The well
"The Well" was released in theaters on August 1, 2024. The director is Federico Zampaglione, better known as the leader of Tiromancino, for those who don't know, a great fan of genre cinema.
His horror career began in 2009 with the independent film "Shadow" and then continued with a tribute to his fetish director Dario Argento in 2013, the year in which the thriller "Tulpa" was released, starring a mysterious Claudia Gerini (at the time the director's partner).
Even "The Well" maintains that retro atmosphere of a much-loved Italian cinema of the 70s, of directors such as Pupi Avati (The House with Laughing Windows), Argento himself (Suspiria) and perhaps the most gothic of all Mario Bava (The Horrors of the Nuremberg Castle)
Castles, vampires, witches and ghosts were fundamental elements in this type of film, which in fact we find in Zampaglione's film, which distributed by the independent Iperuranio Film in collaboration with CG Entertainment, is becoming a real case. Released in Italy in a very limited number of theaters and with a ban for minors under 18, it positioned itself in 4th place in the Italian ranking of the most viewed films in the first week of August.
Surely also thanks to a notable word of mouth on the internet.
Sold all over the world, the film has also landed in theaters in Los Angeles and New York, also thanks to an exceptional cast composed of a trio of female protagonists, the first comes from the States, we are talking about Lauren LaVera, perfect FinalGirl who is breaking the box office right now with Terrifier3, Claudia Gerini, Zampaglione's ex-partner returns in a gothic role like few others, finally we find a very young Linda Zampaglione in her first role on the big screen.
Here is the plot in brief:
Lisa Gray, (Lauren LaVera) is an American art restorer who goes to a small Italian village, hired by Countess Malvisi to restore an Ancient painting. She will find herself in danger because of a monstrous creature born from a curse.
The twilight settings and the acting performances even of the minor roles are very appreciable, some scenes in the finale give a touch perhaps unintentionally funny that I personally appreciate a lot in horror films. A simple but well-crafted story, with realistic dialogues, the long gore scenes in the film could disturb those like me who do not appreciate them but prefer dark atmospheres and mystery, which are not lacking anyway. A low-budget production that does not disappoint but rather transports us to the past of an Italian genre cinema that is now almost defunct.
