Highly Overrated But Still Good

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Art restorer Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) is hired to repair a damaged fresco in a remote village church painted by renowned local artist Buono Legnani, who was reputed to be mad, and who only depicted death and suffering in his work. As he carefully reveals previously unseen sections of the painting, Stefano also gradually uncovers a terrible secret that has blighted the town for decades.This giallo, from director Pupi Avati, seems to get an awful lot of love from Euro-horror fans, who praise it for its unsettling atmosphere, slow-burn approach, and cool visual style. If, like me, you're a fan of the genre, but tend to prefer them on the sleazier side, with lots of nudity and gore, be prepared to be disappointed and read between the lines when checking out the mostly positive reviews here on IMDb.For 'deliberate pacing', read 'slow and lifeless'. For 'brooding atmospherics', read 'dull story'. For 'classy' or 'stylish', read 'boring'. For 'unsettling', read 'it'll have you fidgeting in your seat'.And when people say that the twisted ending is 'a shocking revelation that will unhinge your mind', or some such claptrap, just be prepared to be massively underwhelmed: I found the surprise revelation at the end of the film ridiculous in the extreme but not in the least bit unnerving (far more disturbing for me was the discovery that gorgeous, young, snail-loving school-teacher Francesca, played by Francesca Marciano, wears over-sized granny pants!).

After 35 years of anonymity, I want to state that I was asked by the director, Pupi Avati, and his brother Antonio to model for the painting. It took place one May day outside of Rome, and I was paid 35,000 lire (about $50) to have them photograph me for eventual conversion into a painting. I show up at the seven-second mark at the beginning of the film, and I know it's me, not only because I have two slides from the shoot, but because the scars on my knees were faithfully recreated by the (uncredited) artist.I have been attempting to get listed in the credits here on IMDb and would appreciate any advice as to how I can move from an anonymous role to seeing my name in the cast list. It's not much...though it would go a long way to realizing my dream of being in the movies.

A remote Italian village harbors unspeakable secrets, as young Stefano ("The Garden of the Finzi-Continis'" Lino Capolicchio) discovers when he arrives to restore a local church's decaying, painted fresco depicting the slaughter of St. Sebastian. Townspeople whisper that the original artist painted directly from real life, with models tortured and murdered all in the name of art. Suddenly a new, terrifying chain of murders begins, and Stefano finds himself caught in a chilling web of madness and unspeakable horror from which he may never escape! This exquisite masterpiece of Italian horror seethes with menacing atmosphere and diabolical plot twists guaranteed to haunt your dreams. Never before released in America, "The House with Laughing Windows" (La Cass Dale finest re Che riding) is the crowning achievement of internationally hailed director Pupi Avati (The Story of Boys and Girls, Zeder) and has been restored to its full Gothic glory from the original camera negative.

"The House With Laughing Windows" is a very European film. Unlike the gialli of, say, Argento, this film is not 'Americanized' at all. It reminds me more of films like "Don't Torture a Duckling" in that it takes place out in a small town in the Italian countryside. It adds to the ambiance and I really like that.The plot is very slow-moving. I'm not even sure if I'd call this film a giallo, but reading other reviews on here, it seems that it is in fact classified as such. It was hard for me to watch this for the first hour or so. I was wondering when it was going to pick up. Not many people get killed. But, I stuck with it and I recommend doing so. If you can stick with it, the ending is freakin' awesome. I was shocked by it; it really delivers. And it gets nice and bloody too. I had no idea who the killer was, and by the time I found out, my head was spinning from the progression of the final few scenes. It ends abruptly and it feels great. It more than made up for the sluggishness of the first 2/3 of the film. It's not unlike many of the newer Asian films in that regard: it moves very slow but the last few minutes are like a twisting train wreck.In short, I recommend this film to those of you who have patience and enjoy Italian horror.8 out of 10, kids.