Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Larry Louis , John Old Jr.

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Roma, Lazio, Italia

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 92

TV Involvements: 9


Most Famous Work

Biography

Lamberto Bava was born in Rome, Italy, and was the first of a third generation of Italian filmmakers. His grandfather, Eugenio Bava (1886-1966), was a cameraman and optics effects artist during the early days of Italian silent cinema. His father, Mario Bava (1914-1980), was a legendary cinematographer, special effects designer and director. Lamberto entered the cinema as his father's personal assistant, starting with "Planet of the Vampires" (1965). Bit by bit he gained experience from his father, who made him the assistant director for most of the rest of his films. He even co-wrote the screenplay for "Shock" (1977), Mario's last theatrical film where, in poor health during the shoot, Mario often feigned illness so Lamberto could direct a few scenes, uncredited, to gain further experience. Both Lamberto and Mario directed the made-for-TV drama "I giochi del diavolo: La Venere d'Ille" (1979). Both worked on the Dario Argento horror flick "Inferno" (1980), for which Mario designed some of the color set pieces, including the underwater ballroom, and created all the visual special effects, while Lamberto worked as Argento's assistant director. Late in 1979 Lamberto made his solo directorial debut with "Macabre" (1980), a tense drama-horror flick loosely based on a 1977 incident in New Orleans about a woman who keeps her lover's severed head in her freezer. According to Lamberto, the project started by chance when producer Pupi Avati approached him to direct as well as write the screenplay, which took just six weeks to write and direct. "Macabre" was released in Italy in February 1980 to mixed reviews, but won him recognition by his father Mario. Just two months later Mario Bava died, and an era in Italian film making came to a close. "Macabre" was not a box-office hit and, as a result, Lamberto went back to assistant directing. He worked with Dario Argento again in 1982 with "Tenebrae" (1982). In 1983 Lamberto was offered the opportunity to direct another film, titled "A Blade in the Dark" (1983), which was a violent mystery thriller shot in only three weeks on a tight budget and filmed almost entirely in a producer friend's house. Next he directed the action-flick "Blastfighter" (1984), which was filmed in the state of Georgia, and immediately afterwards directed the "Jaws" (1975)-like thriller "Devil Fish" (1984), which was shot in Florida. On both films Lamberto was purely a director for hire and had nothing to do with the script or production end. He used the pseudonym of 'John Old Jr.' for this latter film, which was a tribute to his father Mario, who often used the pseudonym 'John M. Old'. He enjoyed his best commercial success to date with "Demons" (1985), produced by Dario Argento, co-written by Dardano Sacchetti and filmed in West Berlin. This film's international success allowed him to co-write, produce and direct a sequel, "Demons 2" (1986). Lamberto returned to giallo thrillers with "Delirium" (1987). In the late 1980s the Italian cinema turned moribund. Lamberto, like most of his colleagues, turned to making films for Italian television. He also directed a remake of his father's "Black Sunday" (1960), which was titled "La maschera del demonio" (1990). Nowadays Lamberto Bava continues to divide his time between TV work and a few movies, acknowledging his inspiration from his late father, Mario.

Most Famous Work

Cannibal Holocaust
Average
6

Cannibal Holocaust

(1980) Assistant Director
Fantaghirò
Average
7

Fantaghirò

(1991) Creator
6 passi nel giallo
Average
6

6 passi nel giallo

(2012) Director
The Devil's Game
Average
5

The Devil's Game

(1981) Screenplay
A Bay of Blood
Average
7

A Bay of Blood

(1971) Assistant Director
Demons
Average
7

Demons

(1985) Screenplay
Inferno
Average
7

Inferno

(1980) Assistant Director
Planet of the Vampires
Average
7

Planet of the Vampires

(1965) Second Assistant Director

Acting

Crew

Year Role Movie/Tv
2018 Thanks
1984 Additional Writing
Year Role Movie/Tv

Directing

Year Role Movie/Tv
2012 Director
Director
Director
Director
2007 Director
2005 Director
1999 Director
Director
1997 Director
Director
1996 Director
Director
1995 Director
1994 Director
Director
1993 Director
1992 Director
Director
1991 Director
Director
1990 Director
1989 Director
Director
Director
1988 Director
Director
Director
Director
1987 Director
Director
1986 Director
Director
1985 Director
1984 Director
Director
1983 Director
1982 First Assistant Director
1981 Director
Director
1980 Director
Assistant Director
Assistant Director
1978 First Assistant Director
1977 Director
1975 Assistant Director
1974 Assistant Director
1973 Assistant Director
1971 Assistant Director
1970 First Assistant Director
Assistant Director
Second Unit Director
1968 Assistant Director
1966 Assistant Director
1965 Second Assistant Director
Director
Year Role Movie/Tv

Writing

Production

Creator

Year Role Movie/Tv
1991 Creator
Year Role Movie/Tv

Editing

Year Role Movie/Tv
1986 Editor
1983 Editor
Year Role Movie/Tv

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