Though he worked in a wide variety of genres throughout his career, we now identify Lucio Fulci with a particular brand of horror film. These characteristic Fulci movies are sort of like an amusement park thrill ride with intense shocks and gory set pieces that pop up every few minutes and scare the shit out of the audience. While his rival and compatriot Dario Argento gave nods to prevailing art cinema trends, Fulci spent the '80s constructing progressively faster, wilder, bloodier and more absurd rollercoasters. The House by the Cemetery was made during Fulci's most productive period, a three year run of grisly mayhem that redefined the concept of the gore film. If you're looking for a tasteful movie with three dimensional characters and a well-reasoned, multifaceted plot, for God's sake go bother someone else. Though Fulci was a highly literate man who could quote Kafka and Artaud, he also understood the appeal of blood, guts and atmosphere.
The House by the Cemetery is a haunted house movie. The premise is Lovecraft by way of E.C. comics (with a side trip to the butcher shop). When a New York family moves into a suitably creepy New England mansion, strange things begin to happen. There are ghostly children, rabid bats and the diabolical marks of the house's former inhabitant, the evil Dr. Freudstein. Before long, the blood is flowing like a crisp summer Chianti.