Details

Release year: 1987

Storyline

A professor of archaeology and his research team uncover a sealed ancient pagan tomb in the Roman catacombs. This unleashes a monstrous entity that starts haunting the people involved with the dig.

Top credits

Directors

Marcello Avallone

Writers

Cast

John R. Pepper — Marcus
Trine Michelsen — Alice
Donald Pleasence — Professor Lasky
Massimo De Rossi — Matteo

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Did you know

• The professor mentions that the ominous tomb is located under the mausoleum that probably belongs to Domitiano and that Domitiano was sacrificed to an evil god. Domitiano in question is the real life Roman Emperor Domitian (Latin: Titus Flavius Caesar Domitianus Augustus, 51 AD - 96 AD), the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, who ruled from 81 AD to 96 AD. Dominitiano is the alternate pronunciation of his name. However, in real life, Domitian did not die by being sacrificed to someone or something. Seeing him as a mad despot, court officials conspired against him and assassinated him. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Roman Senate and his name was erased from all official documents and buildings. This was considered to be the worst punishment a person, dead or alive, can be sentenced to. Notable authors at the time condemned him in his writings as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. On the other hand, it is true that he had built a mausoleum for himself.

• When the research team finds the dagger and the professor gives his speech in the tomb about how it proves that the legend was true, the final shot in the scene has the camera zooming in on the Latin inscription on the tomb. The inscription says MALVM (or "malum" in westernized form), which is a Latin noun that means "an evil" or "wrongdoing".

• The bone expert deduces that the bone discovered in the tomb belonged to a creature that walked upright. He then looks at the drawing of what seems to be Australopithecus, a human ancestor from Africa. This might imply that the death cult in question originated at the time of Australopithecus, some 4 million years ago. Of course, the problem with that theory is that Australopithecus did not live in Italy, or build tombs.

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