Bloodbuster

Bloodbuster was born in 1999 from a peculiar, but deeply satisfying passion: B-movies. Manuel and Daniele, who are managing Bloodbuster, have always been passionate about this kind of cinema and have spent half of their life researching and exchanging pieces with collectors from all over the world. “At that time, when you were looking for something, you had to write a letter”, explains Daniel. “You would wait a month for the answer and keep your fingers crossed”. “The idea was to join the passion of fanatics just like us and find a place to exchange it”, continues Manuel. “Our passion clearly stems from a difficult childhood. We come from the area of Lecco and Cologno Monzese, that’s why we decided to open the shop in Milan. We met in the editorial team of Ediperiodici, a publishing house that no longer exists and focused on comics (legendary dirty comics like Oltretomba or Corna vissute). One day Daniele was complaining that no one wanted to go with him to Fantafestival, a sci-fi and horror film festival in Rome. We embarked on a road trip that eventually led to a strong friendship and the shop you can see now”.

Nocturno, a magazine dedicated to genre movies, was born a couple of years before, “there was a good exchange via mail” says Daniele, “but there still wasn’t a physical shop in Italy. That’s why we opened Bloodbuster, which was just a small space in front of Mono at the beginning. Then, before the 2008 crisis, we moved to Via Panfilo Castaldi 21, just three civics away”. “At first you could only find tapes at Bloodbuster”, continues Manuel, “especially import. We were targeting a market that still didn’t exist, so beside creating a catalogue of new releases we wanted to collect all the movies that didn’t make it to Italy and were therefore sought-after by collectors. We also had all the memorabilia, like T-shirts and action figures, posters and original bills, and of course soundtracks in CD and vinyl. Since then we met and grouped together many small producers and people who share our same passion”.

“For me, B-Movies have always been more interesting than canonical movies for a matter of imagination: when you have a super-limited budget you necessarily have to find some expedient that let you avoid the problem; the solutions adopted in the past were adventurous and therefore full of inspirations”, says Manuel. “I like the ingenious tricks our Masters found, for example our guru Mario Bava. He managed to make extraordinary visually rich movies with no resources. You can spot all the artisanal craft in such productions. It’s also extremely interesting to watch how these filmmakers would interpret and elaborate successful movies, almost always exaggerating it (particularly sex and violence). What mattered was the idea, the budget to make it was not relevant: if it was a good idea, somehow you would make it.”

“Most of these movies are honestly impossible to watch” says Daniele. “But they often give another vision of cinema, one that the rich production won’t allow you to see. For example, while author cinema is focused on the filmmaker vision, in the detective stories from the 70s you see reality as it was: real life, design, city. The troupe often recorded in the streets without any authorization and it often happened that a staged theft would be taken for a real one and the policemen would shoot the troupe, as Sergio Martino told us about his movie Milano Trema la Polizia Vuole Giustizia. The beauty of B-movies lies there: in their borderline illegality, their pirate nature. In Liberi Armati e Pericolosi, a detective story by Romolo Guerrieri, there’s a chase scene filmed in a historic cloister in Pavia – it’s crazy to think about it today, because it’s an ancient monument. There were no rules back then, it was free, just like private TV in the 70s that would stream these films alongside porn, horror, extremely violent stuff proudly forbidden to Under 18. We’ve grown up with that television, maybe that’s why we’ve developed a taste for this ugly, dirty, evil, yet totally captivating kind of cinema”.

“And then, besides all those circumstances, there were the best technicians: even now the professionals look at those B movies, because the industry level was incredibly high. There were people working everyday on different sets, the directors themselves were nearly artisans, they didn’t focus on a single genre: Mario Bava created completely different movies, from thrillers to Franco&Ciccio comedy, western and peplum. Even in commercial product, you can still see the eye of the author. Bava was more attracted to the fantasy and the research of a pop image, while another great filmmaker like Enzo G. Casellari (we published his biography) was interested in action movies, where he’d highlight a lot of chasing and fights”. Continues Daniele, “When we organize meetings with directors and actors from that time, they always have incredible stories to tell even if they didn’t have an audience until a couple of years ago. Dario Argento was the only one to ever be famous, the others were all technicians, operators, so they can’t wait to tell their stories. Once it was a long apprenticeship, you would start as a handyman, then move on as a tool setters, and you would cover plenty of roles before directing your first movie as a filmmaker. The whole journey of these people is interesting, because it teaches that cinema is a collective, physical job before the intellectual and authorial aspect. This is why the most interesting anecdotes aren’t by actors or filmmakers, but rather stuntmen. During the time an actor or a director spent on one or two films, they would make twenty, so the variety of their stories is richer. One misses a lot about cinema without considering this aspect”.

“There are some new authors taking inspiration from this golden age”, continues Manuel, “like the Manetti Bros, whom we have worked with on several occasions. They are real authors, even more than those who go to festivals and win prizes, because their education was similar to ours. Instead, today – especially among young filmmakers – there isn’t much interest in exploring the crafty aspect, they aim straight to the intellectual one, losing the most amusing part of the job. B-series cinema, the commercial one, teaches how to find new solutions for the audience, because is intended as pure entertainment, not as art, so it never forgets to tell a story”.

“There are always students coming to us in search of archive information for their essays and thesis, but for us it’s a chance of scouting new talents”, explains Daniele. “This book about Pietro Umiliani, for example, was first conceived as a dissertation, but the research behind it was so deep and through that we decided to publish it with a dedicated vinyl  – because we knew collectors would enjoy it. If you come to us with some reference titles, we are usually able to give you the necessary information to expand your research. Especially because these books are usually published by small realities and we know them all”.

“This is most of all a meeting point, just like a bar”, continues Manuel. “There are groups of fans who can find a place to share their ideas between themselves and us. Just like it used to be in music shops, where people would meet to discuss their passions… We are thinking about Transex, the heavy metal shop where people swopped patches. Here at Bloodbuster we share the same philosophy”.

*5 places suggested by Bloodbuster:

Il cinemino: the place Milan still needed. A small cinema sharing Bloodbuster’s philosophy: showing what is not shown elsewhere.

Cinema Interactive Museum: the name speaks for itself, we can’t help but love it. They have a great selection, curated by the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana.

Ligera: they share our passion for this kind of cinema, and they often organize good events in the basement. Plus, the beer is great.

Nidaba Theatre: great music, doesn’t need a presentation.

La Cappelletta: we’re both from Lambrate, we often enjoy a meal here.