Of course, there are also those among us who begin stalking the surgeons who failed to save our loved ones, and in doing so discover that they actually lead a secret double life as sadistic serial killers. It’s really a very common part of the grieving process.

Don’t believe me? Ask recently widowed Angela (Simona Vannelli). Following the death of her husband and son due to injuries sustained in a car accident, she has become a broken shell of her former self. When she’s not locked up in her home sobbing over old family photos, she’s fantasizing about tracking down the doctor she blames for her family’s death and beating him to a bloody pulp with a hammer.

For his part, Doctor Max (director Lorenzo Lepori) appears to be a loving father and an upstanding member of the community. Appearances can be deceiving, though, as Angela learns when she follows Max on his weekend hunting trip. It seems the not-so-good doctor prefers to hunt “the most dangerous game.” Out in the secluded marshlands, he and his friends kidnap, torture, and kill women purely for sport. When Angela tries to interfere, she quickly becomes their latest target.

If you ask me, there’s always been something special about Italian horror movies. Recently released by Vipco, 2022’s Screams From The Swamp (AKA Grida Dalla Palude) proves that’s as true today as it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Despite working with a much lower budget than their predecessors enjoyed, Lepori (who also directed the berserk post-Covid chunkblower Flesh Contagium) and veteran screenwriter Antonio Tentori (who previously collaborated with Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Joe D’Amato, and Bruno Mattei, among others) manage to craft a grim, atmospheric film that balances copious amounts of violence and sleaze with an emotional and surprisingly layered narrative.

To wit, while Lepori portrays Angela’s experiences rather matter-of-factly, it’s impossible not to wonder how much of what we’re seeing is real and how much is in her head. Is Max really a homicidal maniac or has Angela’s unhinged mind fabricated this scenario to justify her own murderous fantasies? Who is the predator and who is the prey?

Things only get murkier when the occult comes into play and Angela performs a black-magic ritual to exact supernatural revenge on Max and his friends. Lepori’s directorial style shifts to incorporate more colorful lighting, warped angles, and heavy use of fog. Does this depict the encroachment of ancient eldritch forces on the natural world… or Angela’s complete divorce from rational reality?

On that front, Screams From The Swamp isn’t exactly forthcoming with answers. It is, however, perfectly happy to ladle on big, wet scoops of eye-gouging gore. Additionally, Alex Visani’s cinematography makes for some tasty eye candy while the throbbing synth score by TV Crimes creates a palpable air of menace.

Produced with minimal resources and presented with minimal dialogue, Screams From The Swamp is lean and moody, at times bordering on surrealism. It feels like a nightmare captured on video. Exactly the sort of thing that would make Fulci and Argento proud.

SCREAMS FROM THE SWAMP is out now on BLU-RAY (Region FREE) in the USA from VIPCO and BayView Entertainment.

Dr. Dobermind

www.instagram.com/dr.dobermind/

The post SCREAMS FROM THE SWAMP (aka Grida Dalla Palude) (2022) appeared first on Horror Asylum.

Produced by Aspide 1UG and J&K Media Partner, Blades In The Darkness is written by Alex Visani and Lorenzo Lepori. The movie has a big cast with the Italian star Manuela Arcuri, Lorenzo Lepori, Francesco Rossini (Dracula 3D) and Arnold Damazzeti, the emerging martial artist from Albania.

Shot entirely in Tirana, Albania, inside an old abandoned post-communist bunker, the movie was shot twenty meters under the surface in extreme weather and temperature conditions (10°C below zero). Full of action, gore and twists, Blades in the Darkness is the Albanian reply to a cult classic like Predator.

Synopsis:

Tirana 1997. The chaos left by the fall of communism has opened the doors to a bloody civil war. Matia, just a teenager, is harassed by his playmates. In an attempt to escape, he hides inside an abandoned bunker. In that spooky building, Matia will be the first to discover something scary and unthinkable that will change his whole life. Tirana 2022. Davide, Giulia, Nua and Adrian are planning their new future; an investment for a new modern venue using a bunker from the former regime. One of the group, secretly is willing to cheat the others in order to pay off a debt to some “old acquaintances”, who will not take no for an answer. In the bunker, where the group of youngsters expect their dream come true, they will find drugs, violence and fear. The real horror though hides behind an old wall. A bloodthirsty horror armed with deadly blades.

Winner of the Best International Film at the Days Of The Dead Atlanta, the movie has been selected in numerous prestigious film festivals such as Razor Reel Film Festival, Rojo Sangre Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Horror FilmFest, Dracula FilmFest in Romania, Demonic Brilliance FilmFest and Astrophobia FilmFest Canada. The movie has been released theatrically by Cineplexx in Albania and other Balkan countries in October 2022. EuroObscura will handle international sales at the European Film Market.

About EuroObscura:

EuroObscura is an independent international sales agency focused on delivering high quality European horror – science fiction – action – fantasy movies to the worldwide market. Founded in 2010, EuroObscura has established itself as a leading sales agency for genre movies coming from Europe. Our mission is to promote European Fantastic cinema everywhere in the world.

http://twitter.com/EuroObscura

http://youtube.com/EuroObscura

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post New Action Horror BLADES IN THE DARKNESS appeared first on Horror Asylum.

NATI MORTI is an independent thriller horror directed by Alex Visani (THE PYRAMID, STOMACH, producer of FLESH CONTAGIUM directed by Lorenzo Lepori) set in a beautiful and atmospheric house in Umbria, Italy, near the lake Trasimeno. The movie will be released by Digitmovies on DVD in October for the Italian market and then it will be distributed in foreign countries. The movie is English dubbed.

A raw and morbid movie, with obsessive atmospheres and explosions of violence and gore. A movie that goes deep through the most obscure and violent side of the Italian society. A story of violence, a weird love story, a desperate fight for survive.

The movie stars Ingrid Monacelli (STOMACH), Lorenzo Lepori (CATACOMBA, NOTTE NUDA, BEYOND THE OMEGA) , Ester Andriani, Corinna Coroneo, Claudio Massimo Paternò, Edoardo Lazzari e Iwan Manzoni.

Fx and Make up by Eleonora D’Angelo e Roberto Papi. Sound and music by Daniele Marinelli, Luca Maria Burocchi, Dave Tavanti and the band Basement’s Glare. Production design by Marta Tazza. Visual FX by Ferruccio Carubini.

Keep up to date with the movie by following the movies Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Nati-Morti-Il-Film-105960488103417

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post NATI MORTI a new Italian horror movie appeared first on Horror Asylum.

The movie follows Luna, a young embalmer with a strange passion for everything concerning death. One day, during a trip in the woods, she finds two bodies. The first one is a dead woman, the other one is a man who is still barely breathing. From this moment, Luna’s life will change forever and a horrifying spiral of violence will surround her existence.

A raw and morbid movie, with obsessive atmospheres and explosions of violence and gore, BORN DEAD goes deep through the most obscure and violent side of the Italian society depicting a weird love story that turns into a desperate fight for survive. Directed by Alex Visani (PYRAMID, STOMACH), it stars Lorenzo Lepori (FLESH CONTAGIUM) and Ingrid Monacelli (STOMACH). EuroObscura will handle international sales at the market in Toronto.

Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins

horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk

The post New Italian Horror BORN DEAD will have its World Premiere at TIFF 2021 appeared first on Horror Asylum.