8. Buio Omega/ Beyond the Darkness - Embalmment (1979)
Buio Omega is a little seen cult horror film. Its extreme nature has driven it underground although it is directed by the Late Great Joe D'Amato - King of Italian Ubersleaze. D'Amato directed a few little gems in his day such as Emanuelle in America but in reality he was nearly as much of a clod as Jess Franco (actually the bulk of Franco's films are highly watchable compared to D'Amato's) and he found himself directing more hardcore porn than straight movies. He did manage to tickle the fancy of horror fans with Buio Omega in 1979. A Goblin soundtrack, impressive gore and hardcore torture and violence scenes. The particular controversial scene we are concerned with is the embalming of Anna. Frank is a rich young heir whose beautiful girlfriend dies due to the voodoo doll machinations of Frank's housekeeper. Unable to cope without her, Frank breaks into Anna's grave, snatches her body and embalms her. The embalmment is a very long and technical sequence. I'm pretty sure that D'Amato didn't have a lot of cash to throw around, but the scene looks awesomely realistic. It is pure gross out but along the way we learn valuable tips on embalmment so both viewer and screen participants are happy. D'Amato is a legend but he would be an ultra-legendary Italian cult God had he made more movies like Buio Omega and not all those silly pornos.