In the Well, sent on behalf of her father to restore a classic painting following a fire, budding art restorer Lisa (Lauren LaVera) becomes entangled in a centuries-old ritual involving murder, sacrifice, and dark magic.
Fresh off the worldwide success of Terrifier 2, Lauren LaVera takes the lead in this bloodthirsty tale. Having made the journey from the USA to Italy, she immediately becomes acquainted with another group of travelers, who appear to be dispatched fairly quickly while camping in the woods. While we don’t have to wait too long to find out their fate, what they do face is much worse than a quick death. A damp, disgusting array of cells, all surrounding the titular Well. This is where the practical effects used really come to the fore. Blood is splattered liberally, innards are torn out, and every slash and hack feels more brutal than the last. The fact that the torturous instruments all appear blunt and rusted only adds to the brutality. And in the well, something evil lurks.
Away from the distraction of her more well-known, OTT foe, LaVera more than holds her own as our main focus in The Well. Whether it be her determination to succeed in pleasing her father, or conveying her gripping fear and terror at regular nightmarish visions that plague her time in the gothic quarters in which she is staying (or is she trapped?), she allows for a sympathetic protagonist.
The sets are fantastic, from the horrific confines of the 3 doomed travellers, to the echoing, gothic hallways of the mansion. It shows that director Zampaglione takes great care in providing a lived-in, practicality to The Well, which in turn gives a gruesome palette cleanser in a genre often saturated with shiny, mass-produced pulp.
The Well had its UK premiere at Glasgow Frightfest 2024
Andy’s Archive – The Well (2023)
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