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Rating: I sincerely think that Federico Zampaglione (or whoever else for him) somehow "paid" some critics and reviewers to speak well of this film. Otherwise, it wouldn't be explained why the vast majority of the audience and even some critics judged this third cinematic effort after "Shadows" and "Tulpa" as mediocre or poor. I noticed a huge gap between the opinions and ratings of many viewers (especially horror enthusiasts) and the initial enthusiastic reviews that announced the return of the Tiromancino leader behind the camera. The expectations created were sky-high. They were ready to shout masterpiece. Yet, the film hit theaters and platforms, and everything was scaled down.
In any case, after watching the film, I join the disappointed. Actually, the deeply disappointed. A jumble of clichés of strong-toned Italian gothic that poorly draws inspiration and citations from the historical filmography of Dario Argento and various other masters. Without the director's ability to give coherence and personal originality to a story patched together. The storyline could have been interesting, but it needed to be developed in a completely different way. As the viewing progresses, all the flaws come to light. And in the end, my textual comment was: what a galactic drag!
The good performance of the young protagonist Lauren LaVera and the typical gothic setting of our dark countryside are not enough. Light-years away from the unsettling atmospheres of Pupi Avati's laughing windows, Zampaglione thinks that some fundamental ingredients of horror cinema are enough to hit the mark. He exaggerates on splatter and gruesome scenes, taking ideas by the handful from thousands of already seen films, plays with suspense in an aimless and inconclusive way, and clings to ritual esotericism with the ridiculous climax of the ending where - guess what - it's discovered that the only good friend of the protagonist is instead a murderous villain.
The story generally leaks from all sides, seeming to use some sequences pretextually to justify bloody scenes. The character of the murderous jailer is not narrated or contextualized in the slightest. The same goes for the terribly ugly witch figure, thrown in like celery in a soup: because the recipe says so.
Woeful acting in the role of Duchess Malvisi by Claudia Gerini, former partner of Zampaglione and mother of Linda Zampaglione, who equally woefully plays the duchess's daughter.
Terrible. The more I think about it, the more I say it's a terrible movie. And that any enthusiast and connoisseur of horror cinema, if they are rationally honest, cannot give a passing grade to such a work.
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