This is the first of Lamberto Bava's films I introduced myself to, having loved a number of his father Mario's works (specifically Bay of Blood and Black Sunday, to name a couple).I particularly enjoyed the story. It was dramatic, horrific, and at times playful. There are some fine, shocking images in here. Specifically the final one- though some may say it's more comedic, I still found it a little terrifying because it was just not something I was at all expecting, in any way. The acting was fairly decent, as far as I'm concerned. It was the tension, the gloom of the film that all really latched onto me. From the opening scenes, Macabre is full of dreadful atmosphere, and I've since seen a little more of Bava to enjoy. I give this film a 10 out of 10; I didn't anticipate loving this film, but I really did. Those expecting a flat out splattery gore film will be disappointed. However, tt was enough macabre without going overboard, and yet there was enough sick, depraved behaviour going on to satisfy any horror hound, such as myself.

Mario Bava's son Lamberto Bava takes the reins of directing to mostly successful effect. In this tension-building horror, a woman leaves her children behind to meet with her lover, only to end the day with her son and lover dead. A year of institutionalism later, she returns to the set of her affair in the house of the blind man Robert, and creepy things begin happening... to Robert, it seems like a visitor is coming and having a sexual affair with the woman in the night, but nobody's entering the house. Is she possessed? Is it a ghost? Or is she herself pulling her old forays right out of the grave to continue them as if nothing ever happened? Macabre is interesting because it actually lives up to expectations in unexpected ways. Basically, Bava the Younger shows off strength in the way he paces his reveals. He gives the viewer just enough time to guess what is behind the door, in the freezer, or up the stairs, and then actually shows it as if it's already revealed. By the time you actually see what's going on, you no longer want it to be the case; it's terrible to be so right all the time. In the meantime, the relationships developed among Robert, the woman, and the woman's daughter provide more than enough dramatic tension to earn the sensationalistic thrills.So overall the movie is a decent, dark little idiosyncratic horror movie. There are some massive plot holes ("We visit his grave every year" -- interesting habit to have when he hasn't even been dead an entire year yet), some less-well-paced scenes ("This room needs a woman's touch"), and a dishearteningly dumb twist for its final shot ("Robert Duval's death remains a mystery"). But a horror movie seen from the perspective of a blind man, a crazy woman, and her proto-psychopathic daughter is well worth at least a first viewing for horror buffs.--PolarisDiB

Italian horror director Lamberto Bava's directorial debut, "Macabre" (sometimes called "Frozen Terror") is a tale of passionate obsession, murder, madness and some blind guy who fixes saxophones. A mother has a secret love, and the blind man slowly but surely stumbles upon it... which takes a bit longer when you're blind. And when he finds out who it is, things get a little creepy. Okay, a lot creepy.This film has received some heavy criticism from horror historians Travis Crawford and Jim Harper, and for my review I'd like to address their concerns, as I believe they've made some crucial points.Crawford is mostly praising in his words, calling this film "a humid hothouse hybrid of Tennessee Williams and Edgar Allan Poe", but questions Bava's ability to create his own work. He points to Bava's own words, giving credit to Pupi Avati, a more accomplished Italian director who co-wrote this film. Crawford says Avati "had a significant degree of input into the overall creation of the film", "shaped the stylistic approach" and even "dictated" the "restrained, subtle technique". With Avati also being the one to find the newspaper article on which the story is based, it seems as though this should be credited as his work, with Bava as more of an assistant or apprentice.Crawford notes that it would be "cynical" to point out that Bava's best work came under the guidance of an accomplished director, or even to say that his other notable film -- the "Demons" series -- were supervised by Dario Argento. But cynical or not, and as much credit as Bava deserves, it's a fair statement to say that his collaborations are much stronger than his solo career. (With regards to "Demons", the style is certainly not like Argento's other work, so how much credit he deserves is debatable.) Harper is also critical. While highlighting this as "a complex and increasingly bizarre tale", he pins the style as reminiscent of Mario Bava, Lamberto's father. Like Crawford, he also notes that Bava's films went downhill after "Demons 2" (1986), when Bava went solo. Where I agree most with Harper is his labeling of the "unfortunate" ending as the "only truly sour note". I can't reveal what the ending is, but it doesn't fit the film at all and takes what would otherwise be a great film and lowers it to slightly better than average. A shame... perhaps it would have been best to cut the last few minutes entirely.If you're looking for a mystery that paces itself and has a few very gory moments, "Macabre" is a worthy choice. While not on par with Argento's work, or Fulci's, it's a solid effort from Lamberto Bava and any Italian horror fan will like it. Others may be turned off by the slow pace, poor dubbing and inferior sound and picture quality (a staple of Italian film for some reason). Why won't more Italian films come with subtitles? Enjoyment of this film is a matter of taste. But the rich depth of these characters is a welcome change of pace from the splatter scene.

Jane Baker(Bernice Stegers),a housewife and mother of two children, has been participating in a torrid affair with Fred Kellerman(Roberto Posse)at a house owned by blind Robert Duval(Stanko Molnar)and his mom. Jane's psychotic daughter Lucy(Vernica Zinny), who knows about mother's affair, drowns her brother in protest to the adultery. Jane, in a state of turmoil when she finds out about her son's supposed "accidental drowning", hurries lover Fred to get home as fast as they can resulting in a horrific car crash. Fred is decapitated by a steel rail that smashes into the window sending Jane into a maddening shock with her being institutionalized. After spending some time in the crazy-house, Jane returns to the place once shared with lover Fred and separates from husband Leslie. Robert falls in love with Jane, but begins to notice passionate noises of pleasure sounding from her room(she decides to move in the room where her and Fred shared such fond memories). When Robert hears who she's "making love to", he begins to worry a bit. We also find that Jane is keeping something locked in her fridge freezer. Every night, Jane shares passion with a specific person no longer living and the curiosity of this tryst drives Robert into some sick discoveries. Meanwhile, Lucy continues to play mind-games with her mentally fragile mother still secretly protesting what Jane done to her father. Lucy will also find out mommy's little dark secret which results in a disturbing, violent conclusion.Geez, this is one warped little flick, being Lamberto Bava's theatrical debut. Poor blind Robert has no clue what psychotics he would be dealing with. The film plays with the novelty of "what is in the freezer?" to the hilt, but I'm guessing most intelligent viewers will guess instantly. Still, this premise is just sick and..dare I say..macabre, you can't help but credit Bava for playing it for all it's worth. I think the final minutes of this horror tale will widen eyes. The child violence isn't restrained. Stegers really carries her character Jane, whose sanity is flimsy at best, to the brink..it's a tour-de-force performance. Zinny, as one of those evil kids you just want to strangle, also brings chills to her role as Lucy. I have to say that I think this is a bit underrated.Oh, and that final freeze frame is just golden..Bava puts a final stamp to the madness of the whole ordeal.