Starring: Daisy Keeping, David Brandon
Plot: While visiting her father in Italy an American teenager discovers the Neverlake. A mystical place guarded by ancient spirits. While aiding the spirits, she uncovers the world of horrific secrets, lies, and medical experiments.
My Review and Thoughts:
An interesting, fascinating horror fantasy. Wonderful special effects. Very creepy and very morbid at times. I love the whole mysterious reality of the film. What has happened? What is going on? What is the truth and will the truth be solved? That's the kind of film this is. It creates a lot of questions and in the end, it accomplishes it.
There is a wonderful fairy-tale quality. A Brothers Grimm type of reality. Very creepy and very mysteriously dark. A wonderful story woven around extraordinary acting and a suspenseful mystery that unfolds onscreen.
Jenny lives in America. She comes to Italy to visit her father. She soon starts to see things no one else can see. The mystery is the odd reality of her surroundings. Her father is a surgeon, assisted by a female named Olga.
Soon Jenny befriends and meets children from a local orphanage. Often each one of the children has an element, from being blind or lost limbs. Her father is often gone in his research or work and so Jenny has to entertain herself and explore the local woods and a place called Neverlake.
Dreams. visions and nightmares. Jenny experiences strange ordeals and incidents. This has some of the creepiest dolls in existence. A nice horror folk tale of mystery and dreaded suspense.
"Horror is nothing but the truth".
Rituals and ancient mythology. Jenny finds herself in a mysterious reality and her father and her surroundings are key points to what Jenny is about to discover. A nice thick drama with a mystery deep and hidden. Jenny must discover the ultimate truth of what is happening and what has happened.
This is directed by newcomer Riccardo Paoletti. I think he did a great job in showcasing a deep mystery with the aspects of drama and the undercurrents of psychological horror. Also staring a new comer to the acting world Daisy Keeping as Jenny. She owns the part and gives it her mysterious Nancy Drew exploration best. Also starring an acting veteran David Brandon. Horror lovers and Cult status film lovers will know him from the wonderful, brilliant 1987 Stage Fright and also the spaghetti horror film Delirium (1987).
I love Italian horror films. This plays out just like all the classic 70s and 80s Italian Grindhouse type films. This is a mix between 1987's Faceless and 1960's Eyes Without a Face with a massive splash of the Brothers Grimm stories.
A nice horror induced fairy tale of darkness and mystery.