Renato Polselli
An image from Mania, one of the productions that also features Renato Polselli.
Renato Polselli

Renato Polselli

February 24, 1922 — Arce, Italy

Renato Polselli (1922–2006) was an Italian film director and writer. Born in Arce, Lazio on 26 February 1922, Polselli began directing films in Italy in the early 1950s. He is best known for directing and writing the film The Vampire and the Ballerina. Polselli's film work since the 1970s was sporadic, and included work on horror film productions that remained unfinished. His later film works were often pornography made with his frequent collaborator Bruno Vanni. Polselli died in Italy on 1 October 2006.

In his book on Italian horror film directors, Louis Paul described Polselli as being "a bit of a mystery" due to the rarity of films surrounding his work and that his work in horror films were "some of the most original, hallucinatory and sleazy, low-budget productions in the genre". Paul described his early efforts such as The Vampire and the Ballerina and The Vampire of the Opera as following the trends of Italian horror films of that era, with overtly sexual themes and being influenced by Hammer Horror films of the era.

Oscenità

Oscenità

1980

Psychout for Murder

Psychout for Murder

1969

The Vampire and the Ballerina

The Vampire and the Ballerina

1960

Delirium

Delirium

1972

Black Magic Rites

Black Magic Rites

1973

Mania

Mania

1974

The Monster of the Opera

The Monster of the Opera

1964

Erotic Games of a Respectable Family

Erotic Games of a Respectable Family

1975