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Rating: Art in the 21st century is primarily a matter of intersections. At the crossroads of paths trodden a thousand times, one can still occasionally encounter the most affable of devils among those traditionally dwelling at such junctions: originality. In the case of "Road to L.", a film from 2005 by Federico Greco and Roberto Leggio, the idea was born by traversing three rather crowded roads and seeking their ideal meeting point. The three chosen paths were:
- the work of the visionary from Providence, the much-loved social outcast of Massachusetts, H.P. Lovecraft;
- handheld camera horror, which became popular following the much-debated "Blair Witch Project";
- the mists and terrors of the Po Valley, of which Pupi Avati was a master. Among his works are some of the best Italian horror films: "Zeder", "L'arcano incantatore," and especially the sublime "La casa dalle finestre che ridono".
On this crossroads, the authors have woven a fascinating hypothesis, using a temporal gap in Lovecraft's biography. The idea is that HPL derived the inspiration for the Chtulhu myths from a trip to Italy (historically never happened) and from learning about certain legends set in the Po Delta.
By hypothesizing the accidental discovery of some of the writer's autograph pages, "Road to L." takes a crew of Italian and American filmmakers to Loero and Santa Maria in Punta, in the tangle of channels and waterways of the delta, in search of the true, authentic Innsmouth. As expected, it does not end well at all for the unsuspecting visitors who get lost among horrific rituals, amphibious creatures, slimy undergrounds, and orally transmitted folk legends (the ancient "Filò tales") that carry unspeakable horrors.
"Road to L." attempts from its title (which contains as many as three meanings in a single phrase: "L." stands for Loero but also for Lovecraft and "hell") a refined operation, alternating the filmic aspect with the documentary one, by involving and interviewing two of the greatest Italian Lovecraft experts, Gianni Pilo and Sebastiano Fusco, as well as an amused Lucarelli.
If the foundations of the work are rock-solid, the actual structure does not do full justice to the idea, due to performances often not up to par, a low-budget production not supported by great visual creativity that clings too often to the communication codes of "Blair Witch Project" and, when it tries to scare in an original way, falls into some moments of involuntary humor (a bit naive to try to scare by scattering a few smashed fish in a cellar... but maybe I'm being overly critical).
Where the reference is Avati, however, things go decidedly better. The delta landscapes are beautiful and gloomy, the legends told around the fire are effective, the interviews with the local inhabitants, the dialect becoming a vehicle of dark secrets and insurmountable distances between the community and the outside world.
"Road to L." is a decent attempt, one of the most interesting experiments ever on the Lovecraftian theme and one of the most enjoyable ideas in recent years in the horror field, not only Italian. As for me, however, these merits somewhat become an aggravating factor. Indeed, the feeling of a missed opportunity is very strong, due to the obvious stylistic, technical, and interpretive uncertainties that litter the viewing.
For the devout Lovecraftians, it remains nevertheless an essential film not to be missed.
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