 Decemberdike
December 11th - Oltre il guado (2013)
Titled Across the River in the UK, this Italian film is a creepy slow burner which once or twice i found genuinely chilling.
It's a one man film about Marco, an ethologist studying the night time behaviour of forest species. Crossing a river in his RV he comes across a deserted village lost in the forest.
Utilizing video camera techniques for capturing animal activity you get the impression this is a found footage movie however this is only minimal. The film is largely dialogue free, it's also music free, meaning the sounds we hear are the sounds Marco hears. Through surround speakers this makes for an eerie and dare i say scary audio experience as strange haunting sounds emanate from the left and right speakers.
There isn't much story to the film. We are entirely with Marco as he investigates the sounds and strange occurrences in the ghost town. The film gripped me from the start and had me staring at the screen and listening for things that go bump in the night throughout.
I really enjoyed Oltre il guado, things don't jump out at you, it's horror of the subtle, hypnotic variety, atmospheric horror that finds favour with me.
Recommended.
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