Lamberto Bava

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Lamberto Bava

Born	April 3, 1944 Rome, Italy

Lamberto Bava (born April 3, 1944) is an Italian film director, specializing in horror and fantasy films.

Bava was born in Rome, Italy, the son of cinematographer/director Mario Bava, and grandson of cameraman Eugenio Bava. He is also a protege of director Dario Argento.

After working as a personal assistant, assistant director and screenwriter with his father, Bava began working as an assistant director with Dario Argento (on Inferno and Tenebrae) and Ruggero Deodato (on the notorious Cannibal Holocaust). Eventually, Bava moved into the directing chair, making his debut with the twisted "Macabre" (aka Frozen Terror) and then went on to helming several features, including A Blade in the Dark and "Devilfish"/Monster Shark.

In 1985, Bava re-teamed with Argento, this time as a director and writer (with Argento also as producer), for Demons and Demons 2. For some reason, he did not return for "Demons 3" (aka The Church) (which was later directed by Michele Soavi, who had earlier appeared as an actor in Bava's "Blade in the Dark"). However, a made for TV film that Bava later directed under the title "The Ogre" somehow got released as "Demons 3" on DVD in the USA. Lamberto himself has said that "The Ogre" had no connection with the other entries in the Demons series and that "Demons 3" was the project that was later retitled "The Church". (Umberto Lenzi's 1991 film "Black Demons" was also released as "Demons 3", adding to the confusion.) Soavi later directed "Demons 4: The Sect" (aka "The Devil's Daughter"), and Lamberto Bava's 1989 "Mask of the Demon" was later released on USA video as "Demons 5: The Devil's Veil". (Luigi Cozzi's "Black Cat" (1990) has been referred to in some reference books as "Demons 6".)

In 1987, Bava directed Until Death/ The Changeling 2, an unofficial sequel to Peter Medak's 1980 haunted house film, The Changeling. Reportedly, famed Italian horror director Lucio Fulci was furious when he learned that Bava directed this film, since he had understood that he was going to direct it with the project's screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, and he even accused Sacchetti of stealing the idea from him, which was not true according to Sacchetti.

Bava was hired to direct four episodes of the Italian TV series "Alta Tensione", these four films not being distributed in the USA unfortunately. Bava then went on to work on the Italian TV fantasy series Fantaghirò, which has since spawned four sequels. He has continued making television films in this style, including "The Dragon Ring" and "Pirates: Blood Brothers". It seems he has given up making horror films in favor of made-for-TV fantasy films. He said in a recent interview that he enjoys creating imaginative movies for children, rather than cranking out more repetitive violent slasher flicks. Horror fans in the US and Britain seem to remember him best however for his two "Demons" films and "Blade in the Dark".

[edit] Filmography

Shock: Transfert-Suspense-Hypnos (1977) Lamberto co-directed this film with his father Mario Bava
Macabre (1980) aka "Frozen Terror" (Lamberto's first solo directorial effort)
A Blade in the Dark (1983) aka "The House with the Dark Staircase"
Devilfish (1984) aka "Red Ocean", aka "Monster Shark" (a JAWS clone)
Blastfighter" (1984) aka "Force of Vengeance" (a RAMBO clone)
Demons 1 (1985)
Demons 2: The Nightmare Returns (1986)
You'll Die at Midnight (1986) aka "The Midnight Killer"
Per Sempre/ Forever (1987) aka "Until Death", aka "The Changeling 2"
A Night in the Cemetery (1987) aka "Graveyard Disturbance"
Delirium (1987) aka "Photos of Gioa"
The Ogre (1988) aka "Demons 3: The Ogre", aka "House of the Ogre"
The Prince of Terror (1988) TV episode of "Alta Tensione"
The Man Who Didn't Want To Die (1988) TV episode of "Alta Tensione"
Dinner With The Vampire (1988)
Mask of the Demon (1989) aka "Demons 5: The Devil's Veil" (an homage to his father's 1960 classic "Black Sunday")
School of Fear (Il Gioko)(1989) TV episode of "Alta Tensione"
Eyewitness (1989) TV episode of "Alta Tensione"
Body Puzzle (1990) aka "Misteria"
Fantaghiro (Parts 1 through 5) (1991-1996 TV series) aka "Cave of the Golden Rose"
The Dragon Ring (1994)
The Princess and the Pauper (1997)
Pirates: Blood Brothers (1999) aka "Caraibi"
Human Currency (2000) TV miniseries
The Torturer (2005)
Ghost Son (2006)