La casa dalle finestre che ridono AKA The House With Laughing Windows
(Pupi Avati, 1976)
"I think I discovered the strangest story ever"
A man whose hands are tied, strung-up on a hook, gets brutally & repeatedly stabbed. He screams in agony (well, you would though wouldn't you?), blood spurting from his flesh. At the same time a voice over utters insane psychotic babble... what a way to start a film!
Pupi & his brother Antonio Avati concocted this Italian gem in 1976, which stands head & shoulders above most horror/giallo movies. Not excessive in terms of gore, laughing windows is high on suspense, paranoia, atmosphere and inspired, trippy mentalism!
Lino Capolicchio plays Stefano, who arrives in the small town of Saint Sebastian to restore a fresco, which was painted by a local artist Legnani and stands on a wall in the local church. Immediately, everyone in the village is acting suspiciously: The alcoholic driver, the camp priest, the local mong, the man whose eyes are too close together, the midget mayor... Yes, even him. In fact, the only person who appears normal is the very lovely Francesca Marciano, who has also just arrived in St Sebastian.
Soon, Stefano moves into a large, somewhat spooky house, conveniently situated in the middle of bloody nowhere, the only other inhabitant being a bed-ridden old dear. Strange sounds are heard from within this house, and Stefano's obsession with the fresco - and Legnani's life- slowly begin to affect him. What secret does the fresco hide? Is this the same secret everybody in the village is hiding? And what exactly is the house with laughing windows? Needless to say, I can't answer those questions without spoiling the whole story, I'll just recommend you see it.
Pupi's direction is very good, the photography is also excellent, and the film looks remarkable... especially the colour. The film is in Italian (some Italian films tend to be spoken in English, then dubbed into Italian), and the entire cast is uniformly excellent. This sometimes feels like a Dario Argento film, but the big improvement here is that the brothers Avati can actually write half-decent dialogue (in any language). Usually with Italian films of this genre (more horror than giallo in my opinion), there is always some kind of flaw. Not so with laughing windows... in terms of horror, this is pitch perfect. Especially the ending, which must be one of the craziest in film history!
Horror fans beware, though. Laughing windows is more mood than gore, so don't expect this to be in the style of 70s slasher or modern 'torture porn'. I suppose that is what I find endearing about the film. Not only is it well made, but it's also well paced. Pupi has made alot of movies in Italy, but this one has gained a cult audience, which is deserved. Only his 1983 film 'Zeder' appears to have a similar cult following. Out of the giant mass of Italian horror, The House With Laughing Windows is one of the best you'll see.
