Text © Richard Gary/Indie Horror
Films, 2014
Images from the Internet
E2=G Production
Elite Entertainment
60 minutes, 2011 / 2013
www.MVDvisual.com
Images from the Internet
Mad
in Italy
Written and directed
by Paolo Fazzini E2=G Production
Elite Entertainment
60 minutes, 2011 / 2013
www.MVDvisual.com
Let me say right at the start, the title
of the film is a brilliant pun.
Director Fazzini is not only a
filmmaker, but also a historian of Italian giallo
films, especially from the ‘80s, and even put out an interesting documentary
about the genre, titled Hanging Shadows:
Perspectives on Italian Horror Cinema (reviewed directly below this one, or
at HERE)
Like any genre, there are subgenres
that make up the pie chart of the whole. And where does this one fit in? Well,
it’s definitely closer to some of the noir works of Mario Bava and Dario
Argento’s Deep Red (1975), say, than
anything by Fulci or Lamberto Bava. Fazzini is certainly helped here by
renowned cinematographer Mirco Sgarzi, who shot some incredibly beautiful works
such as House of Flesh Mannequins (2009),
reviewed by me HERE. His style various from artsy to perfectly lit reality, creating moods along the
way that fit the tale
For this “inspired by true events”
story, we meet our protagonist/antagonist, Davide (Gianluca Testa), a laborer
who is let go from his blue collar job thanks to a downturn in the Italian economy
(a result of the US collapse around 2008 thanks to the unelected president,
Little Georgie Bush). But money is not his only problem, as we come to see him
for the schizophrenic sadist that he is.
We come to realize that he has
kidnapped a rich industrialist’s daughter (the beautiful Eleonora Bolla), and
is keeping her tied up in his rented home in as hillside village on Sicily. But
this is more than just a kidnapping, as his mental disease starts getting the
better of him. After all, the tagline for this film is Witness the birth of anew serial killer.” While there is a healthy
number of cast members, this really is about Davide and “the girl” (as she is known).
As people come looking for her, or those who become involved with the drugs he
has come to help sell to make some cash, bodies begin to pile up in somewhat
gruesome ways.
Cinema giallo was recognized by a number of genre-specific elements, such
as the quick zoom (I believe Mario Bava created it and Argento perfected it),
and something that is used abundantly and quite effectively here, which is
using primary colors to saturate a scene indicating affect or emotion. For
example, while the girl is crying, Davide’s head cradled on her lap, they are
bathed in a pale blue light; when Davide is having a scary hallucination, the
room from where the fear is generating is a sharp red.
Some of the best of the gore and effects
happen during these freakouts, such as a woman with a distorted mouth (check
out the photos in the extras for a clear view of it), or being in the woods
with a group of people biting chunks out of his flesh. While there is more
story tension than gore (which is why this is a noir rather than horror), it
looks incredibly well done, and the blood has just the right color and
viscosity.
The location is also part of the story,
with abandoned stone buildings contrasted by wooded areas. One of my favorite
shots is of a wooded area you think is isolated, is revealed in a pan to be
just on the outskirts of town. The best part of the genre, with this included,
is that there are some truly unexpected moments that took me by surprise, which
is a nice – er – surprise.
The extras are a 15-minute interview
with the director as he walks us through some of the locations (no sets were
used), back-scene photos, and two music videos.
There are some long gaps between
physical violence, but the malevolence runs throughout. Gorehounds may balk at
the space between kills, but those who understand these things will know that
the tension building is all part of the fun, and Fazzini shows he knows how to
do just that.
Trailer not embedding, so find it HERE.
