THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS
(LA CASA DALLE FINESTRE CHE RIDONO)
dir. Pupi Avati, 1976
110 mins. Italy.
In Italian with English subtitles.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 - 10 PM
MONDAY, AUGUST 12 - 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, AUGUST 27 - 7:30 PM

Stefano, a young painter, is sent to a rural town to restore a fresco depicting the execution of Saint Sebastian begun by a local artist who committed suicide before its completion. As Stefano dives into the work, he finds himself drawn deeper into the strange web of stories surrounding the original artist and his more sinister proclivities.

Regarded by some as one of the best giallos ever made (including, ugh, Eli Roth), THE HOUSE WITH THE LAUGHING WINDOWS has mood for days, favoring a long, slow burn and a more naturalistic approach over the lurid colors and psychedelic freakouts of genre masters like Argento and Bava.

What it lacks in standard bonkers giallo fare (the body count is relatively low, and the “sex scenes” are almost laughably chaste for the genre), it more than makes up for in pure dread, building a thick mood of uncertainty and paranoia, leading up to a shockingly strong ending.