Director: Ivan Zuccon
Year: 2010
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Living alone on a small farmland, a man and his family are shocked when they discover a strange mystical light underneath their farm and overlook this feature due to the good fortune they receive, but when it all suddenly turns sour they realize that something’s wrong on their farm and must try to save their lives.
Review:
There was quite a lot to like with this one. Among it’s better elements is the impressive immediacy about the force being unearthed and how it starts to change everyone. With the seemingly innocent unearthing in the well happening in the first minutes of the film, there’s a rather fun time to be had knowing that something’s wrong almost immediately as the bright flash that emerges from underneath is wholly unnatural. This is compounded by the quick glimpses shown around the house that they’re being infected against their will, from the sparkling water that goes unnoticed to the water being used on their crops or the discovery of the dead body covered in glowing orbs signaling the assimilation to come. Given that the changes to them start to occur in more pronounced ways immediately after when their physical maladies are soon healed or gigantic crop-yields from their farm showcase a rather obvious hint that something’s wrong in the first half.
As well, there’s a strikingly enjoyable amount of solid action to be had here which helps to enhance the fun atmospheric build-up. From the nightmare of her trying to stop her beloved doll from bleeding which keeps spraying blood all over her own body in a shocking manner to the feverish chase through the corn-fields in an attempt to bury a cross, this start to the craziness allows it to grow far more impressive as time goes on. Ranging from vivid hallucinations about dismembering each other or themselves, frenzied outbursts that barely contain any sense of sanity or being influenced by the ethereal voices and shimmering light around them to commit quite heinous acts as a whole. That this begins to turn into outright over-the-top the longer this stays in their lives and begins to infect not only their lives but also those in the area around them which gradually offers far more uncontrollable situations the more they stay there. This section also offers some nice kills and far more gruesome practical effects work than expected to give this one plenty to enjoy about it.
There are a few flaws to be found within this one. The most glaring issue is the fact that this one tends to go at a slightly slower tempo than it really should. It tends to evoke a much quieter or drawn-out style than what should be present if they’re being corrupted by this outside force and being changed against their will. Although the actions tend to emerge with a rather decent pacing it still offers a much more downbeat pace which tends to downplay the severity of what’s happening in favor of a mundane approach that doesn’t come across with the same intensity. That also manages to highlight the fact that this one tends to really rally around the stupidity of the characters to stay there oblivious to the danger around them, as once the good fortune passes the series of horrifying events that happen are far more extreme and of pressing importance so they don’t have realistic motivations for doing so. These do end up knocking this down somewhat.
Overview: ***/5
A strong and enjoyable adaptation of the story that manages to get dragged down just slightly by several small factors, this one becomes rather fun in that sense so long as you’re not a huge stickler for how faithful it actually is to the story. Those who are fans of the creative crew, enjoy touches of Lovecraft in their efforts or find this intriguing should give it a look, while those turned off by his past works or more ardent fans for faithful adaptations should heed caution.
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