Sexually liberated Aurora(Daniela Virgilio)has tired of former boyfriend, Rino(Daniele Grassetti), but he's in love with her and is able to coerce her into sex in his car out of the city. Three hooligans, Cesare(David Pietroni), Ginger(Geremia Longobardo), and Diego(Cristiano Callegaro), on a trip, interrupt their conversation on continuing the bumpy relationship by beating Rino to a pulp and terrorizing Aurora, almost sexually molesting her when a couple, Antonio(Gennaro Diana)and Clara(Santa De Santis)pull up in the nick of time. The thugs warn Antonio to bugger off, but he has a gun and isn't afraid to use it. Able to shoo them away, Antonio offers Aurora and Rino a ride to their home for a moment or two of rest, and they accept..little does Aurora know what plans they have for them. Alternating through the plot, a young boy is running through the woods to get away from a mysterious man who hit his mother with his van as she was attempting to flag him down(..their car run over broken glass, careening head-on with a tree, killing the father).
Director Gabriele Albanesi mentions in the documentary for this film that his story and content was highly influenced by the 70's and 80's(..specificially Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato and especially Dario Argento)and you certainly see that here. Buckets upon buckets of blood and hideous gore. The film features cannibalism( sharp teeth ripping flesh), nasty chainsaw activity(an arm and leg are removed;stomach is torn through with the intestines exposed), human freaks(..a child with shark-like teeth with a hunger for human flesh, along with his "brothers", one with a large tumor-like growth on his neck and another with a hideous skin infection on one side of his face), other degrees of potent violence(..a large knife is stabbed multiple times into a torso, another gets his throat sliced open;a gun is used to bash a victim's skull;a bullet wound to the forehead squirts blood), and, to cap it all off, the shocking fate towards the kid we see running through the woods seeking help. The film works off the familiar premise of innocent couple falling prey to a family who appears on the surface to be a normal member of the bourgeoisie society..although, anyone who lives so far into the woods most of the time is hiding a secret. The dinner table scene is memorable as poor Aurora, tied to a chair, must watch Rino's decapitated leg being feasted on, while also getting showered in blood as the chainsaw is used to hack away his arm. Also, the hooligans, who almost raped Aurora, were bound to return to confront Antonio(..although, Albanesi fashions a rather contrived way for them to find his home). The film is played completely straight, with a classical music score complimenting the serious tone. The film, at it's core, is a showcase for make-up/special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti(..who was, at first, confronted by the director and his producer Gregory J Rossi on issues regarding his opinions on their effects)who takes the small budget his young unproven filmmakers have at their disposal, delivering an extravaganza of bloodshed and grue. It's neat seeing practical effects, not CGI, used again, even if some of the set-pieces are considered primitive by today's standards. As expected with an Italian horror film, the material presented is full of bizarre behavior and strange characters. My major beef is Albanesi's decision to shoot certain action and violent set pieces in that frenzied, shaky-cam method(..he called it "warfare", a change from the more polished, fluid Italian style, the kind of style I thoroughly enjoy). Albanesi mentions that several bloody set-pieces were inspired by Argento's Tenebre(..particularly the final gory set-piece). For old school gorehounds, this might be entertaining..for the squeamish, not so fun.
Director Gabriele Albanesi mentions in the documentary for this film that his story and content was highly influenced by the 70's and 80's(..specificially Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato and especially Dario Argento)and you certainly see that here. Buckets upon buckets of blood and hideous gore. The film features cannibalism( sharp teeth ripping flesh), nasty chainsaw activity(an arm and leg are removed;stomach is torn through with the intestines exposed), human freaks(..a child with shark-like teeth with a hunger for human flesh, along with his "brothers", one with a large tumor-like growth on his neck and another with a hideous skin infection on one side of his face), other degrees of potent violence(..a large knife is stabbed multiple times into a torso, another gets his throat sliced open;a gun is used to bash a victim's skull;a bullet wound to the forehead squirts blood), and, to cap it all off, the shocking fate towards the kid we see running through the woods seeking help. The film works off the familiar premise of innocent couple falling prey to a family who appears on the surface to be a normal member of the bourgeoisie society..although, anyone who lives so far into the woods most of the time is hiding a secret. The dinner table scene is memorable as poor Aurora, tied to a chair, must watch Rino's decapitated leg being feasted on, while also getting showered in blood as the chainsaw is used to hack away his arm. Also, the hooligans, who almost raped Aurora, were bound to return to confront Antonio(..although, Albanesi fashions a rather contrived way for them to find his home). The film is played completely straight, with a classical music score complimenting the serious tone. The film, at it's core, is a showcase for make-up/special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti(..who was, at first, confronted by the director and his producer Gregory J Rossi on issues regarding his opinions on their effects)who takes the small budget his young unproven filmmakers have at their disposal, delivering an extravaganza of bloodshed and grue. It's neat seeing practical effects, not CGI, used again, even if some of the set-pieces are considered primitive by today's standards. As expected with an Italian horror film, the material presented is full of bizarre behavior and strange characters. My major beef is Albanesi's decision to shoot certain action and violent set pieces in that frenzied, shaky-cam method(..he called it "warfare", a change from the more polished, fluid Italian style, the kind of style I thoroughly enjoy). Albanesi mentions that several bloody set-pieces were inspired by Argento's Tenebre(..particularly the final gory set-piece). For old school gorehounds, this might be entertaining..for the squeamish, not so fun.