The Unnaturals

The Unnaturals (Italian: Contronatura, German: Schreie in der Nacht) is an Italian-West German gothic horror film directed and written by Antonio Margheriti. It is loosely based on Dino Buzzati's short story "Eppure bussano alla porta" from the collection The Seven Messengers.[2]

The Unnaturals
German film poster for The Unnaturals
Directed byAntonio Margheriti
Produced by
Screenplay byAntonio Margheriti[1]
Story byAntonio Margheriti[1]
Starring
Music byCarlo Savina[1]
CinematographyRiccardo Pallottini[1]
Edited byOtello Colangeli[1]
Production
companies
  • Super International Pictures S.l.P.
  • Edo Cinematografica
  • CCC Filmkunst GmbH
Release date
  • May 30, 1969 (1969-05-30) (West Germany)
  • September 12, 1969 (1969-09-12) (Italy)
Running time
91 minutes
Country
  • Italy
  • West Germany[1]
Box office₤287 million

Plot

Cast

Production

Margheriti stated the shooting title of the film was Trance.[2] The Unnaturals was aimed at a German market and stars Joachim Fuchsberger and Marianne Koch who were very popular actors with German audiences.[2] Margheriti added other Italian actors of his choice including Luciano Pigozzi, a close friend of his.[2]

The film was shot at Tirrenia Studios which was owned by Carlo Ponti.[2] Margheriti used sets left over from several other films ranging from costume dramas to Westerns.[2] For the seance scene in the film, cinematographer Riccardo Pallottini was hung upside down from the ceiling with the camera in his hand and slowly let him descend from the ceiling. He would then bend over backwards to raise the camera to the actors' faces.[2]

Release

The Unnaturals was shown in West Germany on May 30, 1969.[3] It was later released in Italy on September 12, 1969, where it grossed 287 million Italian lire.[1][2]

Reception

In his book Italian Horror Film Directors, Louis Paul dismissed the film as an " uneven but still interesting tale of revenge".[4]

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. Curti 2015, p. 194.
  2. Curti 2015, p. 195.
  3. "Schreie in der Nacht". filmportal.de. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  4. Paul 2005, p. 24.

Sources
  • Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969. McFarland. ISBN 1476619891.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Paul, Louis (2005). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. ISBN 9780786487493.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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