|
|
Nice guy motorcyclist Fred (a likable performance by Andres Resino) and sweet hitchhiker Laura (winningly played by the lovely Lisa Leonardi) get seriously lost in a thick, dense fog and are forced to seek refuge in a rundown old mansion that's located right next to a cemetery. Naturally, strange and frightening things begin to happen come nighttime. Director Francisco Lara Polop, working from a blithely hokey script by Luis G. de Blain, trots out all the expected lovably hoary horror clichés: a remote decrepit abode in the middle of nowhere, elements of witchcraft and vampirism, a few bloodless, yet still cool murder set pieces, plenty of spooky and mysterious atmosphere, a misty and eerie graveyard, rat-infested catacombs, people walking dark hallways in the wee hours of the evening, and even a neat "Scooby Doo"-style surprise twist ending. The sturdy cast portray their stock parts with admirable sincerity: Resino and Leonardi make for appealing leads, with fine support from Ida Galli as the sinister Martha Clinton, Analia Gade as the anxious and distraught Elsa, Franco Fantasia as smarmy jerk Mr. Porter, Alberto Dalbes as adulterous rich cad Ernest, and Ingrid Garbo as Ernest's enticing mistress Ellen. Guglielmo Mancori's handsome cinematography gives the picture an attractive picturesque look. Marcello Giombini's spirited groovy'n'shuddery score hits the shivery spot. Despite the lack of graphic gore and nudity, this fright feature manages to be quite enjoyable and engrossing; there's an endearingly earnest quality to it that's impossible to either resist or dislike. An entertaining late-night TV staple.
score 8/10
Woodyanders 9 August 2009
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2108944/ |
|
7-3-2021 00:06:15