Italian director Michele Soavi started his career as an actor in all kinds of B-movies. In the course of his early career he collaborated with such filmmakers as Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Joe D'Amato and Lamberto Bava. Soavi then was chosen by Argento as an assistant director for his film TENEBRAE. He was authorized to film a documentary about the cult director titled MONDO DELL'ORRORE DI DARIO ARGENTO (DARIO ARGENTO'S WORLD OF HORROR). Soavi's first feature film was to be AQUARIUS (STAGE FRIGHT), a stylish slasher pic that showed up his talent. Argento invested in many of Soavi's movies, although the later ones do not reach the quality of his earlier films. Michele Soavi's best movies are AQUARIUS and LA CHIESA. Trivia note: Soavi seems to be fascinated by floating objects, such as snowflakes and feathers; they are important elements of style in nearly all of his films.
Filmography:
Il Grande Attacco (1977; act; aka Battle Force)
Piccole Labbra (1978; act)
Alien 2, sulla Terra (1979; act)
Il Giorno del Cobra (1980; act; aka Day of the Cobra)
Uomini e No (1980; act)
Paura nella Città dei Morti Viventi (1980; act; aka City of the Living Dead)
Caligola: La Storia Mai Raccontata (1981; act)
Tenebrae (1982; ass dir)
Anthropophagus II (1982; act)
Ator L'Invincibile (1982; coscr)
I Predatore di Atlantide (1983; act)
Endgame (1983; ass dir, act)
La Casa Con la Scala nel Buio (1983; act, ass dir)
Blastfighter (1984; ass dir, act)
Phenomena (1985; ass dir, act)
Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (1985; dir, scr, act; aka D.Argento’s World of Horror)
Demoni (1985; ass dir, act)
Aquarius (1986; dir, act)
Opera (1987; ass dir, act)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988; ass dir)
La Chiesa (1989; coscr, prod)
La Maschera del Demonio (1989; act)
Il Gato Nero (1989; act)
La Setta (1990; coscr, prod)
Dario Argento - Master of Horror (1991; doc; Soavi among the interviewees)
Dellamorte Dellamore (1994; dir, coprod, act)
Ultimo 2: La Sfida (1999; dir; made for TV)
Uno Bianca (2001; dir, coscr; made for TV)
Il Testimone (2001; dir, coscr; made for TV)
© Ron Altman (last update 05/18/2003)