Vampires in Italian Cinema, 1956-1975
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Book Presentation:
Demonstrates how and why the transnational figure of the vampire was appropriated by Italian genre filmmakers between 1956 and 1975
• Actively engages in the ongoing academic debate about the cultural legitimacy of Italian genre cinema
• Covers unpublished film production data (from the Archivio Centrale dello Stato in Rome), original screenplays (from the Biblioteca Luigi Chiarini in Rome), cinematic paratexts and vampire-themed paraliterature (from libraries all over Italy)
• Outlines the 1945-1985 historical and industrial context of Italian cinema
Positioning itself at the intersection of Italian film history, horror studies and cultural studies, this fascinating book asks why, and how, was the protean, transnational and transmedial figure of the vampire appropriated by Italian cinema practitioners between 1956 and 1975?
The book outlines both the 1945–85 industrial context of Italian cinema and the political, economic and sociocultural context of the Italian Republic, from post-war reconstruction to the austerity of the mid-1970s. Using case studies of films by directors such as Mario Bava and Riccardo Freda, it also delves into lesser-known gems of Italian psychotronic cinema from the 1960s and 1970s, like L’amante del vampiro (The Vampire and the Ballerina) and Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel Trecento . . . (The Reincarnation of Isabel).
With original research into hitherto unpublished film production data, censorship data, original screenplays, trade papers, film magazines and vampire-themed paraliterature, the book strongly argues for the cultural legitimacy of Italian film genres like horror, adventure, comedy and erotica, whose study has so far been neglected in favour of the Italian auteur cinema of the 1940s neorealists and their later followers.
About the Author:
Michael Guarneri has a PhD in Film Studies from Northumbria University (Newcastle upon Tyne). He freelances as a film critic.
Press Reviews:
Guarneri’s monograph is a work of great interest for both the film buff and the film scholar, who will find in its flowing pages many clarifying descriptions of the Italian film industry mechanisms and some intriguing theoretical connections ready for further explorations. By the end of the book, readers are left with a better understanding of the complex dynamics of Italian genre cinema and with a new crave – if not for blood! – at least for the old films Guarneri collects, analyses and indirectly recommends.– Alberto Iozzia, Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies
> From the same author:
> On a related topic:
Bloodstained Narratives (2023)
The Giallo Film in Italy and Abroad
Supranational Horrors (2022)
Italian and Spanish Horror Cinema since 1968
Italian Horror Films of the 1960s (2004)
A Critical Catalog of 62 Chillers
Vampires on the Silent Screen (2023)
Cinema's First Age of Vampires 1897-1922
Monstrous Things (2022)
Essays on Ghosts, Vampires, and Things That Go Bump in the Night
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