The mythological figure of Lilith has become inextricably linked with vampires in the genre’s megatext. It is this figure, therefore, that is the main trope from the genre within Vincenzo Petrarolo’s 2017 film (I have seen it listed as 2015 but IMDb lists the later date).
The film is of the found footage variety and, after statues of women in the credits – some with maws of fangs, it opens with Ruggero Deodato, he of Cannibal Holocaust fame, talking about being contacted by the filmmakers to be involved in their project and realising they were a bit more than fans but then also realising, when he went to the house they shot in, that there was more than just a movie.
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| Ryan and Marco |
The film follows director Ryan (Marcus J. Cotterell) as he goes over to Rome to shoot a film with his friend (and producer) Marco (Vincenzo Petrarolo). The film is to be shot in Marco’s grandmother’s house, whilst she is overseas, but Marco – it quickly becomes apparent – is more interested in using the filming to sleep with women than for the art. We see the arrival of Ryan and the travel to the house through the camera carried by Alberto (Federico Palmieri), who is capturing everything for DVD extras.
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| Sara and Ryan |
Ryan starts to see that something is off when they get to an equipment warehouse and Marco suggests they need much less than he thinks they need (found footage, after all, just needs a camera). The house is also further out from Rome than implied. Ryan is an arse. He claims the film, about a group of kids trapped in a house and forced into cannibalism, isn’t horror and calls it mokumentary. He is prone to histrionics and argues with everyone. This may just be poor acting but it was also down to the script. Unfortunately, it means the audience dislikes the main character.
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| night in the house |
They are a bit bemused when Michelle (Manuela Stanciu) turns up as the actors are due the next day. It is clear that Marco hired her for her body/looks, having found her on social media, and she hasn’t seen the script. She is with Sara (Joelle Rigollet) a makeup artist she barely knew and who it sounds like the filmmakers weren’t expecting, but go along with anyway. However the house isn’t all it seems and we start seeing glitches in the found film, which corresponds with eerie noises.
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| Michelle possessed |
Eventually we get Marco and Alberto in the large bath when Michelle comes in, suddenly more willing to entertain sexual activity. Marco is somewhat abusive, though she doesn’t seem to mind, but then her fellatio of Alberto becomes a penectomy by teeth! Michele has been possessed by Lilith and, when the others find secret rooms beyond a wardrobe, they discover that Grandma (Elena Croce) wasn’t abroad but had, with others, invoked Lilith to turn over the patriarchy – though the ritual had ended in death for the participants bar the possessed woman (Dani Samvis) who was tied up and is still in the ritual room.
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| possessed by Lilith |
So, we have Lilith as our main trope, and if you read her as vampire then vampiric possession. That said she doesn’t particularly do anything vampiric and her biography as explained in exposition surrounds Eden and Adam and does not expand on her folkloric role of the killer of unprotected babes in the cradle. She does bite – as described – and later she is seen on camera eating Alberto’s flesh but this felt more connecting with the Cannibal Holocaust theme than putting a further vampiric marker in the filmic sand. She does demonstrate eye mojo, able to dominate the will of men who look her in the eyes, and she can pass from woman to woman (presumably in close proximity). As found footage films go this is not the worst I’ve seen – conceptually – though the acting is poor and the characters irredeemable (especially Ryan). However, whilst not a great film it is certainly of genre interest.
The imdb page is here.
On DVD @ Amazon US
On DVD @ Amazon UK
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