Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie Review

Printed on recycled material.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 21, 2012

Writer/director Gabriele Albanesi is a major fan of horror. It’s a cinematic obsession that oozes out of every pore of “Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show,” a spooky psychological production that’s obviously intended to pay tribute to the titans of the genre, with principal interest in the Italian boom of the 1970s. Unfortunately, fandom can only take the feature so far, and while the movie has all the goopy particulars gorehounds will appreciate, along with a pronounced literary creep to bring it a specialized sensuality, “Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show” ends up a malformed lump of intentions without the necessary directorial polish to bring the material to its full potential. It’s an interesting picture, but often amateurish, which immediately reduces the twitching grip of terror and unease Albanesi is reaching for. Die-hard admirers of the genre might find themselves in a more forgiving mood with the feature, open to its gradual pace and overall interest in maintaining discomfort while investigating a most obsessed mind, but those with sensitivity to low-budget, HD-shot chillers will likely find themselves stymied by Albanesi’s crude imagination for screen tension and lackluster technical demands.

A fledgling horror filmmaker desperate to launch his career with the right script, Alessio (Giuseppe Soleri) is finding difficulty catching interest in his work, facing stiff competition from obnoxious colleagues. Sensing promise in the young man, a worldly producer offers Alessio a chance to collaborate with legendary horror novelist, Ubaldo Terzani (Paolo Sassanelli). Preparing for this special encounter, Alessio digs into Ubaldo’s work, finding himself consumed with the writer’s nightmarish imagery, which soon infects his dreams, filling him with horrible visions of murder. Arriving in Turin to meet the master, Alessio finds Ubaldo to be an odd man with incredible charisma and a slightly unnerving presence. Welcomed into the writer’s home for the week, the moviemaker is eager to collaborate on a script, but finds his attention directed to the mystery of Ubaldo and his house of secrets. While the creative process carries on, Ubaldo brings Alessio into his realm of parties and seduction, altering his consciousness in ways he cannot immediately process, feeding his lust for experience in unusual ways. True panic sets in once Ubaldo extends an invitation for a visit to Alessio’s girlfriend, Sara (Laura Gigante), with the horror fan facing true terror as the famed author turns his devilish attention to the woman he loves.

In the opening minutes of “Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show,” Albanesi reveals his admiration for the genre in full. Based on the filmmaker’s own experiences working with a horror novelist, Alessio is a version of Albanesi, displaying apartment walls covered with movie posters and pieces of art dedicated to the works of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, two screen legends referenced throughout the feature (Alessio also wears an assortment of horror t-shirts, including one for RaroVideo, the movie’s distributor). There’s also the tiring hustle surrounding the business of film development, with the lead character viewed as a talent in search of inspiration, looking for his big break in a genre riddled with subpar efforts and lecherous professionals. Clearly, the material is meant to reflect Albanesi’s own experiences, and those autobiographical touches infuse the early parts of “Horror Show” with personality, building a foundation of desperation that organically leads to Ubaldo’s doorstep, with the dreamer meeting the veteran, already susceptible to his influence after poring through the pages of his greatness. It’s a fantastic set-up to what initially appears to be tightly wound psychological experience, focusing on temptations and intimidations as Ubaldo gradually reveals his intentions in full to his young partner. Albanesi delivers a beguiling opener, supported by a throbbing, atmospheric synth score from Valerio Lundini -- the production’s only consistently satisfying contribution.

Once the partnership begins, “Horror Show” heads into a seductive direction, isolating Ubaldo’s growing control over Alessio, fueled by the writer’s hunger to take advantage of weak minds and his possible sexual interest in the young man, a tease meant more to stimulate discomfort than provide entrance into the author’s true appetites. Although performances by Soleri and Sassanelli are commendable, the screenplay eventually dissolves into extended forays with chemical disorientation, with one drowsy encounter at a club eating up a significant portion of the run time without providing a sure clench of suspense or anxiety. Albanesi shows more fascination with temptation than terror, gradually slackening “Horror Show,” losing scares to play familiar notes of manipulation -- screen game play far more effective in a short film format. As a feature, the picture doesn’t have enough creative gas to carry to 90 minutes, finding Albanesi fumbling critical moments of domination.

Also crippling “Horror Show” is its student production appearance, with lifeless HD cinematography souring the nightmarish mood. Albanesi has difficulty managing continuity and focus, while the film’s natural sound design is rough on the ears, with hollow rooms carrying muffled voices. For a director with such passion for Argento (in his heyday, one of the most thrilling screen craftsmen around), it’s strange to find Albanesi using HD to bring “Horror Show” to life, with the dreary format lacking the energy of film, which could extend such rich textures and mood to the screenplay. While the helmer works to make his picture pop with a creepy atmosphere, he’s fighting an uphill battle with tinny, flat moviemaking tools, robbing “Horror Show” of eye-gouging menace.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is troublesome, with "Horror Show" captured on budget-minded camera equipment, finding the Blu-ray exposing all the flaws of 720p source material as it's brought up to 1080p display. Jagged edges, banding, and macroblocking are detected, while there are blasts of noise to contend with. Details are satisfactory for such an effort, but far from remarkable, with facial activity on the textured side, along with the cultured particulars of Ubaldo's mysterious Italian apartment. Anxiety is easily understood, but lacking a crispness and evenness of skintone to truly appreciate the diabolical events. Colors don't carry extraordinary presence, but they look consistent, displaying flashes of blood red and rural green with stability. Shadow detail is murky, offering a clotted image for most of the picture, losing some edge delineation.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is about as good as one could expect from an empty listening experience such as this. There's a concentrated effort to fill about the surrounds with background activity and modest directional positioning, and it works to inflate the viewing event, keeping the listener engaged from all sides, adding to the suspense. Scoring is also pronounced, bringing a full, low-end rumble to the proceedings, using circular menace to provide atmosphere for the movie, doing a fine job carrying the mood. Dialogue exchanges are handicapped a bit by the original sound recording, with echoed voices kneecapping the dramatics, but the track sustains these creative limitations professionally, keeping the actors understood without distortion. The mix is battle between the natural thinness of the production recording and the sonic muscularity added in post-production. It's far from ideal, but the track doesn't fall apart.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet is included, containing an essay and an Albanesi filmography/biography.

• Commentary (in Italian, subtitled in English) with writer/director Gabriele Albanesi and critic Antonio Tentori (who cameos in the film) is an interesting but ultimately tiring journey into film theory, compliments, and cinematic inspirations, with the two participants doing their best to avoid dead spots by continually commenting on anything they can think of, regardless if it adds true depth to the screen action. The men are educated and passionate (forever attempting to out-reference each other), but there's more of an interpretive vibe to the commentary, away from a thorough investigation of the filmmaking experience.

• Laura Gigante Screen Test (3:19, SD) is a peek into the casting process from 2009, where the actress sat down to share her professional history and skill with drama and bralessness.

• "Braccati" (24:15, SD) is a western-themed short film from Albanesi.

• Making Of (35:27, SD) delves into the creation of "Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show," providing a chance for the cast and crew to explore creative motivations and themes, chatting up characters and the film's autobiographical intentions. There's also a considerable amount of BTS footage to enjoy, observing the production in motion, with Albanesi often promising his actors a shot at making Italian splatter film history.

• Trailer 1 (1:37, SD) and Trailer 2 (1:09, SD) are included.

Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The story eventually finds its way to macabre happenings, exploring Ubaldo's appetite for destruction with a more visceral bite, with marvelous special effects work by Sergio Stivaletti fulfilling gore requirements, placing generous attention on severed limbs, lip removal, and bathtub heart extraction. The conclusion of the feature is disgusting, which is where "Horror Show" should've remained all along. Albanesi shows great flair for bodily trauma, and the film spikes in appeal when it rolls around in awful business, executed by devious souls. "Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show" shows more confidence with physical torment, seizing greater scares and discomfort. Journeys into the dark recesses of the mind just expose the limitations of the filmmaking, revealing Albanesi's development as a director in particularly painful ways.