Lamberto Bava

Infobox Actor


name = Lamberto Bava
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birthdate = April 3, 1944
location = Rome, Italy
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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 worked as an assistant director with Dario Argento (on "Inferno" and "Tenebrae") and with Ruggero Deodato (on the notorious "Cannibal Holocaust"). Eventually, Bava moved into the directing chair, making his debut with the twisted "Macabre" (aka Frozen Terror), then going on to helm several other features, including "A Blade in the Dark" and "Devilfish"/Monster Shark.

In 1985, Bava re-teamed with Argento, this time as a writer/ director (with Argento producing), 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" was not one of the entries in the "Demons" series and that the real "Demons 3" was the Argento/ Soavi project that was later released as "The Church". (Umberto Lenzi's 1991 film "Black Demons" was also later released on video as "Demons 3" in some countries, adding to the confusion.) Soavi later directed "The Sect: Demons 4" (aka "The Devil's Daughter"), and Lamberto Bava's 1989 film "Mask of the Demon" was later released on video in some countries as "Demons 5: The Devil's Veil". Luigi Cozzi's 1990 film "Black Cat" 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".

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)

External links

*imdb name|0000877