“Cinema is everything to me. I live and breathe films — I even eat them!”

Lucio Fulci

The obscenely controversial Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci would have been celebrating his 89th birthday today. Whilst his core fanbase consists of die-hard gorehounds with a love for the classics ZOMBI 2, THE GATES OF HELL and THE BEYOND, delving into his back catalog reveals just how many different cinematic realms he dipped his filmmaking fingers into: westerns, comedies … even musicals.

Despite medical school being Fulci’s first port of call, he soon caught the screenwriting and filmmaking bug and started working under some pretty wondrous wings: Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Steno and Mario Bava.

Whilst many critics were quick on the draw to accuse Fulci of simply offering to meet producer’s demands with quick, cheapo films that guaranteed returns, time has yielded an appreciation for his talent for forging the majectis and breaking away from cinematic norms. Even his 1959 directorial debut – a comedy, no less – IL LADRI (THE THIEVES), brims with telltale signs of the helmer’s penchant for creating art designed specifically to entertain and create an impact rather than focusing on noggin-scratching narratives.

Fulci mixed things up in the ’70s on both the small and big screen, releasing a myriad of successful adventure movies. Most notable successes include his two adaptations of Jack London “White Fang” novels and the atypical ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE (1975) and SILVER SADDLE (1978). Around the same time, Fulci decided to unleash his obscurer side on audiences, venturing into giallo territory; a particular favourite the London-set hallucinatory tale A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN. So grotesque were certain moments therein that controversy reared its ugly head when Fulci was accused of having actually harmed real dogs during the filming of a certain sadistic lab scene. Facing a possible two-year prison sentence, the defence resorted to bringing in fake dog props to prove the helmer’s innocence – the first time in film history an effects artist had to prove just how good they were at their job in a court of law.

Despite the aforementioned hoo ha, it wasn’t until 1979 that Fulci really made his name in pure horror circles with the release of the graphically gory George A. Romero figlia ZOMBI 2. Interestingly, whilst critics and audiences argued that Fulci was merely cashing in on the Romero/Argento vehicle, it’s Jacques Tourneur that he cites as having inspired this return to the roots of the zombie mythos.

Fulci cemented this overnight international success by hitting the ground running with follow-up classics CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980), HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981) and THE BEYOND (1981) – films which many horror fans hold in much higher regard than the work Argento was pumping at the time. And what made his early ’80s gorefests stand out from the rest was Fulci’s understanding – probably given his med student background – of how the mutilation of specific body parts was the key to consternation. The world isn’t going to be forgetting that splinter to the eyeball scene any time soon.

Always eager to test new waters, it wasn’t long before he dabbled in a few more non-horror projects in the form of NEW GLADIATORS and CONQUEST. Despite relative success, and kind of paving the way for the impending onslaught of ’80s actioners that followed -Arnie and Sly burst onto the scene in a big way shortly afterwards in films with strikingly similar premises – Fulci’s foray into this genre was shortlived and he soon decided to return to what he did best. Tragically, the suicide of his wife, death of his daughter in a fatal car accident, and worsening diabetes took their toll on him and nothing came close to his previous gems.

One of Fulci’s most memorable quotes targeted fellow helmer Dario Argento: “I am not a criminal because I make horror films. A lot of Italian genre directors are animal lovers. Mario Bava loved cats, Riccardo Freda loves horses, and Dario Argento loves himself.” Despite a lifelong feud, just before Fulci’s untimely death the two of them decided it was about time they put their differences aside and a remake of Vincent Price’s classic HOUSE OF WAX was suddenly on the cards. Sadly, on March 13, 1996, deep in pre-production for the film, Fulci passed away after forgetting to take his nightly dose of insulin.

Whilst uncertainty still remains to this day regarding the circumstances of his death, one thing is sure: Fulci is just as influential today as he was when he was alive, having left one hell of a legacy for his pervasive and loyal fanbase.

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