Lion (2017)

Some of you who have been with me long enough might remember me covering two short horror films, The Puzzle (2008) and The Sweet Hand of the White Rose (2010), from Italian filmmaker Davide Melini (assistant director for Dario Argento’s Mother of Tears (2008), Penny Dreadful and Into the Badlands). These were pretty good and provided me with a new experience in reviewing movies much shorter than I was used to. I also briefly spotlighted Melini’s supernatural horror/giallo hybrid Deep Shock (2019) back when it was still in pre-production. The film was delayed for quite some time but was eventually released in 2019. It has a cool classic and modern feel to it with a brutal bathroom murder scene that is worthy of the giallo style film it is celebrating.  

Davide Melini’s horror short from the UK titled Lion is boasted as being the most awarded horror short film in history. It feels like a runaway award effect is taking place with the film, as it is now up to a staggering 902 awards – which are individually posted on the film’s socials. 

 

After being attracted by the comic book style color scheme of the poster art by Manuel Espinosa Quiros, I went into Lion cold, and what I got was quite the brutal haunting, with an ethereal lion and a gory, albeit surreal, aftermath, with a tender close out. It’s a satisfying take on cosmic justice, but I also like to think that the supernatural violence that transpires could also be viewed, perhaps, as the mistreated child's fantasy. 

As a fan of mood setting intro credits, I did enjoy the impressive detailed galaxy and constellation visuals over the relaxing and regal sounding theme song (by Francesco Tresca) that also plays the film out during the end credits.

 

Lion stars Pedro Sánchez, Tania Mercader, and Michael Segal (who I fondly remember from the Italian Lovecraft adaptations from Ivan Zuccon, particularly The Shunned House (2003) and Colour from the Dark (2008).) Here, Segál is chewing the scenery as a drunken abusive father lost in his cups (beer cans). He’s kind of a caricature of the familiar alcoholic father always planted in front of the TV. He is nonetheless frightfully intimidating.

Sánchez plays the poor vulnerable child with no escape, and Mercader is the complicit mother. My favorite part is the suspenseful stalking scene with the mother in the bedroom. 

 

Lion is surprisingly original. Unlike Deep Shock, it doesn’t seem to feature any obvious homages to Argento. Although, Lamberto Bava’s Demons 2 does briefly come to mind during a certain pivotal moment. 

With a meager twelve-minute runtime, Lion wastes no time in telling its story that benefits from tight editing (Daniel Salinas) and slick cinematography (Juanma Postigo). It’s enjoyable, brief, and to the point without feeling the need to squeeze in too many ideas. It’s not a typical stalk and kill horror film but more of a power fantasy ghost story that I wasn’t anticipating. It’s a solid addition to Melini’s collection of short films. Here’s to a full-length feature for Melini someday. 

© At the Mansion of Madness

 

Lion is currently available to watch on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B088ZM366G/ref=atv_sr_def_c_unkc__2_1  

 

Arcana (1972)

“That’s twentieth-century progress for you; we can put a man on the moon, but we can’t find a few simple ingredients to do a magic trick.” – Captain Manzini  

If magic is real, then it isn’t obvious. It will probably never lend itself to definitive proof but rather reserve itself more for personal interpretation that depends on the hopes, beliefs, and dreams of the individual. Be it paranormal or psychological, magic spells can provide a lot of symbolic meaning, clarity, and guidance for the caster. 

Giulio Questi’s inventive, esoteric, enchanted sorcery of a film, Arcana, is an unforgettable experience that I like to think is a magic spell itself. The effects of that spell really start to hit at about the one hour and fourteen-minute mark (when that hypnotic violin theme kicks in) and we get a peculiar standout segment in the film that is unlike anything else. The film also does a good job at capturing the appeal and mystique of tarot in both the divination reading scenes and in the unfolding of its mystifying plot. 

Diary of an Erotic Murderess / La encadenada (1975)

Let’s keep the femme fatale thrillers rolling with the penultimate movie as director for Spanish filmmaker Manuel Mur Oti, Diary of an Erotic Murderess, starring Marisa Mell in the lead role as a seductive killer con woman. Despite being a true villain in the story, there’s something really likeable about her in this. She’s not a sympathetic villain, although she might try to incite sympathy, and she really isn’t redeemable in any way, but she’s still appealing. Perhaps that’s just a testament to the power of the outward charm and beauty of the femme fatale.

How many of you like to think you can change her? or that she might make a special exception in your case? and maybe you just might survive your romantic but likely deadly sojourn with her, with your fortune and life still intact? It’s a fun idea that I usually have when watching this movie, but it’s not very realistic considering it doesn’t go well for her partners in crime. Joking aside, this one also does get pretty dark. 

It shouldn’t be surprising that Diary of an Erotic Murderess is a treat for fans of Marisa Mell and her Italian and Spanish swindler thrillers like Perversion Story (1969), Marta (1971), The Great Swindle (1971), and Death Will Have Your Eyes (1974). She’s great in it, and it’s just as good as another of my favorites Marta, which has a similar concept but is told quite differently.