P.O.E. 3 Pieces Of Eldritch (Italy - 2014) is the third installment of the horror saga P.O.E. conceived by Domiziano Cristopharo and inspired by the famous writer's short stories, here reinterpreted and modernized. Like the previous chapters P.O.E.: Poetry of Eerie and P.O.E.: Project of Evil, this new cinematic work also consists of episodes, each of which is directed by a different director who, starting from a Poe story, develops an original story by imprinting his own style on it.
P.O.E. 3 Pieces Of Eldritch Is composed of six segments: Morella By Ricky Caruso (Mothballs); King Plague By Alessandro Redaelli ("Between Us" in Shock - My Abstraction of Death, Pray for Diamonds); The Barrel of Amontillado by Domiziano Cristopharo (House of Flesh Mannequins, Bloody Sin, Red Krokodil, Doll Syndrome, Phantasmagoria...); You are the culprit By Francesco Campanini (The House in the Wind of the Dead); Shadows by Edo Tagliavini (Bloodline, "The Truth About the Valdemar Case" in P.O.E. Poetry Of Eerie, "Loss Of Breath" in P.O.E.: Project Of Evil...) and Never bet your head with the Devil by Mirko Virgili (Ganja Fiction).
The film features a framed episode (directed by Domiziano Delvaux Cristopharo) in which, introducing each episode in a television studio is Venantino Venantini who, like Charon, takes the viewer from one episode to the next, to the shores of horror.
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Morella By Ricky Caruso.
Morella, opening episode, features Morella (Feda Fargas), a woman intent on moving house. Among the many accumulated packages is a small suitcase to which she is particularly attached since it holds memories of her childhood. Once opened, the past resurfaces, awakening old, dormant memories.
The director's personal style does not go unnoticed as he laces Poe's tale with a dramatic story to which BDSM practices (with mistress and slave) are added, paving the way for a deviant, unhealthy, horror-tinged path. The episode Morella is punctuated by stages, each focusing on different emotions and paraphilias. Thus eroticism, sadism and masochism are the components of an unhealthy story rooted in the dark corners of life until it crosses over into a sketch of mild necrophilia.
Morella is a well-directed and acted episode. The story has a twist that focuses on body language.
The photography (Corrado Vasquez and Dario Spoto) with its warm tones and the contrasts between reddish and cold lights, for an edgy juxtaposition of sensations and emotions, recall the films of Mario Bava.
Also reconnecting with the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe is one of the characters in the Morella episode, namely Charles Usher, whose surname recalls precisely another story by the famous writer, viz. The Fall of the House of Ushers. Also nice is the idea of having the actor wear the Midnight Cult Catania T-Shirt, the event curated by Caruso himself. Well inserted also the music (Emiliano Cinquerrui and Fabio Vassallo) that completes a dramatic episode, thick with emotions and confined in a very appreciable unhealthy sphere.
The cast of Morella consists of Feda Fargas, Gabriele Arena, Rita Salonia, Marta Caudullo.
Kina snc production. Floriana Grasso and Monica Saso are the producer and executive producer, respectively. The script is by Irene Catania (Naftalina) and Elena Minissale while the screenplay is by Ricky Caruso himself.
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King Plague By Alessandro Redaelli.
England, 1330. Reign of Edward III. The two drunken sailors Legs (Antonio Pauletta) and Hugh (Ettore Nicoletti) land in London and reach the Merry Sailor's tavern. Drunk, they do not pay the bill and run away, finding themselves shortly afterwards on London streets littered with corpses. Gradually, however, they reach a mansion, where in one room are some shady figures sitting around a table. Among them is King Plague.
What is special about this segment is that it has been transformed into a flawless and fascinating play, a kind of play consisting of Prologue: The Sunken Vessel; Scene 1: The Tavern; Interlude: The Streets of London; Scene 2: King Plague's Court. It is also the only segment of P.O.E. 3 that has not been "revamped."
As in Poe's tale, in King Pest by Alessandro Redaelli is also present with a hint of humor. King Pest is one of the writer's most macabre tales, and the film is a worthy cinematic representation of it in which the characters from Poe's tale magically and remarkably come to life.
Shrouded in fantastic costumes (Marco Tunisi) that cloak them in eerie charm, Plague King, Plague Queen, Archduke Pest-Hyphenician, Duke Pest-Ilential, Duke Tem-Pest, Archduchess and Ana-Pest, transform into spellbinding figures of a surreal living picture of death. Also excellent is the final sequence in which the music heightens the drama of the situation when the men of the banquet manifest themselves as the horror of the plague. In this regard, the make-up and special effects by Athanasius Pernath and Riccardo Grippo are commendable, but also extraordinary is the performance of the leads.
Note also for Alessio Sartori's photography, which cloaks the episode in a pleasant retro style.
Thrilling, brutal and macabre, the distinguished King Plague by the talented Redaelli is a shocking mirror of Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name. A brilliant film. By far the best of P.O.E. 3 which relegates Alessandro Redaelli to the Olympus of the young promises of our cinema.
The cast includes Antonio Pauletta, Ettore Nicoletti, Mattia Stasolla, Amelie Parillon, Francesca Germini, Wayne Abbruscato (Never bet your head with the Devil), and Toni Pandolfo. They are also joined by Massimo Onorato and Francesca Ghezzi, leading actors in Pray for Diamonds, a short film by Redaelli himself.
The film is produced by Daniele Fagone, Alessandro Redaelli and Ruggero Melis. The latter also edited the script and the original soundtrack.
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The Barrel of Amontillado By Domitian Delvaux Cristopharo.
In a room in an abandoned building, a man (Federico Ivan Biagioli) with obvious signs of a beating has been nailed to the wall. As he regains his lucidity, he notices that someone is bricking up the front door of the room....
The barrel of Amontillado is the third segment of P.O.E. 3. and deals with the theme of revenge. The episode focuses on the final part of the original story, paying special attention to the state of the victim, who is gagged and chained to the wall. The act of walling up the room is filmed slowly and translates a sadistic gesture both toward the victim who is about to be walled up alive and the viewer who is presented with a claustrophobic vision.
In the story, the cause for Fortunato being walled up alive by his friend is not known, but in this episode instead a very specific reason is provided. If the word Jesus carved into the tortured man's flesh and his body nailed to the wall hint at religious significance, the cause of his condition, revealed later, somewhat entices the viewer to enjoy the protagonist's pain and the end that lies ahead.
The protagonist of the episode is the body, considered the cause and source of pain and also a symbol of human suffering.
Unexpected and appreciated is the final sequence of this segment in which the director provides his original concluding vision of the work. Once again Domiziano Cristopharo gives a great proof of his directorial skills with a high quality episode in which even the special effects (also edited by the same director) are to be admired as well as the cinematography framing a desperate situation. A note also on the lead actor, Federico Ivan Biagioli, whose impressive facial expressions succeed in conveying the pain felt by his character.
The episode is written and produced by Domiziano Delvaux Cristopharo and Federico Ivan Biagioli.
Original soundtrack by Eros Cartechini.
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You are the culprit By Francesco Campanini.
Henry has disappeared and the police contact Mr. Charles Shuttle for questioning. The man confides that he was with the man on the day of his disappearance to discuss the purchase of a former asylum intended for the construction of a hotel. The police will also question Penny, Shuttle's nephew, about some clues that would apparently frame the uncle and the boy himself.
Francesco Campanini directs an episode somewhere between horror and detective story by sticking partly to Poe's tale. The film relies on magnificent locations, including dungeons, but these are not properly exploited. In fact, the story unrolls flatly failing to engage the viewer and thus dragging towards a bland and forgettable ending. The acting, not always up to the mark, also burdens the outcome of the segment.
Almost devoid of its horror side, You are the culprit takes on the appearance of a typical low-quality mystery genre film. Definitely the weakest of the episodes.
The cast includes Martin Webster, Giacomo Boselli, Paolo Campanini, Luca Magri, Mirko Cassiani, Daniele Nadal, Riccardo Zilioli and Xenia Bertolotti. Campanini himself handled the production of the film, while the screenplay is by Gianluca Calabria. Photography by Cristian Ferrari and original soundtrack by Matteo Ramenzoni.
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Shadows By Edo Tagliavini.
It is the story of a young girl (Lumi Tagliavini) who, cast aside by peers and adults, becomes friends with her own shadow.
Written and directed by Edo Tagliavini, Shadows deviates completely from the narrative Shadow By Poe from which it is inspired.
The director provides a story distorted and almost amputated from the horror part with which the American writer's tale is instead invaded. The story of this segment is thus simpler and focuses on the friendship between a little girl and her shadow.
The episode highlights the loneliness of the young girl both outside and inside the house where, among other things, she performs the duties of an adult. More than a horror episode, it could be considered a dramatic segment with a supernatural twist that at one point in the film also draws on Eastern horror cinema.
The use of fish eye in some sequences with the little protagonist is interesting, although its heavy use dampens the terrifying potential of the segment.
In the cast of Shadows: Lumi Tagliavini, Rita Fedozzi and Edo Tagliavini.
Original music is by Sara Ardizzonni and Lumi Tagliavini.
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Never bet your head with the Devil By Mirko Virgili.
Toby Dammit is an American stunt performer who has become famous online for his violent videos featuring him and is idolized by younger people who take him too seriously by imitating his performances and thus putting their own lives in the balance. Seeking fame, Toby will get his chance when he meets producer Luke Astor at a club.
Virgili directs a decidedly engaging film with an original story that never loses sight of the heart of the original tale.
Among other things, the episode also enjoys good acting evidence that peaks in the bar sequence where very interesting dialogues take place in which Frank Laloggia (as the producer) takes part. Although the crescendo hints at a finale full of self-harm with peaks of sadomasochism, the story accompanies the viewer toward an easy and not very satisfying twist.
Music by Kristian Sensini and Andrea Neri also keeps the level of tension in the film high. Commendable episode produced and directed by Mirko Virgili. Solid screenplay by Filippo Luciano Santaniello (the screenwriter of Bloody Sin).
The cast includes Wayne Abbruscato (King Pest), Arian Levanel (Bloody Sin), Rene Salazar Batista, Aurora Kostova (Doll Syndrome), David Galoni, Marian Migahed, Yong Qiang, Frank Laloggia (special guest).
Domiziano Delvaux Cristopharo handled the editing and photography for this interesting episode.
