
Directing
Michele Soavi
Born
1957-07-03 (69)
Place of birth
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Known for
Directing
Credits
66 titles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi (born 3 July 1957) is an Italian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter best known for his work in the horror film genre, working alongside directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michele Soavi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
4.9A writer returns home to his estate after service in World War I. He has developed a very bad case of depression due to a war wound concerning his genitalia. He contemplates suicide, but recovers after becoming interested in his caretaker's 12 year-old war orphan niece, who now lives in the manor.
Little Lips
1978
7.2Who was Joe D'Amato aka. Aristide Massaccesi? A genius of horror in the USA, a master of eroticism in France, the king of porn in Italy. A man with a thousand pseudonyms capable of making over 200 films while simultaneously holding the roles of producer, director, author, director of photography and even camera operator. An artisan of cinema as he liked to call himself, capable of working on all film genres. From spaghetti western to post-atomic, decamerotic to glossy eroticism, and blockbuster porn to bloody horror. Guided by the aesthetics of extremes and supported by an undeniable technical ability, Joe D’Amato pushed himself, and the viewer, beyond all limits following with dedication three rigid principles that have become his stylistic code: Amaze, Shock, Scandalize.
Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess
2021
6.9Francesco Dellamorte is the groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead just won’t stay dead—and it’s up to him to deal with those who come back to life with a hunger for human flesh. But Dellamorte’s job soon becomes much more complicated when he falls for an enigmatic young woman whose husband has recently died.
Cemetery Man
1994
6.0In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
The Church
1989
6.8A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Phenomena
1985
6.6A group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.
Demons
1985
Film credits
2020s · 6 titles
7.2Who was Joe D'Amato aka. Aristide Massaccesi? A genius of horror in the USA, a master of eroticism in France, the king of porn in Italy. A man with a thousand pseudonyms capable of making over 200 films while simultaneously holding the roles of producer, director, author, director of photography and even camera operator. An artisan of cinema as he liked to call himself, capable of working on all film genres. From spaghetti western to post-atomic, decamerotic to glossy eroticism, and blockbuster porn to bloody horror. Guided by the aesthetics of extremes and supported by an undeniable technical ability, Joe D’Amato pushed himself, and the viewer, beyond all limits following with dedication three rigid principles that have become his stylistic code: Amaze, Shock, Scandalize.
Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess
2021
NRNo synopsis available yet.
C'era una volta a Viareggio
2026
6.0Spaghetti westerns, giallo, mondo... are the legacy of a golden age in Italian genre filmmaking, which began in the sixties and came to an end in the eighties, but not without leaving behind a few final masterpieces. This film explores, a few decades later, what became of those filmmakers and their films. A number of the most famous survivors of Italian horror movies will help to shed light on what happened.
Dream Time
2023
6.8This documentary about the great master of European horror and fantastic films offers an immersive exploration into the life and legacy of the director of Suspiria. Using the writing process of his next film as a starting point, Dario Argento Panico immerses us in the mind of the Italian genius, and offers testimonials from other filmmakers who love his work, all key names in today's world of cinema including Gaspar Noé and Guillermo Del Toro.
Dario Argento: Panico
2024
NRThe Dark Fantastic is a psychedelic journey into the mind of renowned composer Simon Boswell, blending live performances, striking visuals, and interviews with directors he’s scored for. It celebrates his bold impact on cinema and invites viewers into a surreal fusion of music and storytelling.
The Dark Fantastic
2025
Interview-documentary about the making of Joe D'Amato's dystopian genre classic "2020 Texas Gladiators".
Shoot Me: The Real Story of the Italian Texas Gladiators
2024
2010s · 6 titles
6.0A feature-length documentary about the life and career of Italian director Luigi Cozzi and his obsession with Science Fiction and Fantasy.
FantastiCozzi
2016
5.0Delves into the career of the notorious Italian filmmaker, Aristide Massaccesi aka Joe D'Amato, the infamous director behind the legendary Video Nasties Anthropophagus: The Beast and Absurd.
Omega Rising: Remembering Joe D'Amato
2017
A retrospective look at the making of Michele Soavi's "The Church" including interviews with cast and crew.
Il mistero della cattedrale
2017
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Erinnerungen an Lucio Fulci
2019
6.8«Fulci for Fake» is the first biopic on Lucio Fulci. Lucio Fulci is an enigma. The mystery that surrounds Fulci is linked in part to his personal life. The director only rarely spoke about himself in interviews. But he did let his experience be reflected in his films. The setting of the film sees Nicola, a successful actor, agree to play the part of Lucio Fulci in a biopic on the director. Nicola will ask himself probing questions about the real nature of a man who, in his own lifetime, had already rewritten his biography.
Fulci for Fake
2019
5.0No synopsis available yet.
Aquarius Visionarius - Il cinema di Michele Soavi
2018
2000s · 4 titles
5.8Turi Leofonte is released from prison after eleven years and asks for the surviving members of his old security detail to escort him back in Sicily to get revenge on his former associates – something the authorities indulge to seize a large stash of Mafia money he claims to have access to.
Milan – Palermo: The Return
2007
6.0This documentary examines the life and legacy of controversial Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci through interviews with his colleagues, each of whom answers the question, "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci?". The responses are as varied as the people who knew the late writer-director, providing a nuanced look at the man behind such gory grindhouse classics as City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery.
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1
2008
6.0A brief overview of the inspiration and process behind making Cemetery Man.
Death Is Beautiful: Michele Soavi Directs Dellamorte Dellamore
2006
Offers a critical appreciation of Italian horror cinema, pioneered by directors such as Dario Argento and Mario Bava, a genre that influenced filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino to Takashi Miike.
Hanging Shadows
2007
1990s · 4 titles
6.9Francesco Dellamorte is the groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead just won’t stay dead—and it’s up to him to deal with those who come back to life with a hunger for human flesh. But Dellamorte’s job soon becomes much more complicated when he falls for an enigmatic young woman whose husband has recently died.
Cemetery Man
1994
4.3Skiers in Northern Italy unwittingly awaken an ancient witch after removing her mask in a crevasse. Their actions unleash a curse, leading to terrifying consequences.
The Mask of Satan
1990
6.2A spree of grisly murders is perpetrated in Frankfurt by a group of Satan worshippers. A lonely schoolteacher almost runs over an elderly man and takes him in, unbeknown to her the man has plans for her – plans that involve a permanent future with the Satanic cult.
The Sect
1991
7.1A documentary about the films of Italian horror director Dario Argento. Included are clips from many of his films and interviews with friends, actors and colleagues.
Dario Argento: Master of Horror
1991
1980s · 18 titles
6.0In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
The Church
1989
6.8A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Phenomena
1985
6.6A group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.
Demons
1985
6.4While a group of young actors rehearse a new musical about a mass murderer, a notorious psychopath escapes from a nearby insane asylum.
Stage Fright
1987
5.4An insane young emperor finds his love of brutality and degradation surpassed only by his hunger for enslaved virgins, cruel vengeance, extreme acts of 'horseplay' and beyond.
Caligula: The Untold Story
1982
6.7A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.
Opera
1987
5.7Bruno, an up and coming film composer, has been hired to write the score to a new horror movie. After moving into a secluded villa, life begins to imitate art as a vicious killer starts bumping off anyone and everyone who happens to pay him a visit.
A Blade in the Dark
1983
5.4A priest-doctor chasing a man with supernatural regenerative abilities, who has recently escaped from a medical lab, reaches a small town where the mutant goes on a killing spree.
Absurd
1981
4.9A telepathic mutant recruits a post World War III TV game show warrior to lead her band of mutants to safety.
Endgame
1983
6.8A razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American mystery author in Italy to promote his newest novel.
Tenebre
1982
6.5A psychic seemingly dies of fright during a séance where she sees a vision of a Dunwich priest hanging himself in a church cemetery. New York City reporter Peter Bell investigates and learns that the priest's suicide has somehow opened a portal to Hell that must be sealed by All Saints Day, or else the dead will overtake humanity.
City of the Living Dead
1980
6.3A burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.
The New York Ripper
1982
4.9A team of scientists working to raise a sunken Russian nuclear submarine on an ocean platform off the coast of Miami, Florida, unearth an ancient Atlantean relic from the sea floor and bring in an expert to make some sense of it. But while attempting to raise the sub, radioactive leakage from its missles triggers the re-emergence of Atlantis, and the resulting tidal wave destroys the platform and leaves only a small group of survivors. Rescued by two Vietnamvets-turned-heavies who are out relaxing after their latest job, their boat eventually runs aground on a Carribean island nearby where, upon going ashore, it is discovered that everything has been destroyed and everybody killed. The culprits, a vicious group of well-armed raiders, and their leader, Crystal Skull, are descendants of Atlantis' original race who set about reclaiming the world and adding the survivors to the list of victims as they struggle to stay alive and defeat the raiders and send Atlantis back to the ocean floor.
Raiders of Atlantis
1983
3.5A group of cave explorers are confronted in an underground cavern by a mysterious living rock. Little do they know that it bears home to deadly, flesh-eating creatures, intent on wiping out the entire human population. An ultra low-budget, unofficial and unauthorized sequel to the 1979 film Alien, although the plot has little connection to the original film.
Alien 2: On Earth
1980
5.3An ex-cop, fresh out of prison, returns home to find it ruled by violent rednecks and must fight to protect himself and his daughter, using his combat skills and a powerful grenade launcher.
Blastfighter
1984
6.1An American narcotics agent is murdered in Italy. The head of the department decides to hire Larry Stanziani, 'The Cobra'. Larry, a former agent and now a third-rate private detective, uses the opportunity to get even with an old enemy, but soon he finds out he's facing a relentless organization
Day of the Cobra
1980
4.8When a horror film based on the same source material as Suspiria and Inferno goes into production, the evil witch the story is based upon manifests herself and not only begins to terrorise the actress set to portray her on screen, but reveals plans to wreck havoc and bloodshed throughout the world.
The Black Cat
1989
7.8In Milan, in the winter of 1944, the ruthless Cane Nero leads the fascists against the partisans. Enne 2, one of the leading figures of the C.N.L., meets Berta, whom he loved three years ago, but Berta refuses to leave her husband for him. Enne 2 is pursued by the fascists of Cane Nero and, instead of running away to Turin, waits for Berta to rejoin him
Men or Not Men
1980
1970s · 3 titles
4.9A writer returns home to his estate after service in World War I. He has developed a very bad case of depression due to a war wound concerning his genitalia. He contemplates suicide, but recovers after becoming interested in his caretaker's 12 year-old war orphan niece, who now lives in the manor.
Little Lips
1978
5.5A rich Sicilian, Fefè Mottola, decides to call a wealthy girl graduate: Giovanna, who is about to become a teacher, because his son needs repetitions. The boy, named Franco, is shocked by the physical beauty of the teacher, and so to restrain himself decides to pose as gay. But the deception does not last long, because the sexual impulses of Alfredo explode.
The School Teacher
1975
4.7A story of how World War II affected the lives of a German family and an American family, both of whom had sons and fathers fighting in the war.
The Biggest Battle
1978
Series credits
Behind the camera
6.9Francesco Dellamorte is the groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead just won’t stay dead—and it’s up to him to deal with those who come back to life with a hunger for human flesh. But Dellamorte’s job soon becomes much more complicated when he falls for an enigmatic young woman whose husband has recently died.
Cemetery Man
1994
6.9Francesco Dellamorte is the groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead just won’t stay dead—and it’s up to him to deal with those who come back to life with a hunger for human flesh. But Dellamorte’s job soon becomes much more complicated when he falls for an enigmatic young woman whose husband has recently died.
Cemetery Man
1994
6.0In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
The Church
1989
6.0In a Gothic cathedral built on the mass grave of a Teutonic purge, an ancient discovery by the new librarian will release an unholy maelstrom of madness, violence, and demonic vengeance.
The Church
1989
6.4While a group of young actors rehearse a new musical about a mass murderer, a notorious psychopath escapes from a nearby insane asylum.
Stage Fright
1987
5.4An insane young emperor finds his love of brutality and degradation surpassed only by his hunger for enslaved virgins, cruel vengeance, extreme acts of 'horseplay' and beyond.
Caligula: The Untold Story
1982
6.2A spree of grisly murders is perpetrated in Frankfurt by a group of Satan worshippers. A lonely schoolteacher almost runs over an elderly man and takes him in, unbeknown to her the man has plans for her – plans that involve a permanent future with the Satanic cult.
The Sect
1991
6.2A spree of grisly murders is perpetrated in Frankfurt by a group of Satan worshippers. A lonely schoolteacher almost runs over an elderly man and takes him in, unbeknown to her the man has plans for her – plans that involve a permanent future with the Satanic cult.
The Sect
1991
6.9Leftist radical-turned-terrorist Giorgio—hiding out in Latin America since the 1970s—turns himself in as soon as the Berlin Wall falls. Wishing to lead a comfortable, bourgeois life in his native Italy, he cuts a deal with a dirty cop, getting his sentence reduced in return for ratting former comrades out. Once released, Giorgio obsessively pursues his dream of becoming an upright citizen, but his old police aquaintance keeps dragging him down...
The Goodbye Kiss
2006
6.9Leftist radical-turned-terrorist Giorgio—hiding out in Latin America since the 1970s—turns himself in as soon as the Berlin Wall falls. Wishing to lead a comfortable, bourgeois life in his native Italy, he cuts a deal with a dirty cop, getting his sentence reduced in return for ratting former comrades out. Once released, Giorgio obsessively pursues his dream of becoming an upright citizen, but his old police aquaintance keeps dragging him down...
The Goodbye Kiss
2006
5.3When six elementary school students suspect their missing teacher is Befana, a Christmas witch who delivers presents to good children, they set off on a magical journey to save her.
The Legend of the Christmas Witch
2018
NRThe story opens with the trial against the Colonel Roberto Di Stefano, known as "Ultimo", which is under investigation by the Palermo prosecutor as suspected of aiding and collusion with the Mafia
Ultimo - L'Occhio Del Falco
2013
6.9Documentary on horror/mystery filmmaker Dario Argento. Features an in-depth interview with Argento and covers his work from 1969 to 1985.
Dario Argento's World of Horror
1985
6.9Documentary on horror/mystery filmmaker Dario Argento. Features an in-depth interview with Argento and covers his work from 1969 to 1985.
Dario Argento's World of Horror
1985
6.0The return of the Red Brigade in Italy, after 11 years of silence from this terrorist organization, was a traumatic event for the entire country. Especially for the families of the victims killed: professors D'Antona and Biagi, and subsequently the police superintendent Petri.
Political Target
2006
6.2Inspired by Giampaolo Pansa's controversial book, the film traces the story of a family torn apart by political divisions at the end of the Second World War: a son joined the partisan brigades and a daughter, instead, joined the militia of the Republic of Salò.
Blood of the Losers
2008
7.1An Italian magistrate leads a crusade against organized crime which ultimately costs him his life in this biopic told through his daughter's eyes.
Rocco Chinnici: May Your Kiss Lie Lightly on My Head
2018
6.4Italian thriller
Il testimone
2001
6.4Italian thriller
Il testimone
2001
5.8No synopsis available yet.
Francesco
2002
7.2Rimini, 1991. For more than a year, the uno bianca gang - they always use a white Fiat Uno - has plagued the area. Their crimes are violent, sometimes killing carabineri, and there's no particular pattern: a bank one day, a petrol station the next, extortion of a small business the next. Are they terrorists? A foreign gang? Tied to the Mafia? After a particularly bloody shootout, two detectives are assigned to start fresh: they go through the notebooks of previous investigators and they interview a few witnesses again. They find a pattern in the crimes and predict the next assault, but the special task force in Bologna is dismissive. Can they carry on alone; how far will they get?
Uno bianca
2001
7.2Rimini, 1991. For more than a year, the uno bianca gang - they always use a white Fiat Uno - has plagued the area. Their crimes are violent, sometimes killing carabineri, and there's no particular pattern: a bank one day, a petrol station the next, extortion of a small business the next. Are they terrorists? A foreign gang? Tied to the Mafia? After a particularly bloody shootout, two detectives are assigned to start fresh: they go through the notebooks of previous investigators and they interview a few witnesses again. They find a pattern in the crimes and predict the next assault, but the special task force in Bologna is dismissive. Can they carry on alone; how far will they get?
Uno bianca
2001
7.2Rimini, 1991. For more than a year, the uno bianca gang - they always use a white Fiat Uno - has plagued the area. Their crimes are violent, sometimes killing carabineri, and there's no particular pattern: a bank one day, a petrol station the next, extortion of a small business the next. Are they terrorists? A foreign gang? Tied to the Mafia? After a particularly bloody shootout, two detectives are assigned to start fresh: they go through the notebooks of previous investigators and they interview a few witnesses again. They find a pattern in the crimes and predict the next assault, but the special task force in Bologna is dismissive. Can they carry on alone; how far will they get?
Uno bianca
2001
6.8When a woman is beaten into a coma and saved from being raped by her handyman (Donald O'Brien), the local security force does a cover-up to save the town's reputation and frames the saviour. After he hangs himself, the woman's strange comatose psi-powers revive him from the dead to exact revenge.
Return from Death (Frankenstein 2000)
1991

