Lamberto Bava, a third-generation Italian filmmaker, was born in Rome, Italy. His grandfather, Eugenio Bava, was a cameraman and optics effects artist during the early days of Italian silent cinema. His father, Mario Bava, was a legendary cinematographer, special effects designer, and director.
Lamberto entered the film industry as his father's personal assistant, starting with "Planet of the Vampires" in 1965. He gained experience from his father, who made him the assistant director for most of his films. Lamberto even co-wrote the screenplay for "Shock" in 1977, Mario's last theatrical film.
Both Lamberto and Mario directed the made-for-TV drama "La Venere d'Ille" in 1979. They also worked on Dario Argento's horror film "Inferno" in 1980, for which Mario designed some of the color set pieces and created all the visual special effects. Lamberto worked as Argento's assistant director.
Lamberto made his solo directorial debut with "Macabre" in 1980, a tense drama-horror film loosely based on a 1977 incident in New Orleans. The project started by chance when producer Pupi Avati approached him to direct and write the screenplay, which took just six weeks to complete.
"Macabre" was released in Italy in February 1980 to mixed reviews but won Lamberto recognition from his father Mario. Just two months later, Mario Bava died, and an era in Italian filmmaking came to a close.
Lamberto went back to assistant directing and worked with Dario Argento again in 1982 with "Tenebrae". In 1983, he was offered to direct another film, "A Blade in the Dark", a violent mystery thriller shot in only three weeks on a tight budget and filmed almost entirely in a producer friend's house.
He then directed the action-film "Blastfighter" in 1984, which was filmed in the state of Georgia, and immediately afterwards directed the Jaws-like thriller "Devil Fish" in 1984, which was shot in Florida. On both films, Lamberto was purely a director for hire and had nothing to do with the script or production end.
He used the pseudonym "John Old Jr." for "Devil Fish", which was a tribute to his father Mario, who often used the pseudonym "John M. Old".
Lamberto enjoyed his best commercial success to date with "Demons" in 1985, produced by Dario Argento and co-written by Dardano Sacchetti. This film's international success allowed him to co-write, produce, and direct a sequel, "Demons 2", in 1986.
Lamberto returned to "giallo" thrillers with "Delirium" in 1987.
In the late 1980s, the Italian cinema turned moribund. Lamberto, like most of his colleagues, turned to making films for Italian television. He also directed a remake of his father's "Black Sunday" in 1960, which was titled "The Mask of Satan" in 1989.
Nowadays, Lamberto Bava continues to divide his time between TV work and a few movies, acknowledging his inspiration from his late father, Mario.
