RG
Roberto Giacomelli
•At the Hayes' property, a meteorite falls one night. Initially, the Hayes seem happy about the event, intending to profit from the object that fell from space; but the news that it would simply be a toilet detached from a commercial airplane quickly dampens their enthusiasm. However, a gelatinous liquid escapes from the meteorite, absorbed by the ground and reaching the well used by the Hayes to drink and irrigate the land. As a result, the farm's harvest is completely ruined, the animals that drink from the well's water show aggressive behaviors, and the Hayes themselves begin to slowly exhibit strange behaviors and decompose. Only the young Zachary seems to have understood what is happening.
During the period of maximum horror proliferation in the cinematic landscape, that is, the 1980s, the little-known "La Fattoria Maledetta" also appears timidly, a low-budget product that debuted in 1987, taking inspiration from a beautiful story by H.P. Lovecraft "The Color Out of Space". In reality, there is very little Lovecraftian in this film, and the references to the famous writer are limited to the general plot; otherwise, "La Fattoria Maledetta" is a mediocre horror movie that alternates moments of boredom with others of undeniable atmosphere. In the end, you have to deal with a barely diligent assignment, often almost television-like, which finds its strong point, in addition to the story nevertheless gripping, in the more properly horrific component, thanks to the disgusting physical mutations that people who come into contact with the contaminated water undergo and a discreet dose of suspense that is created in the last twenty minutes.
In reality, the makeup effects are not of the highest quality, and the various pustules often appear fake, as does the choice to show the characters' faces transformed only to then see their hands completely normal. However, there is a genuine artisanal appeal that pervades the entire work and makes it more digestible for horror veterans than for young people seeking an approach to this genre; not surprisingly, among the film's producers you can spot Amando De Ossorio, the Iberian author of the saga about the Blind Resuscitados.
The director of "La Fattoria maledetta" is David Keith ("The Adventures of Tennessee Buck"), more suited to the role of actor, who carries the film forward without any technique and without any personal touch. The cast is composed of little-known and surely unmemorable actors, among whom are Will Wheaton ("Flubber – A Professor at Large"; "Stand by Me – Remembering Summer"), in the role of the young protagonist, Claude Akins ("The Return of the Magnificent Seven"; "Year 2670 – Last Act") in the role of farmer Hayes, Malcom Danare ("Christine – The Killer Car"; "Flashdance") in the guise of Cyrus, the protagonist's stupid brother, Cooper Huckabee ("The Horror Tunnel"; "The General's Daughter") in the role of Dr. Forbes.
In the end, "La Fattoria Maledetta" is a mediocre film, suitable only to pass an hour and a half, but that does not leave any particular reason to be remembered. Hard to find and not recommended for a very young or modern audience.
