Terrible lip-synching? Extra-goopy eye gougings? Disembodied black leather gloves? Mama mia! Italian horror boasts a bloody and indelibly stylish reputation. And yet, like most hyper-specific subgenres, Italy’s horror output might not be everyone’s cup of tea. A back-to-back marathon of Lucio Fulci’s greatest hits isn’t universally considered a cozy night in.

But for some people, the bugbears of Italian horror movies are exactly what makes the genre so endearing: the melodrama, the candy-red gore, the garish interior design, the social criticism couched in extravagant sleaze.