Michele Soavi (1957 - )

Date of Birth: 3 July 1957
Place of Birth: Milan, Italy
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Also Known As: Michael Saroyan; Michael Shaw; Michael Soavi

BIOGRAPHY

For a while, Michele Soavi, as much a protégé of Aristide Massaccesi as he was Dario Argento, looked like he was going to be the last great hope of the ailing Italian horror industry. Sadly, family problems forced him into temporary retirement and when he returned, Italian horror was all but dead.

Soavi had always wanted to be in films and, when he left school at the age of 18, he soon found work in a string of low budget exploiters by some of the best known names in earlys 80s horror. Massaccesi employed him for small roles in Rosso sangue (1982), Ator l'invincibile (1983) and Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (1983), Lucio Fulci set him to work in Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1980) and the notorious Lo squartatore di New York (1982) and Lamberto Bava cast him in La casa con la scala nel buio (1983).

But acting was never going to satisfy the film fanatic Soavi and he soon set his eyes on directing. He had met and befriended Dario Argento after the latter’s Inferno (1980) and it was in 1982 that Argento gave Soavi his first chance behind the camera – as well as a small cameo role in Tenebre(1982), Soavi was hired as assistant director, a position he would fill on several other movies including his work for Bava and Massaccesi.

Argento subsequently entrusted a short music video made to promote Phenomena (1985), The Valley (1985) to Soavi which in turn led to Soavi helming Il mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (1985), the first of a series of documentaries looking at Argento’s work.

To almost everyone’s surprise, when Soavi made his first feature, it wasn’t Argento’s guiding hand that eased him through Deliria, but that of Aristide Massaccesi, whose Filmirage company financed the film and whose frequent collaborator, Luigi Montefiore, wrote the script. It was an auspicious debut for Soavi, showing that he had the ability to flesh out a meagre script and a handful of tired ideas into something stylish and well rounded.

Deliria made quite a splash with horror fans around the world and marked Soavi as a young talent to watch. But he followed up with another couple of stints as an assistant director, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of Argento (on Opera (1987)) and Terry Gilliam (on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)) before returning to the director’s chair.

His follow-up to Deliria was another stylish chiller, La chiesa (1989), originally scripted as the third part of the on-going Demons series initiated by Bava and Argento, but completely rewritten at the last minute. La chiesa was meant to have been followed by The Devil’s Daughter, another Argento production which Soavi looked set to inherit after the original director, Luca Verdone, ducked out. The title was changed to La setta, but it fell through.

Argento liked the title however and created a new script around it, retaining Soavi's talents for another well crafted if rather incoherent and confusing shocker that cemented Soavi’s reputation as the only real heir to Argento's crown. But the restless Soavi wanted to try something different and, although it took him some time to make it, when he finally unleashed it, it proved to be his masterpiece. Dellamorte Dellamore took Soavi three years to get to the screen but this wondrous dark comedy remains the last truly great Italian horror film, the continuing and erratic offerings from Argento notwithstanding.

Dellamorte Dellamore suggested that fans who had picked up on Soavi at the start were to be finally rewarded for their loyalty as he looked set to carve himself a glittering career as the new king of Italian horror. Tragically, his son was diagnosed with a terminal illness and Soavi quit the film industry to tend to the ailing child.

By the time he returned to film-making the glory days of the Italian horror film were long gone and the industry itself had been gutted by the pernicious influence of cable television with its seemingly bottomless pockets and its voracious appetite for quickly turned out rubbish to fill up the schedules. Unable to secure financing for a "proper" film, Soavi, like so many directors of his generation, found himself confined to television, his new work barely seen outside his native Italy.

It remains to be seen if Soavi can claw his way back to where he belongs and even indeed if he still has the talent he showed in the 80s and 90s. If he doesn’t, it would make his loss to the genre even more tragic.
KEVIN LYONS

GENRE FILMOGRAPHY

1980
Alien 2 sulla Terra (performer (Burt (as Michael Shaw)))
Alien 2 - US video title
Alien 2 è sulla terra
Alien 2: On Earth - US title
Alien Terror - UK video title
Alien, die Saat des Grauens kehrt zurück - West German title
Strangers - US title

Paura nella città dei morti viventi (performer (Tommy Fisher))
City of the Living Dead – UK title
Fear in the City of the Living Dead
The Fear
Frayeurs - French title
The Gates of Hell - US title
Jigoku no kado - Japanese video title
Eine Leiche hängt am Glockenseil - West German video title
Miedo en la ciudad de los muertos vivientos - Spanish title
Pater Thomas - European bootleg title
Pavor na Cidade dos Zumbis - Brazilian title
Las puertas del infierno - Argentinian title
Staden med levande döda - Swedish title
Die Stadt der lebenden Toten - West German bootleg title
Ein Toter hing am Glockenseil - West German title
Twilight of the Dead
Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil - West German title

1982
Rosso sangue (performer (scooter rider - uncredited))
Absurd – UK / US / West German title
Antropophagus 2
Ausgeburt der Hölle - West German title
The Grim Reaper 2
Horrible - French title
Monster Hunter
Psychose infernale - French Canadian title
Zombie 6: Monster Hunter

Lo squartatore di New York (performer (newspaper buyer - uncredited))
Blodig voldtaegt - Dutch title
El descuartizador de New York - Argentinian video title
El descuartizador de Nueva York - Spanish title
El destripador de Nueva York - Spanish title
L'éventreur de New York - French / French Canadian title
Der New York Ripper - West German title
The New York Ripper – UK / US title
Psycho Ripper
The Ripper
Der Schlitzer von New York - West German title
Viiltäjä - Finnish title

Tenebre (2nd assistant director, performer (Maria's boyfriend / man walking with girl on beach - uncredited))
Pelkoa ei voi paeta - Finnish title
Shiadô - Japanese title
Sotto gli occhi dell'assassino – early title?
Tenebrae – UK title
Tenebre - Der kalte Hauch des Todes - West German title
Ténebre - Spanish title
Ténèbres - French title
Tinieblas - Spanish title
Unsane - US title

1983
Ator l'invincibile (script)
Ator - Herr des Feuers - West German title
Ator - taisteleva kotka - Finnish title
Ator
Ator, l'aquila battante - alternative title
Ator, the Fighting Eagle - US title
Ator, walczacy orzel - Polish title

La casa con la scala nel buio (assistant director, performer (Tony Rendina))
A Blade in the Dark – UK / US title
Cuchillos en la oscuridad - Spanish title
La maison de la terreur - French title

Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (assistant director, performer (uncredited))
Endgame - Bronx lotta finale – US television title
Endgame - Das letzte Spiel mit dem Tod - West German title
Endgame, gioco finale - alternative title
Le gladiateur du future - French title
Koncowa rozgrywka - Polish title
Shannon - taistelija - Finnish title

I predatori di Atlantide (performer (James (as Michael Soavi)))
Atlantis - English language title
Atlantis Inferno
The Atlantis Interceptors
Los invasores del abismo - Spanish title
Les prédateurs du future - French title
The Raiders of Atlantis – UK title
Los saqueadores de la Atlantid - Argentinian video title

1984
Blastfighter (assistant director (as Michael Saroyan), performer (Pete))
Force of Vengeance

1985
Demoni (assistant director, performer (man in black / Jerry))
Dämonen 2 - West German title
Dance of the Demons - West German title
Démons - French title
Demony - Polish title

Il mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (script, director, performer (himself))
Dario Argento's World of Horror
Le monde de l'horreur - French title

Phenomena (1st assistant director, performer (Kurt))
Creepers - US title
Phenomena - Integral Hard – Japanese title

The Valley (director)

1987
Deliria (director (as Michael Soavi), performer (young cop - uncredited))
Aquarius - Theater des Todes - West German title
Aquarius - Spanish title
Bloody Bird
Mielisairaalan massamurhaaja - Finnish title
O Pássaro Sangrento - Brazilian title
Sound Stage Massacre
Stage Fright
Stagefright - UK video title
StageFright: Aquarius - US title

Opera (2nd unit director, performer (Inspector Daniele Soavi - uncredited))
Im Zeichen des Raben - West German title
Terreur à l'opéra - French title
Terror at the Opera – UK / US title
Terror in der Oper - West German title
Terror na Ópera - Brazilian title
Terror na Opera – Portugese title

1988
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (script, director, performer (irritating singer - uncredited))
Die Abenteuer des Baron von Münchhausen - West German title
Las aventuras del barón Munchausen - Spanish title
As Aventuras do Barão de Münchausen - Brazilian title
Les aventures du baron de Munchausen - French title
Le avventure del Barone di Munchausen - Italian title
Baron Münchhausens äventyr - Swedish title
Harpatkaotav Shel Ha-Baron Minchauzen - Hebrew Israeli title
Münchausen báró kalandjai - Hungarian title
Paroni von Münchhausenin seikkailut - Finnish title
Przygody barona Munchausena - Polish title

1989
La chiesa (script, director, performer (1st policeman at Lisa's house - uncredited))
A Catedral - Brazilian title
Cathedral of Demons
The Church – UK / US title
Demon Cathedral
Demons 3
El engendro del diablo - Spanish title
Kosciól - Polish title
Sanctuaire - French title

Il gatto nero (performer (uncredited))
The Black Cat – UK / US title
Czarny kot - Polish title
Dead Eyes - West German title
Demons 6 – US title
Demons 6: De Profundis - US title
Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat
El gato negro – Venezuelan title

La maschera del demonio (performer)
Black Sabbath - English language title
Demons 5: The Devil's Veil - US video title
La máscara del demonio - Spanish title
Le masque de Satan – French television title

1991
Il mondo di Dario Argento 2 (performer (himself))
Dario Argento: Master of Horror

La setta (script, director, performer (magician on television - uncredited))
Demons 4
The Devil's Daughter - US title
The Sect
La secta - Spanish title

1994
Dellamorte Dellamore (producer, director, performer (man in city square - uncredited))
Cemetery Man - US title
Demons '95
Mi novia es un Zombie - Spanish title
Of Death and Love – Australian title
Pelo Amor E Pela Morte – Brazilian video title

NON-GENRE FILMOGRAPHY

1978
Il grande attacco (performer (Ted Foster - uncredited))
Battle Force
The Battle of the Mareth Line
The Biggest Battle - US title
Etulinja - Finnish video title
La grande bataille - French title
A Grande Batalha - Brazilian title
The Great Battle
The Greatest Battle
Die Große Offensive - West German title
Helvetti 1943 - Finnish title
Los jóvenes leones - Spanish title
Ökenråttornas revansch - Swedish title

Piccole labbra (performer)
Historia de Eva - Spanish title
Little Lips - Der zärtliche Tod - West German title
Little Lips
Pienet huulet - Finnish title

1979
Figlio delle stelle (assistant director)

1980
Il giorno del Cobra (performer (Kanjinsky - uncredited))
Cobra - vaarallinen mies - Finnish title
Cobra Day - West German video title
Cobraen slår til - Norwegian video title
Day of the Cobra
El día del Cobra - Spanish title
O Dia do Cobra - Brazilian television title
Dzien kobry - Polish title
Polisman Cobra - Swedish title
Der Tag der Cobra - West German title

Uomini e no (performer)
Men or Not Men - English language title

1981
Caligola: La storia mai raccontata (performer (Domitius))
Caligula II - Finnish title
Caligula II: The Forbidden Story - Dutch title
Caligula II: The Untold Story
Caligula: la véritable histoire - French title
Caligula: The Untold Story - UK title
Emperor Caligula - alternative title
Emperor Caligula: The Garden of Taboo - US video title
The Emperor Caligula: The Untold Story - US title
L'imperatore Caligula - alternative title

1982
Cuando calienta el sol... vamos a la playa (assistant director)

1983
Favoriti e vincenti (assistant director)

1999
Ultimo 2 - La sfida (script, director) *

2001
Uno bianca (script, director) *

Il testimone (script, director) *

2002
Francesco (script, director) *

2003
Arrivederci amore, ciao (director)

Ultima pallottola (script, director) *

2004
Ultimo 3 (director) *

LINKS

WEBLINKS

Michele Soavi's official site

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009