MIDDAY DEMONS

Leo is an Italian who emigrated to Ireland years ago and lives in Dublin with his partner, Megan. One evening, the man receives the sad news of the death of his uncle Domenico, a powerful Monsignor of the Catholic Church, who is about to receive the title of blessed following some miracles he seems to have performed in life in the small Puglian community where he exercised. Returned to the village after years and accompanied by his partner, Leo meets his brother Nicola again, now the parish priest of the village, to settle the unexpected inheritance, including the ancient palace where his uncle lived. While Leo takes care of the inheritance matters and reconnects with old friends and relatives, Megan remains closed inside the old manor during the hottest hours of the day. Here she will come into contact with a strange presence that will lead her to shed light on an unresolved mystery related to Leo's family and, in particular, to the beatification of Monsignor Domenico. But who decided that ghosts always come at night? When we are in a place unfamiliar to us and darkness falls, we are always conditioned by this innate fear of turning off the light and letting ourselves be enveloped by the darkness: at every small and insignificant little noise, we tend to be assailed by that anguishing sensation that there is someone here with us who we just cannot see. Simple cultural factors, it is known, because in Southern Italy, specifically in Puglia, they sleep soundly at night... but it is when there is light that they are afraid. They call it 'controra,' that part of the day when the sun is at its zenith and makes outdoor environments unlivable. The term 'controra' is especially associated with the summer months, those hot, sultry days when the mind weakens, when the heat becomes unbearable, and adults terrify children, to prevent them from going out, with scary stories that see the souls of the dead roaming among the living. It is during the 'controra,' therefore, that the afterlife tries to communicate with us; it is during the 'controra' that the meridian demons arrive. It is precisely on the basis of this ancient Puglian popular legend that 'Controra – House of Shadows,' the debut film of director Rossella De Venuto, who until now had the opportunity to gain experience in the film industry as an assistant director, screenwriter, and by making some short films. Despite not being free from flaws, the work done by De Venuto is certainly appreciated without difficulty thanks to the professionalism with which it was made, so much so that 'Controra' represents one of the happiest examples of Italian-made thriller-horror cinema in recent years. That popular folklore exerts a particular influence on Italian genre cinema is now known, and, starting from Brunello Rondi's masterpiece 'Il Demonio,' there are many films that have drawn from ancient legends of the countryside, passed down from generation to generation, to bring stories of horror and pure fear to the big screen. Rossella De Venuto's film succeeds in playing very well with the folkloric element by using the point of view of a 'foreigner,' Megan even more than Leo, who finds herself catapulted into a completely alien and certainly inhospitable land. In perfect Italian tradition, the village where the entire story takes place is depicted as a closed, strongly bigoted, and superstitious community, very attached to its traditions and consequently rather backward, little disposed to share events with people who are not from the area, in support of the old proverb 'dirty laundry is washed at home.' During the viewing of the film, in fact, it is rather impossible not to think of old masterpieces of Italian horror cinema with enormous anthropological value such as 'The House with Laughing Windows' or 'Don't Torture a Duckling.' But beyond these two titles, what truly comes to mind are the first films of the Friulian filmmaker Lorenzo Bianchini (especially 'Custodes Beastiae') or the ultra-independent horror film 'La Progenie del Diavolo,' dated 2009 and directed by Giacomelli and Giovenga, with which 'Controra' shares many and strange similarities. The film benefits from good construction, and the screenplay, which usually represents the major weak point in cinema (not only independent) Italian, here holds up quite well. Of course, easy expedients are not lacking. The entire discussion revolving around the beatification of Monsignor Domenico appears excessively approximate, and Father Von Galen's investigation (played by a Ray Lovelock long absent from cinema) is entirely useless for the purposes of the narrative plot. Although it represents the key to the film, moreover, the supernatural component appears to be managed not too well, so much so that it results a bit pretextual and intrusive within a film that, with good probability, would have benefited from remaining more anchored to the thriller dimension. Good acting performance. In the role of the protagonist, we find the Irish Fiona Glascott (the TV series Jericho), while in the role of Leo's partner is Pietro Ragusa (La vita facile, Cha Cha Cha). Completing the cast, among others, the aforementioned Lovelock and Federico Castelluccio (the TV series The Sopranos), in the role of the village parish priest and Leo's brother. Despite several small problems and some naivety, 'Controra' represents a valid example of Italian genre cinema. A good debut in feature films for Rossella De Venuto, who, it is hoped, can give us other interesting horror films in the future.