The 67th Taormina Film Fest, directed by Francesco Alò, Alessandra De Luca and Federico Pontiggia, holds the world premiere of A Classic Horror Story, directed by Roberto De Feo (already nominated at the Nastri d’Argento for his first feature film The Nest) and Paolo Strippoli, a luxury newcomer who had already signed popular short films. The absolute protagonist of this very tight horror with ethno-anthropological veins (from 14 July on Netflix) is Matilda Lutz in the role of the shy and fragile Elisa, whose resilience to horror immediately promotes her as a shining example of Italian cinematic girl power.
“For us, the role of the Final Girl is the most feminist role in horror cinema and we wanted to give life to an Italian Final Girl. Matilda is splendid in outlining the emotional journey of her character”, the directors emphasize, while the actress, talking about the set, recalls that “Roberto took care of the technical part, while Paolo was more dedicated to us actors“.
“When Netflix accepted the project for me it was like having an invitation to the amusement park, and I like to go there in the company,” says De Feo. “I already knew Paolo’s talent and we have the same tastes and passions”.
“We formed ourselves with the classic Italian and American horror of the 70s, 80s and 90s – Strippoli intervenes – “from ‘The Evil Dead’ by Sam Raimi to ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ by Tobe Hooper, up to the meta-cinema of the 90s: Wes Craven’s Scream is by far the film that inspired us the most, but also ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ by Jim Gillespie.”
Matilda Lutz, who mesmerized Cannes for her absolute performance in Revenge, has very clear ideas about the genre: “When I think of horror I think of Isabelle Adjani in Possession and Naomi Watts in The Ring, then of course there is Anya Taylor-Joy, who is always very good”.
A Classic Horror Story is in competition at Taormina 67.
The screening is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 1 at Palazzo dei Congressi.
