Netflix recently released “A Classic Horror Story,” a film inspired by popular horror films, both new and old. What starts out as a few seemingly innocent strangers saving money by traveling together to a common destination, soon turns horrific after a car accident, leaving them stranded in the woods. The film is rather short in comparison to some of the films it’s inspired by, so it’s interesting to see how the film holds up, while packing multiple ideas into only an hour and a half long film.
“A Classic Horror Story” starts out unconventional, by dropping viewers right into a bloodily gruesome scene. This immediately is an attention grabber as it sets the tone for the rest of the film, with the hope that this remains consistent throughout. It’s more of a sneak peak as shortly after we are introduced to the main characters, Fabrizio (Francesco Russo), the driver, who gives off a creepy energy and the tag-alongs, Elisa (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz), Sofia (Yuliia Sobol), Riccardo (Peppino Mazzotta) and Mark (Will Merrick). The whole cast is very natural in their performances; the dialogue doesn’t seem too forced or cliche and they appear to be comfortable in their roles.
We begin to see some inspiration from the more recent film “Midsommar” once the crew finds themselves stranded in the middle of a field, with no road in sight. The difference here is that in “Midsommar,” the friend group was welcomed in with warmth and it slowly began to take a turn for the worst. In this film, right from the start we get the feeling that something isn’t quite right, due to the fact that they are the only ones there, so they are left to figure out where they are and what’s going on by themselves. Another major similarity that is almost copied directly from “Midsommar” is this idea of imagery being used as a blueprint for what’s to come. As many had noticed, when the group of friends arrived on site in “Midsommar,” a detailed story was drawn up for them all to see, but none of them knew what it meant altogether. In this film, a story is drawn up which actually tells them exactly why they are there and what is going to happen to them.
Things begin to really pick up a little less than halfway through when a familiar alarm sounds through the woods. This alarm could also be heard in “Silent Hill” and “The Village,” and if you’re familiar with these two films, you know nothing ever good comes from this alarm. Once you start to pin why you feel like you’ve seen this film already, you start to wonder what part of this film is original, until a majorly unexpected plot twist reels you back in. With not a lot of time left in the film, you begin to anticipate what this will lead to as the possibilities become endless.
Like the films “A Classic Horror Story” is inspired by, it contains an extensive and note-worthy amount of gruesome imagery in the forms of beheaded animals, creepy masks made from trees and cult-like decor in the main building. Of course we can’t forget the brutal torture the cast faces during their time in the woods, which seems inescapable. It’s worth mentioning that there is a hidden metaphorical message but I’ll leave you to figure that out as it’s brought up sneakily by one of the characters and then plays out effortlessly towards the end of the film.
Overall, this film doesn’t disappoint. It’s always risky using inspiration from already very popular films, but this film took it to the next level by adding its own original content, such as the unexpected twist nobody sees coming, leaving viewers satisfied with the outcome. The film’s plot has a great flow without any filler to drag it out; it cuts right to the point, which makes for an easily watchable film. Anybody who has come to love this type of genre will be pleasantly surprised by this film as it’s both entertaining and crammed with fear factor.
“A Classic Horror Story” is available to stream on Netflix.
By Mia Godorov