March 2016 marks 20 years since the passing of Lucio Fulci, one of the giants of Italian exploitation cinema. So what better time to look back at his claret-coloured career? If you know Fulcis name at all, its probably in connection with his gory 80s horror pictures, which earned him the nickname 'The Godfather Of Gore'. The same title was bestowed on Herschell Gordon Lewis a decade earlier, but it fits Fulci better - not only are his effects more realistic but his films are better made. Theres more to Fulci than blood and guts, though, and over the course of a career that spanned five decades he either wrote or directed westerns, comedies, and thrillers. Like many Italian filmmakers, he also made several giallo movies (a distinctly Italian mix of horror and detective film), but unlike his contemporary Dario Argento he could direct just as easily in other genres. Fulci has influenced filmmakers from Sam Raimi (check out the use of close-ups in The Evil Dead) to Quentin Tarantino, who considers Fulcis The Psychic (1977) one of the best grindhouse movies of all-time (he even reuses the score in Kill Bill Vol 1). Pascal Laugier cast Catriona MacColl in House Of Voices (2004) because of her association with the Italian maestro, while as far afield as Japan, Fulcis zombie pictures informed Atsushi Murogas Junk (2000). Fulci wasn't appreciated fully in his own time but his influence can be seen in films the world ovr. Here are eight of his very best and most influential films.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
