Everybody say buongiorno to Michele Soavi — Italian horror’s lost little brother, who worked under big names like Argento and Fulci before basically quitting the genre in the mid 90s.

Before all that, tho, the director put out flamboyant, stylish scarers like THE CHURCH (1989) and loveable horror-comedy CEMETERY MAN (1994), both of which we’re diving into today.

The movies are jam-packed with ideas, from spectacular effects only shown onscreen for seconds to provocatively odd or poignant narrative themes. Also bizarre, ribald digressions that a less daring filmmaker would omit. (Rupert Everett begging a doctor to remove his wang? Neat)

Soavi is a name worth knowing, even if his filmography never got to blossom into its full potential. Get into it miei amici! Nga!!