Gabriele Albanesi
Il Bosco Fuori

Upon reading "Manetti bros" in the production credits, a faint alarm bell went off in my head, quickly silenced, but yes, let's move forward. My penchant for trash takes over.

"A Cè, the priest told me I should mind my own business." I could have minded my own business too, instead of listening to the little voice in my head that craved grotesque gore and copious amounts of blood.

Synopsis: two young lovers, parked in a car, are attacked by three thugs with bad intentions. Fortunately, a couple drives by and rescues them, hosting them in their house in the middle of the woods...

A bit too self-indulgent is Gabriele Albaneesi's direction, considering the awful shots (everything shakes, is this Parkinson's?), the screenplay which, needless to say, reaches peaks of (unintentionally) comedic moments, the embarrassing acting (Daniela Virgilio, please go back to your Patrizia).

However, it must be said, it takes courage to invoke none other than Tobe Hooper (the reference is so blatant I might not have even mentioned it) and try to contribute to the Italian horror scene, which has been losing ground lately. The attempt is commendable, less so everything else.

Excluding the first 20 minutes or so, everything unfolds within the spacious but claustrophobic house of the two "saviors", who turn out to be far worse than the three thugs the protagonists had just escaped from. And soon, the motive also comes to light: their monstrous little son, with fangs that even Dracula wouldn't envy, seems to feed only on human flesh. So, dinner is served, dear child.

Let's get to the characterization of the characters, one of the sore points. Crude, stereotypical: the protagonist as the little slut, the doormat boyfriend, the brutish thugs, the real villains (not to mention the two freaks, adopted sons/accomplices of the real villains). However, special consideration must be given to the two children, who unknowingly deliver the most convincing performance of the entire film, the scene of the hug between the two is (indeed yes) almost touching: for different reasons, they are two "monsters" (as one of them is defined by his own mother), but still blameless.

Yet I would be lying if I said this film lacks its morbid, inexplicable charm, which emerges from time to time, and among grimaces of disgust, you find yourself wondering what will become of those boorish thugs, that confused young girl (she realizes she truly loves the poor doormat only at the moment he dies, mutilated and bled out)...

The hunger for trash (how many times have I said trash?) and grotesque irony is thus satisfied. By taking it lightly or not at all seriously, this is how this film should be viewed to be appreciated.