''Lover of the Monster'' ( it, Le amanti del mostro, lit=Lovers of the Monster) is a 1974 gothic

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Sergio Garrone Sergio Garrone (born 15 April 1925) is an Italian director, screenwriter and film producer. Life and career Born in Rome, the brother of the actor Riccardo, Garrone began his career in 1948 working as assistant director, documentary filmmaker, ...

and starring

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...

Plot

Dr. Alex Nijinski (Klaus Kinski) stumbles upon a secret experimental laboratory when he returns to his wife's

ancestral An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

homestead. Work in the lab turns the curious doctor into a

Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

split personality Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

, with the evil alter ago going on a killing rampage in the town which is blamed on a pair of

tramps A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English ''t ...

Cast

Although credited,

Carla Mancini Carla Mancini (born 21 April 1950) is an Italian film and television actress.Cox p.295 A graduate of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia she made numerous appearances in films of the early 1970s. Selected filmography * '' Rough Justice'' (1 ...

Alessandro Perrella Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

and Stella Calderoni to not appear in the film.

Ayhan Işık Ayhan Işık (born Ayhan Işıyan; 5 May 1929 – 16 June 1979) was one of the pioneers of Turkish cinema and actors in Turkey, and among the most famous Turkish leading actors in the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Ayhan Işık was born Ayhan Iş ...

Erol Taş Erol Taş (28 February 1928 – 8 November 1998) was a Turkish film actor. He appeared in 220 films between 1957 and 1998. He starred in the 1964 film '' Susuz Yaz'', which won the Golden Bear at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. ...

and

Roberto Messina The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

are not credited in the Italian prints of the film.

Production

After directing the war film '' La colomba non deve volare'', director

began work on a horror film. After contacting the Italian distributor named Sabatini, he was introduced to the Rome-based Turkish producer Şakir V. Sözen. Sözen had previously produced Farouk Agrama's crime film '' L'amico del padrino'' offered the location of a huge villa and proposed casting the Turkish actor

who had co-starred in ''Lamico del padrino''. According to Garrone, Sözen suggested instead of making one film in six weeks, that they should make two films in eight weeks. This led to the production of both ''le amanti del mostro'' and ''

The Hand That Feeds the Dead ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. ''Le amanti del mostro'' was filmed in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and at Elios Studios in Rome.

Release

''Le amanti del mostro'' was released theatrically in Italy on 28 May 1974 where it was distributed by Morini.

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lover Of The Monster 1974 films Italian horror films Turkish horror films 1974 horror films Films shot in Istanbul Gothic horror films Films shot in Rome 1970s Italian films Films shot in Turkey