Across the River (Lorenzo Bianchini, 2013)

Micro-budget Italian film, but my favourite amongst the recent horrors I’ve watched this year, including It Follows and The Babadook (both of which I enjoyed). This film had an interesting set-up (ecologist alone in the woods) and deployed an inventive use of found footage/recording tech. There are evocative locations, and the supernormal aspects never felt forced for the best part; they just seemed to appear as a natural consequence of the situation, which I really admired.

To my taste, a couple of scenes pushed the envelope harder than was necessary towards the end, but that strangeness of a place abandoned in the midst of its past life created a very weird quality. Also a good depiction of isolation, which always rings my bell. Comparisons to Blair Witch are inevitable and it also reminded me of REC and Dark Water (the originals) in tone and some imagery. So, if you dug ‘the feel’ of those you may dig this.

Now, the cover of the UK DVD, in my opinion, is a spoiler/soiler. So if you check this out, try not to look at the cover.