Dormant for Thousands of Years...
And Now Someone is About to Release it
director: Marcello Avallone
starring: Donald Pleasence · Katrine Michelsen · John
Pepper · Massimo De Rossi · Erna Schurer
Archeology
professor Lasky and his assistants discover a forgotten catacomb under
the remains of a Roman bath system. Their dig is compromised by the
neighboring construction of a subway which causes new chambers to be
discovered. Archaic - and ultimately pagan - inscriptions warn that
an evil will be invoked in the form of a bloodthirsty demon [known as
a Specter]. There seems to be only one solution: to seal the tomb before
the Specter can materialize.
Director
Marcello Avallone is a fringe member of the Italian film industry. He
studied acting in the early Fifties and landed a role in Dino Risi's
comedy Poor but Beautiful (1957); afterwards, he became
a line-producer and script consultant for Titus Studios. He helmed a
couple documentaries in the early Seventies and then landed the writer/director
position for this Italian horror film. Mr Avallone had been away from
the director's chair for 15 years before getting tapped to make a big-budgeted
3D version of Henry James' ghost story Turn of the Screw in 2008.
Unfortunately, that project crumbled into disaster, hemorrhaging massive
amounts of money before finally getting dumped. Today, at age 80, Mr
Avalone appears to have retired from the business.
An
Italian Film in English language; widescreen format (16:9), fully uncut
print (92 min.), DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American
machine. Extras include trailers.
