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[Jonny]

I've never seen this film, in fact I don't think I've even got a copy of it, but I've always wondered about a picture I saw in a magazine (either Giallo Pages or ETC). I scanned the picture a year or so ago and just found it on my hard drive so here you go...



It's Donald Pleasence. Not actually him but a double made up to look like him. Uncanny isn't it. 

Apparently Donald died before the shoot had finished and the film makers decided to shoot some longshots they needed using this stand in.

What I want to know is does this stand in actually appear in the finished movie?

[vigilanteforce]

That is really funny, didn't know about it before your post Johny!

Here is a review of the film I wrote a couple of years back:

http://trash-online.blogspot.com/2006/10/fatal-frames-1996-al-festa.html

I don't believe there's anybody in the world who actually likes that film!

[Johan Melle]

It's been a long time since I saw this because it's a really awful film but from what I can remember then, yes, this double does appear. I think it was a brief scene in a phone booth in order for Pleasence's character to exit the narrative. I don't think we got a good look at him. Unfortunately, since Donald died before the film was finished, he wasn't around to dub his own dialogue so he's dubbed by someone else instead!

Even though the film is bad the Synapse dvd is GREAT and includes lots of cool Al Festa  music videos and other neat extras. It's worth getting!

[Inspector Tanzi]

I found it boring and hard to sit through

[Funktion]

I don't believe there's anybody in the world who actually likes that film!

I can't believe my first post on this forum is going to be about Fatal Frames, but having watched the film last week for the first time I must say I found it hilarious!
Yes, it's obviously not a good film, but I was somehow "hooked" on this massive disaster of a film and I spent pretty much the whole running time laughing. When you have respected cult actors delivering a line of dialogue, only to be followed by that horrible beast (errr, woman) giving what must be one of the worse "acting" (if you can call it that) performances ever you really have to laugh.

But it's really fascinating: here you have a decent premise, one hell of a cast (excluding the leads) and a few interesting visuals, side-by-side with Mr. Sgt. Kabukiman and a Z-grade singer who looks like a transvestite.

The extras on the Synapse dvd are a total blast. The cheesy Al Festa music videos full of cheap CGI are quite funny, the documentary hailing the film as some sort of classic only makes the film even more enjoyable, and the commentary track with "The Voice From The Trailer" + Mr. Al Festa saying that his wife is "very good", what's not to like... 

Mr. and Mrs. Festa, please make a new film! The world needs you...

[Peter Neal]

That last post almost makes me wanting to revisit this bomb of a "giallo". I might just do that at some point, because there's one "*" review that really might be worth going through the pain of this 2 hour + experience again.

I went into this really wanting to like it, because it was an attempt at Italian genre filmmaking from a time when Italian horror films had basically died out.
BUT "Fatal Frames" does its best to annoy the audience, most notably with its horrid lead performances, which might inspire some affection for the acting in "Burial Ground" after all.

Wasted splatter effects, wasted cult actors and a "Halloween"-esque music playing over the scene with Pleasance's double. 

The Synapse disc is a treat though...one only wishes the film had been worthy of it. 

[Johan Melle]

Aaaah... that commentary track! Uggh... It's not particularly informative or interesting but it is pretty hilarious at times because both Al Festa and Stefania Stella seem to think that they've made THE thriller of the decade.

I must admit, though, that I kind of like Al Festa. He did make the awesome title song for AFTER DEATH and the music for some other cheap Bruno Mattei actions films from the late 80s. His scores are pretty cheesy but I really like them. That "Living After Death" song is amazing! I want a soundtrack from that film! 

The FATAL FRAMES dvd includes several music videos that Festa directed in the 80s and they are all pretty wild and actually more enjoyable than the film itself. Then there are the stupid pop songs from the film itself; performed by Festa's wife Stefania Stella. They are so trashy and dumb that I can't help loving them but Stefania really can't sing. Actually she can't much of anything, poor girl. She most certainly cannot act either! Of course, lots of girls in these films can't act but even if they can't, they do at least look good. Stefania, unfortunately, does not. Her trying to look sexy by smoking and walking around on the beach in some hideous leopard outfit is more disturbing than it is sexy but she's pretty funny to watch at least.

Now, has anyone seen Al Festa's other film, the ultra-obscure GIPSY ANGEL, featuring Carroll Baker in a surprising return to Italian cinema?

[vigilanteforce]

I also believe that Festa did better as a composer. I love his score for ROBOWAR and that "Living After Death" song is great indeed! As for his wife I believe she would have done much better if she became a star in grade-z Euro porn. That doesn't mean I consider her hot, just have seen worse than her in cheap Italian porn movies. I may have a copy of GIPSY ANGEL pretty soon... Although I don't know what to expect.

[Johan Melle]

Well, there's a promo-trailer-thingie for GIPSY ANGEL on the FATAL FRAMES dvd and it re-uses the "Living After Death" song but with different lyrics. That in itself makes it tempting! Do let us hear your thoughts on it when you get it! I'm super curious about this one!

[Inspector Tanzi]

I may have a copy of GIPSY ANGEL pretty soon... Although I don't know what to expect.

not alot probably

[Funktion]

Fatal Frames has been released on Blu-Ray in Italy, in an English friendly release.

Besides including several (but not all) of the extras from the Synapse DVD (making of, deleted scenes, some of the music videos, ...), there's a new interview with Al Festa as well.

A limited edition was also available, with a postcard signed by Al Festa + the soundtrack, but sadly I missed it.



As a big "fan" of the film (it's a huge guilty pleasure of mine; check an earlier post I made about it above), I had to own this one in HD. 

---

On a side note, I just noticed that today marks the 15th anniversary of my very first post on these forums, and it was a post about... Fatal Frames. 
A lot has changed since then, but if anyone from the "old guard" happens to check this post, my regards to all. 

[AlbertoSordi]

Merry Xmas Funktion - and thanks for the posts!

 

Speaking of Christmas, Al Festa reminds me a lot of Claudio Fragasso - in the sense that they both probably thought they were making cinematic gold, but ended up producing some real turkeys.

[Funktion]

Thank you, AlbertoSordi.

To you too.