15 Great Italian Horror Films You Must See Before You Die

10. The House Of The Laughing Windows (Pupi Avati, 1976)

“Do you think that I’m scared just because of a painting in a church?”

Avati’s stylish Gothic mystery has what is possibly the most unpleasant and sinister atmosphere in all of Italian horror cinema. While some of the more popular gialli are as fun as they are bloodthirsty, The House of the Laughing Windows is played very straight indeed, and is genuinely frightening as a result. In many ways, this film feels like Italy’s answer to Don’t Look Now. Unfortunately, it is rare that an Italian horror movie offers both style and substance in equal measure; often one is lost at the expense of the other in these films. Avati delivers both incredibly effectively. The isolated, rural setting of this film is also a welcome change from the typical big city giallo backdrop.

This film does also boast some of the most chilling images that I can recall in a horror film; most notably in the final payoff which, while utterly bonkers, is absolutely flipping nightmare inducing. The House of the Laughing Windows is noticeably lacking in the grand theatrics of other famous gialli, but its sheer, overwhelming dread is a more than satisfying substitute.