The House of Witchcraft

1989 1h 26m IT

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 27

HorrorTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A man discharged from the hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown is taken to a remote Italian villa by his strangely-behaving wife. But he has strong premonitions that the house is possessed by some force of witchcraft, which he has been experiencing in his recurring nightmare.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Andy J. Forest
Luke Palmer
Sonia Petrovna
Martha Palmer
Zuzana Martinková
Dr. Elsa Palmer
Marina Giulia Cavalli
Sharon Mason
Paul Müller
Andrew Mason
Maria Stella Musy
Debra Palmer
Alberto Frasca
Steven
Maria Cumani Quasimodo
Witch

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Gianfranco Clerici, Daniele Stroppa, Umberto Lenzi
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Houses of Doom Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Umberto Lenzi, shot by Giancarlo Ferrando. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Claudio Simonetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alberto Moriani shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andy J. Forest and Sonia Petrovna and Zuzana Martinková carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Umberto Lenzi directs. Giancarlo Ferrando behind the camera. Claudio Simonetti scores. Alberto Moriani cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Houses of Doom Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Umberto Lenzi, shot by Giancarlo Ferrando. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Claudio Simonetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Alberto Moriani shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Andy J. Forest and Sonia Petrovna and Zuzana Martinková carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0134456 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 27 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Giancarlo Ferrando
Original score: Claudio Simonetti
Editing: Alberto Moriani
Production design: Franco Velchi
Costume design: Valentina Di Palma
Makeup / hair: Maria Teresa Carrera
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: IT
IMDB: The House of Witchcraft (1989)

Part of

The Houses of Doom Collection

Four Italian horror movies from filmmakers Lucio Fulci and Umberto Lenzi - "The House of Clocks", "The Sweet House of Horrors", "The House of Lost Souls", and "The House of Witchcraft" - all with a haunted house theme. Originally they were intended to be a TV series (Houses of Doom), but were deemed too gory for television and were shelved until an eventual later release.