The Three Faces of Terror

“The Three Faces of Terror” (original title: “I tre volti del terrore”) represents a sort of nostalgic project that unfortunately crashes and burns. The basic idea was to harken back to the anthology horror films that were all the rage in the 1960s – with a particular eye to the work of British Amicus Productions -, throwing in touches borrowed from the splendor of Italian genre films (frequent references are made to Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and even Michele Soavi).

The intentions were definitely commendable, so it’s a shame that the end result is such a huge disappointment. The direction entirely lacks pacing, the digital cinematography is awful, the acting is pretty mediocre (with the partial exception of a sly John Phillip Law), and the screenplay was embarrassingly flimsy.

Any saving graces?

1. Some good special effects, obviously overseen by the director himself (here Stivaletti demonstrates a greater comfort level, as demonstrated by the effective werewolf transformation).
2. A pretty funny cameo by Lamberto Bava, directing a supposed “Demons 7”.
3. The courage for attempting a project whose chance of success in the first decade of the 21st century seemed like a pipe dream right from the start.