cadaverino

LA CASA... is a genuinely eerie mood piece. It's cousins with House with the Laughing Windows and Perfume of a Lady in Black-- looser gialli that don't necessarily have black gloved killers or high body counts. I'm still lost as to why we refer to these as gialli; perhaps the mystery?

Anyone who has seen both of those above, or similar gialli, will not doubt figure out the trajectory of the film. However, it's all so masterly done, you end up watching it for the experience, the atmosphere, the images. Everything is ominous in the film, and even made more so by the directors excellent use of cross fades.

Oh. But unfortunately. Unfortunately our protagonist is awful. He is incredibly handsome, he's sexy, I wouldn't kick him out of bed. But he's an awful actor. This is the huge difference between this film, and Perfume of a Lady in Black. There is no emotional connection with the protagonist-- he is no Mimsy Farmer, nor Jorge Rivero from Evil Eye, another similar film.

Ultimately, LA CASA... is a beautiful film, that lacks much of a connection with the viewer, but is does what it does so well (to entice, mystify) that I recommend it.

I watched Livid with high hopes. I had heard this was poetic, a horrific love letter, etc... Basically, the opposite of Inside. While Inside had suspense and outrageous gore, I was never impressed beyond that material. There were very few visuals that struck me; I just did not FEEL the direction. I feel it could have been directed by anyone. That is not to say I have not seen it a few times, and would recommend it to gore hounds, and even watched it with friends just to see their reaction to the horror on screen. I thought the directors had "turnt" up their directorial flair for Livid... alas, I was wrong.

This film is easily divided into thirds: the first third, we are introduced to Lucie, our protagonist. The character just isn't compelling. Catherine Jacobs fares MUCH better, but after the first third, she's basically gone. Lucile's male companions are more engaging, despite being caricatures-- at least they have some charisma, injecting much needed energy. Beatrice Dalle is amazing (no surprise there), despite not enough screen time.

The second half begins the exploration of the mansion, and suffers the same fate as Lucile: it's just not compelling! Or scary. Or beautiful. Things needed to make this work, you are not there.

I enjoyed the last third, as the blood flows, and directors begin to be creative. Yet, it's all slightly ruined by the flat direction. The first "attack" should have been fantastic (fantastique) but it's just not enough. The ending, I have read, to some is overblown. It is. But this is the only time the fantastic enters the picture, along with the flashbacks. But it's just not enough!

What excited me most about Livid was it was compared to Lucio Fulci's The Beyond in it's sort of narrative structure, where the film is driven by fantastic images and suspense-- the story isn't unimportant, it just does not make sense. A does not lead to B, but rather 8. It's the supernatural, it doesn't need to make sense. But Livid TRIES to make sense, another of it's failings, because by the end it no longer attempts to ground itself. I would usually love that, but it's not enough.