I completely enjoyed this Italian TV film (fortunately made in English, or possibly the best English dubbing I've ever seen), directed by Lamberto Bava, son of legendary Italian horror director, Mario Bava, whose 1960 grand guignole classic "Black Sunday" is a favorite of mine. Lambert has the same ability as his father did to scare the bejeebers out of you without gore, although the cocoon with the beating heart that drips green slime is delightfully eerie and just a bit gross. The nightmares of American born Virginia Bryant come to life when she moves with husband Paolo Malco to a huge gothic castle with their children, and what before was just in her mind now seems to be reality.
Truly chilling, but being done for TV making the narrative less graphic than it would have been otherwise, this had me transfixed from the start. The film is gorgeous to look at, with the location footage stunning with the castle itself, the gardens and the surrounding area. I don't need slit throats or guts pouring out of opened gashes to be scared, just the element of the unknown and plenty of out of the blue surprises. The performances don't require much acting, just the ability to scream convincingly when startled, and Bryant (who is better than I expected her to be), although the sound effects of husband and wife each taking slugs at each other was poorly done and didn't make sense in the context of the film. But the utilizing of gothic themes in a modern setting does work in this one, and the result is a surprisingly effective spooky film.
Truly chilling, but being done for TV making the narrative less graphic than it would have been otherwise, this had me transfixed from the start. The film is gorgeous to look at, with the location footage stunning with the castle itself, the gardens and the surrounding area. I don't need slit throats or guts pouring out of opened gashes to be scared, just the element of the unknown and plenty of out of the blue surprises. The performances don't require much acting, just the ability to scream convincingly when startled, and Bryant (who is better than I expected her to be), although the sound effects of husband and wife each taking slugs at each other was poorly done and didn't make sense in the context of the film. But the utilizing of gothic themes in a modern setting does work in this one, and the result is a surprisingly effective spooky film.