Even casual giallo fans know famous filmmakers like Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Of course, others dabbled in the genre as well, and with 1976’s The House With Laughing Windows, we get an entry directed by Pupi Avati.

In a small Italian village, Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) arrives to restore a church fresco. Painted by the mysterious – and apparently long dead – artist Buono Legnani, it offers a disturbingly realistic depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

Some suspect that Legnani created such convincing results because he actually tortured models as he worked. When locals start to die at an unnatural rate, Stefano finds himself embroiled in a deadly mystery that appears connected to the sadistic artist.

Though giallo films tend to lend themselves to lurid bombast, House goes down a more subdued path. Well, after the opening, at least, as the credit sequence lacks much subtlety.

After that, though, Avati tends to treat the material in a more matter of fact manner than I expect from the genre. Not that we get a Kubrick-esque sense of objectivity, of course, as the movie comes with a few gruesome elements and ominous scenes.

Still, House tends to feel less like what we view as “giallo” and more like a dark thriller. I’ll classify it as giallo because everyone else does, but I don’t really know if the label fits.

In any case, House becomes an effective tale, largely because it lacks the theatrics I associate with gialli. Not that this means I dislike the genre, as those methods work just fine when done well.

But I feel unconvinced a more garish version of House would hit the spot. This tale develops as a “slow burn” in a manner that suits it.

Indeed, the gradual and generally non-“theatrical” way House evolves allows it to become more engrossing. We stand in Stefano’s shoes most of the way so we experience developments as he goes through them.

This feels natural and effective. With a steady march toward terror, the movie conveys a dark sense of dread that a more sensational take might lack.

I admit I could live without the film’s tacked-on romance between Stefano and local hottie Francesca (Francesca Marciano). Yeah, I get that the genre demands sexual components, but Francesca’s involvement nonetheless feels forced and predictable.

Despite that misstep, I find a lot to like about this creepy drama. More restrained and ominous than the typical Italian thriller, House becomes a quality project.

The House With Laughing Windows appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The film brought a solid presentation.

Sharpness usually worked fine. A smidgen of softness materialized along the way, but the movie usually seemed accurate.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural as well, and I saw no source defects.

House opted for a palette that seemed natural and unusually subdued for a giallo tale. The colors came across as well-rendered within those choices, and HDR added impact to the tones.

Blacks felt deep and tight, while shadows were positive. HDR contributed punch to whites and contrast. Overall, I thought this ended up as an appealing presentation.

As for the film’s LCPM monaural soundtrack, it seemed decent and nothing better. Like pretty much all Italian movies of the era, it featured looped dialogue, and that meant the lines could sound less than natural and integrated.

Nonetheless, speech appeared reasonably concise, as the material showed only minor edginess. Effects followed suit and seemed thin but not problematic.

Music fared best, as the score showed adequate range and verve. Nothing here impressed but the mix worked better than many of the movie’s genre/era mates.

As we shift to extras, we find two separate audio commentaries, the first of which comes from film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson. Both sit together for a running look at the giallo genre as well as themes and interpretation, historical context and their thoughts about the flick.

You’ll notice the absence of reference to this as a screen-specific track. We might get a couple nods toward the action as it occurs, but mostly they chat without connection to the film as it unspools.

Overall, Heller-Nicholas and Nelson make this a pretty engaging track. They put the movie in the appropriate circumstances to add layers of understanding.

For the second track, we hear from film historians Eugenio Ercolanti and Troy Howarth. They also sit together for a running, screen-specific discussion of genre areas, cast and crew, production elements, interpretation and their take on the movie.

More “nuts and bolts” than the first commentary, Ercolanti and Howarth offer a pretty solid mix of movie-related facts as well as domains related to gialli. This adds up to a quality chat that complements the first track.

In addition to the film's trailer, some video programs ensue. Painted Screams runs one hour, 34 minutes, 30 seconds and brings remarks from writer/director Pupi Avati, screenwriter Antonio Avati, costume and set designer Luciana Morosetti, assistant directors Antonio Scanamuzza and Cesare Bastelli, soundman/photographer Enrico Blasi, painter Emanuele Taglietti and actors Lino Capolicchio, Francesca Marciano, Giulio Pizzirani, and Pietro Brambilla.

The documentary examines the project's origins and development, story/character areas, sets and locations. cast and performances, cinematography, the film's paintings, and memories of the shoot. It's great to get a new program with so many principals involved, and "Screams" adds up to a fine examination of the film.

La Casa e Sola goes for 19 minutes, 12 seconds. This one provides info from critic Chris Alexander.

Billed as a "visual essay", Alexander examines the film's opening credits, genre domains and connections, interpretation and his thoughts on the film. Alexander manages some useful notes.

Finally, The Art of Suffering spans 14 minutes, 59 seconds. It involves critic Kat Ellinger.

Another "visual essay", Ellinger discusses story/characters, themes, historical allusions, connections to other properties and interpretation. Ellinger's notes embellish the insights from the other chats.

An unusually restrained giallo effort, The House With Laughing Windows succeeds largely due to its more subdued nature. The movie evolves at a gradual rate that makes it all the more disturbing as its goes. The 4K UHD comes with very good picture, adequate audio and an array of supplements. House ends up as a fine genre flick.