![]() One final remark about the awesome soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani, because that is also one of the film's main trumps. Dallamano died in a car accident one year after the release of this film, at age 59, which is a crying shame as I'm sure he still had a couple of great movies left in him. Joanna stops him to ask if he's Michael Williams by any chance, to which he looks straight in her lovely eyes and slyly replies: "No, but I wish I was". Dallamano also briefly appears in a funny cameo, as a random man at the airport. He shot some of Sergio Leone's best western classics, among others, and his talented eye for breath-taking camera compositions are also noticeable in this film just check out the two separate sequences of ladies falling to their deaths. This criminally underrated director also made the single best giallo ever made ("What have you done to Solange?") and was a brilliant cinematographer during most of his career. "The Cursed Medallion" is so much better than most of its contemporary Italian companions and it's almost entirely the accomplishment of co-writer/director Massimo Dallamano. This is actually one of those rare Italian horror movies for which it's regrettable that they are simply just labeled as "rip-off", because it has a lot more to offer. "The Cursed Medallion" deals with a lot more topics than just possession, like for instance reincarnation, the Electra complex and satanic relics. Fact is that the little girl behaves very strangely and dangerously jealous when it comes to her father. When there, Michael and his producer (and brand new love interest) Joanna stumble upon a truly sinister painting in the catacombs of an old castle, and there seems to be a connection between the painting and the medallion around Emily's neck. Following doctor's advice, Emily and the introvert nanny Jill accompany him. But Michael has to pick up work again and travel to Italy to make a TV-documentary about diabolical art. Little Emily carries her mother's medallion – a gift from her father – everywhere with her. Michael Williams and his 11-year-old daughter Emily are still recovering from the devastating loss of their wife/mother, who got trapped in her bedroom when a fire broke out and fell to her death from the window. ![]() This one plays in one league higher thanks to three aspects: a surprisingly intriguing script with likable characters, solid direction by Massimo Dallamano and a downright fantastic – albeit ruminated – musical score by Stelvio Cipriani. "The Cursed Medallion", also known as "The Night Child" theoretically also qualifies as such an Italian "The Exorcist" rip-off, but the overall tone of the film balances back and forth between the stern 1973 original and the over-exploitative other rip-offs. I can't help it Trashy titles such as "Beyond the Door", "The Tempter" or "Demon Witch Child" are just a lot more fun to watch because the atmosphere is a lot less demanding while the gore/bloodshed is a lot more outrageous. I definitely reckon their importance and influence, but personally I'm always much more entertained by their copious amounts of (primarily Italian) rip-offs. I realize it's a nearly blasphemous thing to write, being a self-acclaimed horror aficionado, but I really think that several of the greatest genre classics (like "The Exorcist", "Rosemary's Baby", "The Omen", "Don't Look Now" ) are somewhat overrated.
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