Christian Bisceglia, director of video clips, shorts and films, makes his debut in the world of horror cinema with his second feature film Fairytale, ghost movie and interesting retelling of the legend about the tooth fairy, produced by Onemore Pictures and RAI Cinema.
Let's move on to an interview with Christian in which he explains what his artistic journey has been from TV to film that led him to direct this dazzling black fairy tale that has allowed him to establish himself nationally and internationally.
A: Who is Christian Bisceglia?
B: Humanly, I don't know. I care about being a loyal person. Professionally, I consider myself a craftsman, capable of becoming an “artist” every now and then.
A: When did you decide to go into filmmaking? What is your debut year in filmmaking?
B: Since I was a child, I have loved cinema, but as a spectator. I didn't think it could become a profession. I was interested in just watching movies. I was lucky enough to live near a parish cinema, the Dominic Savio, which gave incredible films. Whale's Frankenstein, McLeodWilcox's Forbidden Planet, Camerini's Ulysses. I saw them on the big white screen, a real privilege. I studied law and graduated with a thesis on “Paternity of the Cinematic Work.” The city where I grew up, Messina, was fundamental in my education. In the late 1980s it was full of ferment and people who later achieved important goals. Francesco Calogero, Ninni Bruschetta, Nino Frassica, for cinema. Spiro Scimone, Francesco Sframeli, Massimo Piparo for the theater. Spiro and Francesco are represented all over the world, Massimo directs the Sistina. For me it is a source of pride to have been compared with them. I add among the Messina people Francesco Mento, director of photography in my early research works. I owe him a great deal.
A: You have received several awards for both video clips and shorts you have made. The 2006 comedy Marriage Agent landed in theaters in 2007 and also participated in the Annecy festival in France. These are milestones that crown your achievement in the various areas you have covered but when did you decide to experiment with other genres as well? From Centovetrine to horror: how did this transition develop?
B: So, I try to answer in order. I believe that a director, an author, should know how to do as many things as possible. That's how it was in our cinema. Corbucci, Blasetti, Sollima, for example, did everything and did it well. Now that is no longer the case. Directors who have been successful with a comedy are forced to do the same comedy to the point of exhausting the audience. This is not good. It's not good for the audience and it's not good for the writers who lose creativity and become like the screenwriters in Boris.
As for me and my so-called “versatility”-what can I say? The truth is that I have always had to make do. I come from a working-class family, where they teach you to adapt to contingencies. A good school after all. If you learn to do everything, in times of crisis you know how to withstand adversity. Centovetrine for example was an important school. You have to produce a lot of material, adapting to a resource-poor system. This helped me in the making of Fairytale. Manuela Cacciamani, the producer, came to me and said, “The short The Fairy has to become a long one to be set in Latina. You have one week to write.” I went with Ascanio on a tour of Latina. A week later Manuela had the script. Without the soap training, faced with such a request I would have had an anxiety attack and given up on the project. Instead.
I would like to add a few words about the blindness of the system that forces artists to do the same things over and over again. Some Centovetrine actors don't do so-called prime time TV or film because the producers think they are “soap” faces. What the fuck does that mean? If someone is good, he's good. If he is a dog he is a dog. Ken Loach in his films uses actors who do soap operas. Dead Set, the wonderful horror-zombie series produced in Britain is full of actors who come from soap.
On Marriage Agent I have little to say. It is an unfortunate film with some funny points, some say it should be rediscovered. I have a strong emotional attachment to that film and it is not certain that I may not make a comedy again in the future.
A: Horror film fans have turned their attention to you with Fairytale, a product that began as a short film (The Fairy) and a pilot for a genre TV series. Can you reveal why this change of plans?
B: I answered in part in the previous question. Paolo Del Brocco, the CEO of Raicinena saw the pilot of The Fairy. He was planning to prepare a series of low budget genre films and asked Manuela if that pilot could become a long one.
A: You are the director and author of FairyTale, a horror film presented at the Rome Film Festival in 2012. In Italy the film was distributed on the web and on RaiMovie while in other countries it also had a theatrical distribution (United States, Great Britain, Turkey...). Why do you think this work of yours did not get the attention it deserved in Italy?
B: I have no idea. If you think about it from a strictly journalistic point of view, it's news. A small Italian film is released in so many countries. It's a virtuous example, it's a return to the genre, it's an open road for so many guys making indie cinema. Instead, nothing. I think in Italy the press works like politics. It is just a game of relationships. I have to thank you fans if the film has become a case in Italy.
A: Fairytale is a reimagining of the Tooth Fairy. Why did you choose to tackle this particular theme?
B: I like fairy tales. My grandchildren, who are grown up now, still blame me for traumatizing them as children by twisting their fairy tales. I told my oldest that I had killed Santa Claus and buried him in the garden. Then I dressed up as Santa's ghost. I made a memorable Suspiria-like appearance. The child cried until Boxing Day. Good thing my brother is a man of spirit, a more anxious parent would have killed me.
A: I find your film full of interesting ideas including the shower of teeth. How did this beautiful idea come about? Can you tell us about it?
B: Sure. At three o'clock in the morning I called Ascanio. I told him I had this idea. Can we do it? I asked. He answered: sure. The next morning he had already drawn it all out. Nice to work like that.
A: The film is a co-director with Ascanio Malgarini, who by the way is also the visual effects director. How did your collaboration come about and how did it develop?
B: It is Manuela Cacciamani's idea. I am grateful to her for this insight. I found an incredible professional partner. As well as a friend.
A: Fairytale is a dark fairy tale that enjoys the patina typical of large productions on overseas ghost movies. For such characteristics the film is far from the horror genre proposed by the current filmmakers who nurture the genre from the independent circuit. What do you think of Italian indie horror cinema? Are you a fan of it? Could you mention some directors and horror films from our country that have impressed you in recent years?
B: I follow everything, I like to see what those younger than me are doing, there is always something to learn... but I'll make a premise: I don't like splatter. I prefer Supernatural or Psychological Horror. Among directors I like Bianchini a lot. Simone Gandolfo has taken an interesting path.
A: What do you think are the best horror directors of the past? What are the best films?
B: What a challenging question... Bava, Argento, Le Roy, Browning, Friedkin, Shimizu, Carpententer, Raimi, Craven, Corman... In short, everyone who has left a mark on my imagination. The films I love the most are Deep Red, The Exorcist, The House, The Fog, The Mummy with Boris Karloff, Ride of the Blind Resurrected, Freaks, The Mask of the Devil, The Black Lily, The Shining... I could go on and on.
A: For years now we have been invaded by so many remakes, remakes that not only discomfort old films but also new ones. What do you think about this long fad? Is it also a testimony to a lack of ideas for you? Is there any successful remake among all those considered useless?
B: The risk is that you propose the same narrative paradigm over and over again. Eventually the audience may get tired of it. Not all genres are eternal. We've seen it with westerns, with peplums. It would be a shame if that happened with horror as well.
As for remakes, I liked the remake of The House.
A: Can you tell us about your future projects? Can we expect more horror films from you?
B: You have to expect them. With Ascanio we are preparing the new film.
A: Your opinion about this interview!
B: That's funny. It was a good talk.
A: Leave a message to the DarkVeins community!
B: Keep following DarkVeins, damn it!
A: Thank you Christian!
