Il medium (transl. The Medium) is a 1980 Italian film directed by Silvio Amadio.
Production
Il medium was developed due to director Silvio Amadio's interest in the occult, which he learned through his friend Demofilo Fidani.[1] Fidani was a filmmaker who prominently worked on low budget Italian Westerns, and by the 1980s had become more known for his work in esoterism, including writing some novels on the subject.[1] Amadio and Fidani had discussed their mutual interest in the topic since the 1970s.[1]
Among the screenwriters was Claudio Fragasso, who said he was approached by the director along with a psychic medium who told him that "the dead had told them [he] should write this script."[3] Fragasso also stated that this was the first script he had worked on, even before Meet Him and Die.[1] A film scenario with the same title was in Rome SIAE offices that were dated from October 17, 1975.[1] Filming on Il medium took place much later, starting on May 7, 1979.[1] Among the cast was Martine Brochard, who had little recollection about the making of the film, declaring "I only remember that it all seemed very homemade, and I had a very cold relationship with Amadio. I did my stuff and 'Thanks and goodbye'."[4]
Style
Film historian and critic Roberto Curti stated that despite the film often being labelled a horror film, it was a supernatural drama that involved ghosts, and some such gothic stapes such as a haunted house.[1] Curti noted the film's horrific bits are limited to a dog attack, a burning painting that emits laughter and voices recorded from unknown sources on an audio tape.[5]
Release
Il medium was distributed regionally in Italy on 10 March 1980.[1] The film grossed a total of 15 million Italian lire domestically on its release.[1]
