ACROSS THE RIVER // 2014 // Review

Directed by: Lorenzo Bianchini
Written by: Lorenzo Bianchini, Michela Bianchini
Starring: Marco Marchese, Renzo Gariup, Lidia Zabrieszach

While working in a remote wooded area of the Italian countryside, wildlife researcher Marco becomes trapped in a shambling, abandoned village due to rapid flooding. His presence in the village unleashes a horrifying evil; an evil that would like nothing better than to see Marco's guts lying in a pool by his feet... once it's had its fun, of course...

Monster Pictures is definitely right up there with my favorite distributors at the moment. Ever since they launched with Tom Six's twisted masterpiece THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE they've been releasing all manner of great genre films from wacky Japanese death-sport flick DEADBALL to classics like MANIAC COP and a whole range of unique modern works like EXCISION and AMERICAN MARY. Lorenzo Bianchini's ACROSS THE RIVER fits neatly into the latter category; it's an unconventional horror movie in most aspects and therefore not for everybody but if you're looking for a creepy, atmospheric slow burner then it definitely delivers.

Ethologist Marco Contrada (Marco Marchese) is out working in the isolated Italian countryside. Just himself, his RV and his scientific equipment. He is researching the nocturnal activity of wildlife, trapping animals and tracking them with GPS and mounted cameras. After releasing a fox equipped with one of these night vision cameras Marco watches remotely as it makes its way to a crumbling structure deep in the woods. Through the footage from the camera Marco sees evidence of animals being uncharacteristically butchered and of course his curiosity gets the better of him. He follows the fox's trail and finds himself in an abandoned village in the heart of the forest. The seemingly constant rain causes the river to swell and Marco is left in the village to wait for either the water level to fall or for help to arrive.

But of course this is a horror movie and so being stranded by a flood is the least of Marco's worries. And of course the village isn't quite as abandoned as it first seems. Who or what is responsible for the animal mutilations? And what's the deal with the young twin girls that Marco sees wandering in the shadows of the trees? And the most important question; will Marco be able to make it out of this ordeal alive?

Water plays a big part in ACROSS THE RIVER. Obviously there's the river mentioned in the title which acts as a barrier preventing Marco's escape. But there's also the constant rain drumming on the roofs, pelting the windows, an inundation which literally saturates the whole movie. The crumbling buildings leak, even the RV leaks and more than once Marco wakes up soaked, on one occasion even awaking to find himself choking on a mouthful of water. There is something eerie about it which is impossible to explain with words alone.

The pneumonic, drenching water is a big reason for the film's atmosphere but it's also accompanied by an evocative, moody score from Stefan Sciascia and the creepy internal and external locations of the village which I found reminiscent of the sprawling yet somehow claustrophobic dwellings in TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD. It all combines to create a thick, spooky atmosphere which creeps in like a fog, growing steadily throughout the film, pervading everything. ACROSS THE RIVER doesn't waste any time or momentum on cheap jumps scares, instead it presents a definite feeling of dread. This is helped immensely by the fact that almost the whole movie follows Marco all alone in the wilderness and with minimal dialogue.

I can easily understand how people might consider this movie to be slow, or the payoff to be a little anticlimactic, but I for one loved every minute of this slow burn creepfest. Sure there could have been a few more things explained or added in to make a fuller story, but that's hardly a complaint at all. There may be next to no actual plot or character development but if you appreciate a nice moody, supernatural horror flick then ACROSS THE RIVER may be right up your alley.