Doors at 11am, Movies at 12 noon
Celebrate the career of the legendary Italian director Antonio Margheriti with six explosive action films, projected from super-rare 35mm film prints! Join us for one of our last marathons at the I-House, and one of the craziest shows we’ve ever put together — one that only Exhumed Films would (or could) do! Fans of eX-Fest will not want to miss this event, which will feature murderous mobsters, Vietnam violence, and Raiders ripoffs!
DEATH RAGE
1976 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheriti / 98 minutes
This tale of criminal vengeance stars Yul Brynner (in his final film role) as a retired hitman who returns to action in order to avenge his brother’s death. With the help of a small-time crook, Brynner is determined to hunt down the Sicilian mobsters responsible for the murder, while also remaining one step ahead of the police. Also starring the beautiful Barbara Bouchet (DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING) as the hitman’s love interest and Martin Balsam as the chief of police determined to bring Brynner down.
THE SQUEEZE
1978 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheriti / 99 minutes
Antonio Margheriti directs one of his favorite actors (and one of our favorite tough guys)--Lee Van Cleef--in this clever crime caper. Van Cleef plays Gretchko, an aging safecracker who agrees to attempt one last big score: the theft of a million dollars worth of diamonds. But when the heist goes awry and the criminals all turn on each other, Gretchko must use his skills and his wits to escape with the loot and his life!
THE LAST HUNTER
1980 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheriti / 95 minutes
Italian horror favorites David Warbeck (THE BEYOND) and Tisa Farrow (ZOMBIE) star in this brutal, gory Vietnam War flick. Warbeck is Captain Henry Morris, who leads a team of soldiers on a dangerous mission to destroy an enemy radio tower. Before long, Morris, his men, and the embedded journalist (Farrow) tagging along on the mission must confront all of the death, destruction, and horrors that war brings. Taking obvious inspiration from both THE DEER HUNTER and APOCALYPSE NOW, THE LAST HUNTER puts a distinctly Italian exploitation spin on the traditional war movie. Also featuring Tony King (CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE), Bobby Rhodes (DEMONS) and Margheriti stalwart John Steiner (YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE).
TIGER JOE
1982 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheritti / 96 minutes
THE LAST HUNTER marked the beginning of several collaborations between director Antonio Margheriti and leading man David Warbeck. That relationship continued with their follow-up film, another war story called TIGER JOE. TIGER JOE finds Warbeck as the title character, a mercenary and gun runner who is shot down while trying to deliver a cache of weapons to Cambodian rebels. With assistance from a ravishing rebel leader maned Kia (Annie Belle from HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK), Joe must fight for survival in the deadly depths of a jungle hell!
HUNTERS OF THE GOLDEN COBRA
1982 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheritti / 92 minutes
The success of Steven Spielberg’s action blockbuster RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK did not go unnoticed by exploitation filmmakers, who quickly began cranking out their own ripoffs of the Harrison Ford favorite. One of the first of the copycats is HUNTERS OF THE GOLDEN COBRA, which once again stars Margheriti’s favorite leading man, David Warbeck. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a WWII-era adventurer teams up with a beautiful woman and a knowledgeable ally in order to locate a magical relic before it can fall in the ends of enemy forces. Along the way, he must avoid angry natives, the Axis Powers (this time the Japanese instead of the Nazis), and even a pit full of snakes. Original it aint, but HUNTERS OF THE GOLDEN COBRA is definitely a rollicking good time. Also starring Almanta Suska (THE NEW YORK RIPPER) and the omnipresent John Steiner.
ARK OF THE SUN GOD
1984 / 35mm / Dir. Antonio Margheritti / 98 minutes
Not content to make just one RAIDERS knockoff, Antonio Margheriti’s next film was yet another Indy-inspired adventure! Returning from HUNTERS OF THE GOLDEN COBRA is the dynamic duo of David Warbeck and John Steiner, oddly playing different roles in a very similar movie. This time, Warbeck and Steiner appear as a safecracker and a British agent who team up to track down the Scepter of Gilgamesh, an ancient artifact that is being sought by an evil cult for nefarious purposes. Our heroes need to unearth the Temple of Gilgamesh and locate the scepter before it falls into the wrong hands and potentially destroys the world!
