The House with Laughing Windows (1976)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The House with Laughing Windows (1976) – P. Avati

I’ve been cautious about watching Italian giallo films (so called because the original crime paperbacks they were based on had yellow covers), mostly because they are known for gruesome gore and violence, not to mention a tendency toward sexual violence and misogyny.  But some are worse than others, so I’ve tried to choose wisely. There are also some directors (say Bava or Argento) who are so stylish that their films are worth seeing even if you have to grit your teeth a bit. So, it was with some trepidation that I decided to watch Pupi Avati’s The House with Laughing Windows, which did not seem to fit the usual mold of black-gloved killers prowling after women in the night. Instead, we follow Stefano (Lino Capolicchio), an art restorer invited to a small village to work on a gruesome fresco painting of St. Sebastian in a church. Of course, he starts to suspect some sinister things are happening, confirmed when his only friend/acquaintance falls to his death from a window. Stefano receives some threatening phone calls and is abruptly turned out of his hotel, ending up in a lonely mansion (recommended by the church’s priest) that is occupied only by a bedridden elderly woman.  Soon, however, he is joined by Francesca (Francesca Marciano), a young teacher recently moved to the area, who becomes his love interest.  After they discover a creepy old tape recording of the painting’s artist, their interest in understanding his death is piqued. But things turn much darker very quickly (including a very disturbing scene where Francesca is attacked) en route to a very wild twist ending. Although slow and mysterious for most of its run-time (but not as completely confusing as others in the genre), the film does look great with its aged Italian homes and people.  The ending, although violent, does lift the film to a higher level, although it is by no means a masterpiece.