I remember the first time I saw a Fulci film and I hope you don't mind while I reminisce a little. I was 11 and in the 6th grade (so we are talking 1985). Ironically, in my younger age I was tremendously terrified by movies. I would even cry once entering the local fair's haunted house after being egged on by my father. But now I was in the 6th grade and ready for anything. This was the time before cable TV when satellite TV services like ONTV and Select-TV were a hit with dishes that you could buy at the local auction to pirate the services. Tired of catching all the boring late night stuff on local TV, I began checking out what was showing on these satellite services, provided my parents weren't around, which usually resulted in me either ending up in my room or the TV being turned off once a breast flashed across the screen. One summer night, a spooky little gem known as HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY was to be shown just at sundown. A neighbor friend of mine was too afraid to stay and watch, so he called his mother. Although only living a few blocks away, it was raining and with his braces he didn't want to be struck by lightening (a phobia caused by my constant plays on his geekish vulnerability). After viewing the film, I was stunned, completely dumfounded, excited, and raving mad for more. While raiding my local mom-and-pop video store, I unearthed other treasures like ZOMBIE and GATES OF HELL back in the days of Vestron Video. I couldn't get enough. By this time I had a video tape full of Misfits shows and ZOMBIE, and so began my video collection.

It wasn't until a few years later when I started putting things together. I was just renting things blindly since I didn't know who or what exactly I was looking for. Not to mention the fact that my whole world of horror videos was whatever was on the shelves at this particular video store. If it looked good I would watch it, not knowing or really caring at the time who the director was. Finally I realized Fulci was behind the three above listed classics all along.

I have some fond memories of my mid-teen years as well. This was a time of discovery and fun. Who needs chicks when you've got flicks? I could care less about going to the prom or doing my homework for that matter. All I wanted to do was watch movies. Virtually every Friday night, my good friend, Matt, would spend the night. We would eat pizza and watch all kinds of gross and disgusting things, from 'Basic Autopsy Procedures' to NEKROMANTIK to VIOLENT SHIT, anything we could get our hands on. I had grown tired of the crap I kept finding at the local video stores which led to my discovery of renting and trading by mail. We used to have so much fun. I will never forget one particular night while Matt watched GATES OF HELL for the first time. The scene of Michele Soavi staring in fright at his girlfriend vomiting up her entire intestinal tract, had him laughing so hard he was literally squealing and had to put a pillow over his race. Those were great and innocent times. You felt like you were discovering a new world. My interests grew and grew and I continued to dig deeper. 15 years (as of now) since I first saw HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, I have grown to greatly appreciate Fulci and his work. Though largely shunned by most 'distinguished' critics, Fulci had a way with his audience. He understood what they wanted and he, more often than not, delivered, leaving him the most continually censored director in Europe. Fulci is one of my all time favorite directors and in my mind is equal to the greatness of, say, Dario Argento. Both directors are masters, though on different levels. While Argento's films toy with the ideas of murder and sadism, Fulci was never afraid to completely jump right in and roll around in it. Joe D'Amato, has stated that he personally made gore films because he was terrible at creating suspense and I think the same statement holds true with Fulci to an extent. Fulci was able to occasionally create suspense, but I think he had more fun leaving his crowd disgusted than frightened. Though his films aren't always as coherent as we would like them to be, they are brimming with attitude and always a lot of fun. Without a doubt, Fulci is one of the most popular and famous of Italian directors.

This page is in no way 'The Definitive Fulci' but mostly my way of becoming much more familiar with the man's work as a whole and hopefully giving me a chance to learn a little more about his personality. This is my way of thanking Fulci for all the years I have enjoyed his work and the many years ahead. By being so close to these films, you begin to really consider them your friends, in a way, so here's to many more years of friendship.

Rest in peace, Lucio.