|
 THE
SHUNNED HOUSE (Brain
Damage Films) Horror. 100
minutes. Color.
Not rated. In this
ensanguined rendering of three H. P. Lovecraft’s stories, director Ivan
Zuccon weaves together a visual of the macabre and madness that Lovecraft
is known for. Adapted by
Zuccon and Enrico Saletti, the script integrates The
Shunned House, The Music of Erich Zann, and
Dreams in Witch-House to fuse together one unnerving
cinematic companion piece.
A writer, played by Giuseppe
Lorusso, and his girlfriend (Federica
Quaglieri) arrive at a dilapidated
former inn to investigate the unusually high number of murders and
suicides that had taken place while the hotel was in operation.
Actual time grows a little fuzzy as what begins as a ghost story
evolves into the merging of the present with two stories from generations
past.
As aberration ensues in each of the
film’s characters, The Shunned House teeters between conventional
spookiness and extreme gore. One
rather disturbing scene in particular depicts a musician gnawing off a
chunk of her own wrist so she could “play” upon the exposed veins as
if they were the strings of her violin.
Albeit a little confusing, the storyline keeps
the audience suspended in anticipation of what’s to happen next.
Though filmed on videotape, the picture quality
surprisingly isn’t all that lacking.
There are even a few scenes where light usage was artistically
regulated. However, sound
quality fluctuates making the already thick Italian accents of the actors
even more difficult to understand at times.
Even so, The Shunned House is to be embraced by horror film
lovers and H. P. Lovecraft fans alike. - Melanie Falina
|
