Angelo Ascerbi made 28 movies in his un-distinguished movie career, delicately balancing (some might say badly), a mixture of horror with soft core porn. An auteur panned by the critics, in one case literally, his oeuvre has passed into infamy due to the suspect nature and inconsistent quality of his work.
Three of his most notable works are Bethany’s Cradle (1974), The Three Faces of Janice (1977), and The Hermit of Lake Lugano (1981) . All three were soundtracked by Klaus Morlock, whose work was a clear influence on Tangerine Dream. Long lost, the masters were recently uncovered and released.
Bethany’s Cradle in fact was recently uploaded to YouTube. What shows is a true time capsule of 1970’s cheap skate film making, lots of wobbly CSO and grainy film segments jarringly intercut with parts shot on video. But the enthusiasm shines though, the sheer love of telling a horror story, and the sheer bare face cheek at ripping off The Wicker Man. The opening scene has all the hallmarks of an iconic horror. Tom, the gamekeeper, out in the forest with his shotgun, happens upon Mina, the daughter of the local white witch, initiating Bethany, the innocent daughter of the local clergyman into the ways of the sect, in an act of mildly risque sauciness. As he gawps with all the enthusiasm of a middle age man from the 1970s had for letching, he doesn’t notice the crab-like being that scuttles up behind him… until it rips his throat out. As Tom’s body is slowly dragged off into the undergrowth, Bethany receives a rather mild spanking from Mina… and the main credits roll! All of which accompanied by Morlock’s plaintiff, the haunting ‘Bethany’s Dream’ score.
The release of The Ascerbi Trilogy is great news for all fans of electronic music and 70s horror. Fans of John Cale’s The Academy In Peril will enjoy it, as will fans of modern throwbacks such as The Heartwood Institute.
A fitting testament to both Ascerbi and Morlock.
https://klausmorlock.bandcamp.com/album/the-ascerbi-trilogy-a-compilation
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