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The House by the Cemetery

Original title: Quella villa accanto al cimitero
  • 1981
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
17K
YOUR RATING
The House by the Cemetery (1981)
Slasher HorrorZombie HorrorHorror

A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.

  • Director
    • Lucio Fulci
  • Writers
    • Elisa Briganti
    • Dardano Sacchetti
    • Giorgio Mariuzzo
  • Stars
    • Catriona MacColl
    • Paolo Malco
    • Ania Pieroni
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    17K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lucio Fulci
    • Writers
      • Elisa Briganti
      • Dardano Sacchetti
      • Giorgio Mariuzzo
    • Stars
      • Catriona MacColl
      • Paolo Malco
      • Ania Pieroni
    • 226User reviews
    • 223Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    The House by the Cemetery
    Trailer 1:50
    The House by the Cemetery

    Photos137

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    Top cast16

    Edit
    Catriona MacColl
    Catriona MacColl
    • Lucy Boyle
    • (as Katherine MacColl)
    Paolo Malco
    Paolo Malco
    • Dr. Norman Boyle
    Ania Pieroni
    Ania Pieroni
    • Ann, the Babysitter
    Giovanni Frezza
    Giovanni Frezza
    • Bob Boyle
    Silvia Collatina
    Silvia Collatina
    • Mae Freudstein
    Dagmar Lassander
    Dagmar Lassander
    • Laura Gittleson
    Giovanni De Nava
    • Dr. Freudstein
    Daniela Doria
    Daniela Doria
    • First Female Victim
    Giampaolo Saccarola
    • Daniel Douglas
    Carlo De Mejo
    Carlo De Mejo
    • Mr. Wheatley
    Kenneth A. Olsen
    • Harold
    • (as John Olson)
    Elmer Johnson
    • Cemetery Caretaker
    Ranieri Ferrara
    • Victim
    Teresa Rossi Passante
    • Mary Freudstein
    Pino Colizzi
    • Peterson- testimonianza audio
    • (uncredited)
    Lucio Fulci
    Lucio Fulci
    • Professor Muller
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Lucio Fulci
    • Writers
      • Elisa Briganti
      • Dardano Sacchetti
      • Giorgio Mariuzzo
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews226

    6.117.3K
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    Featured reviews

    Pete-205

    Kick-ass!

    Probably the best Lucio Fulci movie! Still beats any hollywood horror movie 10-0. I have seen this about 4 times and it still keeps shocking me! Looking for good horror? Rent/buy this! (here in finland, you must buy films from other countries, everything is banned here... not so cool).
    6ma-cortes

    THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is a creepy horror film plenty of brutal images and gory events

    A family formed by Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco), wife (Katriona MacColl, Fulci's ordinary) and son (Frezza) move an old mansion in New England outside Boston close a graveyard . Norman advised by professor Muller (secondary role by Lucio Fulci) has to investigate a scientific named Patterson who committed suicide by hanging and killed his lover. There they hire a mysterious babysitter (Anna Pieroni). Early rare deeds begin to happen to them, as they start hearing noises, rare characters and tragic murders. The picture terminates telling some lines by Henry James : ¨ No one will ever know whether children are monsters or monsters are children ¨.

    Chilling Italian terror flick full of screams, chills, thrills and lots of blood and gore. Good make-up and special effects make-up by the maestro Gianetto De Rossi. Produced on a tight budget by Fabrizio De Angelis , Fulci's usual producer and occasionally director. Eerie musical score composed and conducted by Walter Rizzati. The motion picture is realized by one of the most controversial filmmakers of terror movies ,Lucio Fulci in his usual style with flaws and gaps but is professionally made because he is a skilled craftsman . Reviewers are divided over booth the morals and talents of Fulci (1927-1996) who sometimes directed under the alias ¨Louis Fuller¨. For some critics many of his movies are cruel and shockingly violent, yet their gory surface often conceals religious, social commentaries or intelligent issues. Whether he should be viewed as a cheap sensationalist or just a genius Fulci has a loyal fan base and undeniably has an important and unique influence on the terror genre , creating great works on a low budget such as proved in ¨The Beyond¨, ¨Manhattan baby¨, ¨Gates of Hell¨, ¨Island of the living dead¨, ¨New York ripper¨ , among them. This gore-feast that tried to disguised itself under many other titles will appeal to Lucio Fulci aficionados.
    7claudio_carvalho

    The Secret of the Basement

    In New York, Dr. Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco) assumes the research about Dr. Freudstein of his colleague Dr. Petersen, who committed suicide after killing his mistress. Norman heads to Boston with his wife Lucy Boyle (Katherine MacColl) and their son Bobby (Giovanni Frezza) to live in an isolated house in the woods that belonged to Dr. Petersen. Bob befriends the girl Mae (Silvia Collatina) that only he can see and she warns him to leave the house. Soon his parents hire the mysterious babysitter Ann (Ania Pieroni) and creepy things happen in the house, When Bobby goes to the basement, his parents discover the secret of the house.

    "Quella villa accanto al cimitero", a.k.a. "The House by the Cemetery", is a sinister horror movie by Lucio Fulci. The screenplay is confused with poor development of the characters, but the supernatural atmosphere is creepy and the camera-work is great. The metaphoric conclusion, with the soul of Bob following Mae and her mother, is excellent. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "A Casa do Cemitério" ("The House by the Cemetery")

    Note: On 23 March 2016, I saw this movie again on DVD with the original language (Italian) and subtitles in Portuguese.
    6Red-Barracuda

    More gore from Lucio Fulci

    Here is an effort from the infamous director Luci Fulci, who is probably best known for his ultra-violent zombie movies. This is one of them, although strictly speaking it is a haunted house/zombie combination. The story has a family move into a new home where it turns out a zombie called Dr Freudstein (yes, really) lives in the cellar. And from this premise much bloody mayhem does ensue. The highlight of the movie overall is the practical effects work from Giannetto De Rossi which kick into gear during the various scenes of over-the-top bloody violence. It's a fairly run-of-the-mill film aside from this really but it is also notable for having a very effective, intense ending. Last and by all means least is the child actor playing the character called Bob - he has been dubbed with the most ridiculous and inane voice that you would be forgiven for hoping he will wind up being torn apart by the resident zombie. But will he?
    4a_lee-1

    Most annoying kid

    The son of the researcher is a fair haired boy who is frightened repeatedly throughout the film and seems to spend his entire time banging on doors and calling for his mommy. The boy has the single most annoying child's voice ever heard on film and this alone makes him a character who needing killing off in the first minutes.

    Not great but made worse by the kid.

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    Related interests

    Roger Jackson in Scream (1996)
    Slasher Horror
    Pedro Pascal in Long, Long Time (2023)
    Zombie Horror
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Uses the same "library" set featured in The Beyond (1981).
    • Goofs
      Fishing line can be seen attached to the bat that attacks Lucy in the cellar. Also, when Norman stabs the bat with a pair of scissors, blood comes out of the bat in places other than where the scissors penetrated it.
    • Quotes

      Bob Boyle: Ann? Mommy says you're not dead. Is that true?

    • Crazy credits
      In the end credits: "no one will ever know whether children are monsters or monsters are children." - Henry James
    • Alternate versions
      The Vestron home video release of "House By the Cemetery", which was released during the 1980s, has two reels of footage out of order. This error makes for a nearly incomprehensible film, as characters who die are seen later seen alive and running around as if they had never been killed.
    • Connections
      Featured in You Won't Stop Screaming (1998)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The House by the Cemetery?Powered by Alexa
    • What are the differences censored British Versions and the Original Uncensored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • House by the Cemetery
    • Filming locations
      • 11 Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts, USA(real estate office)
    • Production company
      • Fulvia Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $462
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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