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A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

This is the first of Lamberto Bava's films I introduced myself to, having loved a number of his father Mario's works (specifically Bay of Blood and Black Sunday, to name a couple).I particularly enjoyed the story. It was dramatic, horrific, and at times playful. There are some fine, shocking images in here. Specifically the final one- though some may say it's more comedic, I still found it a little terrifying because it was just not something I was at all expecting, in any way. The acting was fairly decent, as far as I'm concerned. It was the tension, the gloom of the film that all really latched onto me. From the opening scenes, Macabre is full of dreadful atmosphere, and I've since seen a little more of Bava to enjoy. I give this film a 10 out of 10; I didn't anticipate loving this film, but I really did. Those expecting a flat out splattery gore film will be disappointed. However, tt was enough macabre without going overboard, and yet there was enough sick, depraved behaviour going on to satisfy any horror hound, such as myself.

I saw this as a kid and decided to revisit it as an adult. I'll say it definitely has more impact one me as an adult because I've lived through the mess of a girlfriend having an ex-boyfriend's head in the freezer. Uh, I mean, I am more mature and can understand the psychology of the film better. I barely remembered most of it with the car crash having the most impact on my brain cells. It still packs a wallop and Zinny is indeed one of the creepiest kids to grace Italian cinema from that era. The shot of her half smiling, half grimacing during the dinner scene is really good. What really stood out for me this time was, as Mark mentioned, Stanko Molnar's performance. He is really, really good in this. I also love the trumpet customer who knows no bounds when it comes to inappropriate talk. Like Neil Jordan's THE CRYING GAME, this takes on a completely different tone when you know the film's secret. I got a good laugh when Molnar comes to invite Stegers to dinner and she says, "Uh, I'm busy tonight."

Lamberto Bava's directorial debut is a relatively restrained affair compared to the continuances of the Giallo family legacy he would become best known for, but in terms of gruesome and shocking content Macabre is a tough act to follow, and it's a safe bet that even if the heir apparent had never made another movie after this one, his name would still be well-remembered by genre fans today. Though the meticulously measured pace here is more in line with a straight thriller than a horror film, there's no ignoring Macabre's startling potency as an unsavory slice of of repugnant ribaldry, and the deeply erotic underscoring of the main storyline makes the resolution of the plot all the more unsettling when it arrives.The film follows the morbid journey of Jane Baker, a bored housewife who regards her relationships with her dull husband and two intrusive children as unwelcome distractions from the adulterous embrace of her younger lover, Fred. After leaving her kids unattended at her house so she can steal away and meet her lothario, Jane shares a passionate carnal exchange with Fred while his landlord listens on in the next room. Meanwhile, Jane's in-the-know sociopathic preteen daughter opts to spoil her forbidden visit by issuing perhaps the loudest cry for help ever heard: the lass sadistically drowns her younger brother in the bathtub. When Jane is contacted at Fred's apartment and told about her son's death, her and Fred race to the scene. Unfortunately for her, and more unfortunately for Fred, the duo is involved in a brutal car accident on the way, which results in Fred being decapitated by a metal guardrail that flies through the windshield.Mind you, this all occurs before the film even hits the ten minute mark, but the bleak opening that launches Macabre only scratches the surface of the grisly tidings in store for us here.Jumping forward a year, Jane is released from a sanitarium and quickly engages in a course of conduct that reveals she is most assuredly not cured. She moves into the apartment formerly occupied by her deceased lover and promptly sets up a creepy shrine featuring mementos of their relationship, the centerpiece of which is a photograph of him that she stares at while she pleasures herself. Clearly, her desire for Fred has not abated despite his debilitating deadness, and as her madness takes center stage, she begins having conversations with him as if he were still alive and spicing up their postmortem trysting by shopping for lingerie to wear during their special intimate time. Meanwhile, the amorously interested landlord, who's blind but not stupid, starts to grow suspicious about the amount of time Jane spends up in her room moaning in ecstasy and screaming "Fred! Fred!" over and over again, and he begins unraveling the truth of her sinister secret.If you already know the final twist in store here, I'm not sure how much impact the film's climactic sequence will have for you. I was lucky enough to see Macabre before I had the reveal ruined for me, so I'll refrain from sharing anything about it in the hopes that you'll have the same chillingly rewarding experience that I did. However, in case you have stumbled across the spoiler, I would like to mention that I'm banging out this write-up after watching Macabre for the second time, and I've discovered that knowing how this tale ends does not strip the happenings of their jarring and visceral power.Bava obviously studied the work of the genre's masters very closely, and the intricately crafted suspense that drives the film makes Macabre a truly engrossing and memorable experience. The director opts to let the story speak for itself, eschewing flashy camera-work and psychedelic lighting in favor of a more straight-forward and wholly realistic narrative presentation, an approach that serves the material well. You can feel free to grumble about the occasionally intrusive dubbing and the overblown performance by the young actress who plays Jane's daughter, but as a whole Bava coaxes impressive and believable performances out of his leads, which greatly augments the assertive "based on a true story" tag at the beginning of the film.Don't get me wrong, Macabre certainly isn't perfect and its flaws are glaring. While the payoff for the main puzzle is huge, once the revolting facts are revealed and there are still 20 minutes of run-time left to fill, the climax has almost nowhere to go, so the third act spirals into implausible hysterics. There's also the dicey predicament of the blind landlord, who is repeatedly led on and humiliated by Jane, yet still opts not to call the authorities once he discovers she's bat-guano insane. The final frame is a real head-scratcher too, and while the scene injects one last jump into the movie, it also undermines much of our understanding about the events which unfold here.However, for most of its reels, Macabre sustains an aura of dread and darkness that borders on brilliance, and the measure of absolute sickness the film achieves is thoroughly impressive. Bava would eventually go onto more widely-beloved works than this, but as far as humble beginnings go Macabre was one hell of a way for him to lose his film-making virginity. The emphasis on story over gore may turn off fans looking for a more splatter-fueled excursion, but devotees who have a sincere appreciation for the more subtle shades of the genre will find a lot to like here. Highly recommended.

The debut film for Lamberto Bava (son of Italian horror master Mario Bava) was this bizarre, twisted, and compelling horror-thriller.Blind landlord is trying to figure out why it seems that his female tenant is still receiving nightly visits from her long-dead lover.Supposedly based upon an actual crime that took place in New Orleans, Macabro is one truly creepy and off-the-wall film. The story is full of suspense with a dash of dark humor (especially for that wild ending). Director Bava proves himself a worthy follower of his father as his direction is done with some gusto, giving this film a heated atmosphere of strangeness and building tension in all the right places. The downbeat music score and Gothic-like set pieces are a good touch as well.The stars are another strong feature of this film. Bernice Stegers does a terrific turn as her warped character. Young Veronica Zinny is great as Stegers evil little daughter. Best of all though is Stanko Molnor as the sympathetic landlord who falls in love with Stegers.An outstanding trip into the weird, Macabro is the answer for those seeking an unconventional horror-thriller. It remains one of Bava Jr.'s finest works.*** 1/2 out of ****