A Classic Horror Story

Last updated

A Classic Horror Story
A Classic Horror Story poster.png
Official release poster
Directed by
  • Roberto De Feo
  • Paolo Strippoli
Written by
  • Roberto De Feo
  • Paolo Strippoli
  • Lucio Besana
  • David Bellini
  • Milo Tissone
Produced by
  • Maurizio Totti
  • Alessandro Usai
Starring
CinematographyEmanuele Pasquet
Edited byFederico Palmerini
Music byMassimiliano Mechelli
Production
company
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • 14 July 2021 (2021-07-14)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian
Budget$3 million [1]

A Classic Horror Story is a 2021 Italian horror film written by Roberto De Feo, Paolo Strippoli, Lucio Besana, David Bellini and Milo Tissone, and directed by De Feo and Strippoli. The film stars Matilda Lutz, Francesco Russo, Peppino Mazzotta, William Merrick and Yuliia Sobol. The film was released on 14 July 2021 by Netflix. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Elisa makes plans to carpool through a rideshare app to her parents' home in Calabria to get an abortion, though she is unsure about it. She boards an RV driven by travel blogger Fabrizio, accompanied by Riccardo, a doctor, and extroverted couple Sofia and Mark. When a bout of Elisa's morning sickness causes the group to pull over, Mark takes over driving for Fabrizio. That night, Mark drinks beer while driving and ends up crashing into a tree when he swerves to avoid running over the corpse of a goat. Elisa wakes up in the morning to see the group doing first aid on Mark's broken leg. They realize that they are no longer on the road, but are now in a clearing surrounded by a forest and cannot explain how they ended up there.

Despite finding a rustic cabin in the clearing, they do not enter. Fabrizio and Riccardo find three deformed scarecrows crucified with pig heads on stakes in a kind of altar; terrified, they leave. After Elisa enters the cottage, she discovers a ritualistic mural depicting three deities: Osso, Mastosso and Carcagnosso, which symbolize the leadership of a group that worships them in exchange for abundance and riches through human sacrifice. They decide to spend the night in the RV. When they hear screams coming from inside the house, everyone but Mark decides to go into the house to investigate. In the attic of the house, they discover a girl trapped inside a cocoon of hay. The group is horrified to discover the girl has had her tongue mutilated.

They witness Mark being dragged out of the RV by three masked figures, who bring him into the cabin and tie him to the living room table. Hiding in the attic, the group is forced to watch as the three masked figures torture and kill Mark by gouging out his eyes and breaking his feet with a wooden hammer. The trio drag Mark's body outside while the rest of the group waits for dawn to escape through the forest. After finding a graveyard of abandoned cars, they realize they are not the first victims of the cult's fanatics. The girl reveals her name, Chiara, through a diary. Chiara is the only survivor of her family.

The group finds themselves walking in circles as they return to the clearing again. Night falls and the group shares their personal stories as they drink the only beer bottle left. Elisa wakes up and sees all the followers of the sect standing in front of the house with Sofia, Chiara and Riccardo as hostages on a ritualistic stage. The masked figures representing Osso, Mastosso and Carcagnosso begin the ritual. Sofia has her eyes gouged out and Riccardo has his ears mangled. Their severed parts are placed on the gigantic scarecrow in which Chiara is trapped. Sofia and Riccardo have their throats cut as Elisa and Fabrizio watch from inside the cabin. Elisa realizes that Fabrizio had put sleeping pills in their alcohol and confronts him, discovering that he has a hidden earpiece. Angry, he instructs one of the cult members to take her and she is dragged outside.

She awakens in the morning at the head of a large table during one of the cult's meals, her hands nailed to the armrests of a wheelchair. She is taken into a control room, where she discovers that all the events she faced were recorded by hidden cameras and a production team overseeing everything. Fabrizio reveals that he is directing an amateur snuff movie, trying to create a classic horror story. After freeing herself, Elisa wanders through the camp of the film's production team.

She discovers that Chiara is still alive, and is an actress and sister to the director Fabrizio. Elisa catches the two discussing the next steps of the recording in a trailer. The local mayor is revealed to be part of the 'Ndrangheta, the regional Italian Mafia group, and the person sponsoring his film. When Chiara exits the vehicle, Elisa kills her with a shotgun. She then shoots Fabrizio in the leg, and he asks for mercy, but Elisa kills him as well, recording everything with a portable camera. She discovers an exit from the forest through a fence, which falsely labels the forest as a restricted military zone. Covered in blood, she emerges from the forest on a beach, recorded by bathers on cell phones as she dives into the sea.

In a post-credits scene, a BloodFlix app user is participating in a virtual chat about Fabrizio's movie that aired with the final footage of Elisa killing him. The user evaluates the movie negatively.

Cast

English dubbing

The English version was produced by Roundabout Entertainment in Burbank, California. Chelsea Pancho adapted the script and Joe Lynch directed the dub.

RoleActorVoice actor [4]
ElisaMatilda Lutz
FabrizioFrancesco Russo Giuseppe Russo
RiccardoPeppino Mazzotta Peter Dobson
MarkWilliam Merrick
SofiaYuliia Sobol Brooke Newton
MotherCristina Donadio Dina Morrone

Reception

In July 2021, The New York Times named A Classic Horror Story one of the top five horror films to watch in streaming. [5]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 58% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.00/10. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Paulson</span> American actress (born 1974)

Sarah Catharine Paulson is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

<i>The Italian Key</i> 2011 Finnish film

The Italian Key is a 2011 film directed and written by Rosa Karo. The film follows the story of Cabella, a 19-year-old orphan girl, who travels to Italy after she has inherited an old key from her unrelated Uncle Max.

Elisa di Rivombrosa is an Italian television series about a love story in 18th century Italy between Fabrizio Ristori, a young Italian Count, and his mother's maid, Elisa. It was broadcast on Mediaset for two seasons from 2003 to 2005.

<i>Berberian Sound Studio</i> 2012 British film

Berberian Sound Studio is a 2012 British psychological horror film. It is the second feature film by British director and screenwriter Peter Strickland. The film, which stars Toby Jones, is set in a 1970s Italian horror film studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Elisa Lam</span> 2013 accidental drowning in Los Angeles

On February 19, 2013, the body of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam was recovered from a large cistern atop the Stay on Main hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, where she had been a guest. She was last seen alive on January 31 and was reported missing by her parents on February 8. Her body was discovered by a hotel maintenance worker investigating complaints of flooding and low water pressure.

<i>No, the Case Is Happily Resolved</i> 1973 film

No, the Case Is Happily Resolved is a 1973 Italian crime drama film written and directed by Vittorio Salerno and starring Enzo Cerusico, Riccardo Cucciolla and Martine Brochard. The finale of the film was re-shot after the distribution company requested a change to the original bleak ending.

<i>The Other Hell</i> 1981 Italian film

The Other Hell is a 1981 Italian horror film written and directed by Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso and starring Franca Stoppi and Carlo De Mejo.

<i>Slasher</i> (TV series) Canadian-American anthology TV series

Slasher is a horror anthology television series created by Aaron Martin. It premiered on Chiller on March 4, 2016, and on Super Channel on April 1, 2016. The licensing rights for the second season were acquired by Netflix in January 2017. The second season was released on October 17, 2017. On August 8, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 23, 2019. An eight-episode fourth season was ordered for Shudder, premiering on August 12, 2021. On February 10, 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth and final season, which premiered on April 6, 2023.

<i>Hush</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Mike Flanagan

Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia "Emma" Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedetta Porcaroli</span> Italian actress (born 1998)

Benedetta Porcaroli is an Italian actress. She is best known for her role as Chiara Altieri in the Netflix series Baby (2018–2020).

<i>Baby</i> (Italian TV series) Italian television series

Baby is an Italian teen drama television series created for Netflix. The first season debuted on 30 November 2018. The series follows students at an elite high school in Rome who are involved in prostitution. It is loosely based on the story of two high school girls in Rome involved in an underage prostitution ring in 2014.

<i>Wrong Turn</i> (2021 film) 2021 horror film by Mike P. Nelson

Wrong Turn is a 2021 horror film directed by Mike P. Nelson and written by franchise creator Alan McElroy. The film, being a reboot, is the seventh installment of the Wrong Turn film series, stars Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head, and Matthew Modine. It is an international co-production between the United States, Germany, and Canada.

<i>Seance</i> (2021 film) 2021 film

Seance is a 2021 supernatural horror film written and directed by Simon Barrett. It was released on May 21, 2021, by RLJE Films.

<i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by David Blue Garcia

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2022 American slasher film directed by David Blue Garcia, with a screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin, from a story by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues. It is the ninth installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Set fifty years after the original film, the story focuses on the serial killer Leatherface targeting a group of young adults and coming into conflict with a vengeful survivor of his previous murders. The project is a joint-venture production between Legendary Pictures, Exurbia Films, and Bad Hombre. The film stars Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford, Nell Hudson, Jessica Allain, Olwen Fouéré, Jacob Latimore, and Alice Krige.

<i>Rose Island</i> (film) 2020 Italian comedy-drama film

Rose Island is a 2020 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Sibilia.

<i>My Little Pony: A New Generation</i> 2021 animated film

My Little Pony: A New Generation is a 2021 animated adventure comedy film directed by Robert Cullen and José Luis Ucha, and co-directed by Mark Fattibene with Cecil Kramer and Peter Lewis as producers. It was written by Gillian Berrow and Tim Sullivan from a story by Cullen, Ucha and Sullivan. Based on Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise, the film marks the beginning of the fifth incarnation of the franchise, which serves as the official sequel to the previous generation, a first for the franchise. The film also marks Boulder Media's first feature film.

<i>Choose or Die</i> 2022 film by Toby Meakins

Choose or Die is a 2022 English horror thriller film directed by Toby Meakins in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Iola Evans, Asa Butterfield, Robert Englund and Eddie Marsan.

Chiara Aurelia de Braconier d'Alphena is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the films Gerald's Game (2017) and Back Roads (2018). She starred as Jeanette Turner in the Freeform teen drama Cruel Summer (2021).

<i>Yara</i> (2021 film) 2021 Italian film

Yara is a 2021 Italian film directed by Marco Tullio Giordana, written by Graziano Diana and starring Chiara Bono, Isabella Ragonese, Alessio Boni and Roberto Zibetti. Based on a true story, the film follows an Italian prosecutor and her attempts to find the killer of 13-year-old Yara Gambirasio. The film was released by Netflix on November 5, 2021.

<i>Dont Kill Me</i> 2021 Italian film by Andrea De Sica

Don't Kill Me is a 2021 Italian romantic horror film written and directed by Andrea De Sica, based on the novel Non mi uccidere by Chiara Palazzolo. It was released for digital download and video on demand in Italy on 21 April 2021 before being released internationally on Netflix in 2022.

References

  1. "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – A Classic Horror Story". Variety Insight . Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  2. "Netflix: "Puntiamo sui film italiani Sorrentino, Scamarcio e i giovani"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 14 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. Squires, John (21 May 2021). "'A Classic Horror Story': Netflix Says Upcoming Movie is 'Midsommar' Meets 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  4. Dubbing credits on Netflix
  5. Piepenburg, Erik (23 July 2021). "Five Horror Movies to Stream Now". The New York Times .
  6. "A Classic Horror Story (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 2 August 2021.