The great Italian exploitation director Aristide Massaccessi aka Joe D’Amato (EMANUELLE AND THE LAST OF THE CANNIBALS, CARIBBEAN PAPAYA, ANTROPOPHAGUS) goes off the rails into grave robbing, murder, and necrophilia with this little classic. Starring a doe-eyed Kieran Canter (THE LONELY LADY), THE BEYOND’s mysterious blind dog-lover Cinzia Monreale as the dead love interest, and Franca Stoppi (GUARDIAN OF HELL, VIOLENCE IN A WOMAN’S PRISON) as one of the weirdest nannies on record, BUIO OMEGA is a cavalcade of creepiness sporting a truly great soundtrack by the inimitable Italian Prog-rock group, Goblin (DAWN OF THE DEAD, SUSPIRIA). After his girlfriend dies (as a result of his nanny’s getting a voodoo witch to kill her), his already fragile psyche shatters sending him spiraling into retrieving her body, stuffing it, and keeping it around for sporadic bouts of sex. This all makes his nanny jealous, but she goes along with his little plan, helping him both kill and slaughter random young girls. The gore is both abundant and well done (especially the taxidermy scenes and the chopping up of a random victim. Sadly, the film simply can’t maintain the pace it establishes and the last act is a bit wonky. But, the film is a classic from the 80s and legendary amongst horror fans. It’s also easily one of the director’s best. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. If not, this is a major chunk missing from your genre knowledge database. This is essential viewing for anyone interested the genre and a must-see for both gore hounds and anyone looking to get a solid foundation in Euro-horror.
3.5 out of 5 stars
~ Thom Carnell
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