‘Why hasn’t anyone said it yet? This is the setup for a classic horror movie...’
Sometimes it’s ok to wear your influences on your sleeve, other times not so much. A Classic Ghost Story either directly references or alludes to The Evil Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Misery, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween. Probably others too that I missed. This ultra-meta Italian cabin-in-the-woods movie stays just about on the right side of homage…
A group of strangers find themselves lost in the wilderness after using a car share app. Elisa (Matilda Lutzis) is travelling somewhere for an abortion. Riccardo (Peppino Mazzotta) is a doctor who is vague about his reasons for the journey. Mark (Will Merrick) and Sofia (Yuliia Sobol) are a young couple travelling to a wedding. Fabrizio (Francesco Russo) is our driver and also a budding Instagram influencer. This is all handily explained in some snappy exposition at the start of the film.
Combining folk horror with a gothic sensibility, A Classic Horror Story borrows liberally from many other films, most notably Midsommar (as well as the ones mentioned), but still manages to carve out an identity of its own. Speaking of carving things out, the directing team of Roberto De Feo and Paulo Strippoli (working on a screenplay written by themselves in conjunction with Lucio Besana) don’t hold back on the violence, or the social commentary. Unfortunately, the latter is executed pretty clumsily, particularly through the ending which feels a little rushed and convenient to really be successful.
That being said, A Classic Horror Story races along during its skinny 95-minute run time and remains compelling throughout due to some inspired cinematography and a competent cast. The women carry the film as all the male characters are too awful to be likeable and Lutzis and Sobol deliver in what must have been a pair of demanding performances.
A Classic Horror Story is available on Netflix and is a nasty but breezy horror film that has enough nods and winks to please genre fans. A nice addition to an already well-represented subgenre.