Fulci Dreams & Gothic Echoes: A Review of The Hanging Doll and Other Shorts by Chris Milewski
I first started reviewing Chris Milewski shorts back in 2017 with a duo he put out on YouTube (see Violets Bloom at an Empty Grave & The World of Shadows Reviews from Filmiracle Productions) and fell in love with his style for movie making. Chris is an avid fanatic of old school Italian horrors, chillers, thrillers and such as stated in an interview I did with him (see Voci dal profondo: A Severed Cinema Interview with Filmmaker Chris Milewski). Since then I think I’ve reviewed about seven tiny capsules including Garden of Souls (see review here), Phantoms of the Fog (see review here), and his totally different The Thousand Steps (see review here).
As I stated in that first review, how can a bloke from the USA make a handful of short films ‘Italian Style’ and almost out Italian the Italians? In fact, how can his films feel so Euro altogether? I felt as if I was watching some late ‘80s Fulci, the tranquil beauty of Jean Rollin at his peak, and even a slice of Paul Naschy. To be honest, the majority of his recent creations have lacked the artistic flame found in his earlier works, but they’re all free to watch on YouTube via his channel (here’s the link to Filmiracle Productions) there’s loads on there.
With the sheer volume, I thought I’d just select three random ones out of the newer shorts and put them all into one review.
Our first is The Hanging Doll. Beginning with the staple of many Chris Milewski films, lake shots (incidentally, he does near enough everything himself and uses pseudonyms on the credits) and ominous music. Straight away you feel like you’ve discovered some newly found Euro horror out of someone’s vault. The camera heads over to a stashed away large house and the soundtrack is some twisted Phantasm distortion. Wonderful!
From the outside we see it’s abandoned, boarded up, decaying. Inside there’s loads of forgotten dusty things including an urn and the pic of a little girl beside it. Oooh, and there’s a hanging doll.
As per usual, Chris takes his time, documenting the surroundings and objects, then we cut to an old fella solemnly walking, collecting mushrooms whilst crunching over a carpet of dead leaves in the woods. The doll in the house rocks back and forth in a breeze, then supernatural shenanigans happen.
This is a low-key classic ghost story brimming with atmosphere. The Hanging Doll is gloomy and well filmed. The locations are just right, as is the brief bit of acting. Silvia (House by the Cemetery) Collatina supplied her voice to this, and an interesting note there’s a silver hairbrush seen briefly — it belonged to the silent screen iconic actress, Mary Pickford. That really made my day.
Hmm, acting. Back in the earlier films, we had many voice overs from classic Italian actors and actresses whilst family members and such played brilliant parts to really make the pieces claustrophobic and quite nasty in parts. Chris as of recent uses the services of one man mainly, Ryan Capizzi. He is an energy drain, wooden to the touch, but he is reliable and does what is needed. I just can’t get on with his acting — it ruins anything he wanders through. The City of Dunwich is a prime example (see my review here) — also available on our YouTube channel).
In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes is selection two, and what a marvellous title it has. Ryan is a geeza who’s looking for somewhere to sit and sketch. Enough with that gorgeous music, it’s too much, we’re (my Partner in Gore Willow and I) suckers for this kind of ‘80s horror stuff. It is making us swoon. There’s another big house surrounded by woods. Ryan plods along making it obvious he’s trying not to look at the camera. He first approaches a small outbuilding — he’s so stiff and robot like! We hear church bells, and the scenery looks outstanding with its quaint night filter.
Oh, it’s daytime again. He’s still walking. Did we miss something? He seats himself in the sunshine and begins to sketch. The score is even better, so gothic horror in tone. He draws a girl with a missing eye. Then he hears a horse — it’s a statue. The bells ring again. He’s doomed to a violent end. No clear explanation. Make your own mind up.
Lastly, a bit of an experimental one to conclude our business. Le Campane, Le Campane (The Bells the Bells) and we have a narrative courtesy of once upon a time Severed Cinema regular poster boy, Domiziano Cristopharo. His liquid voice flows over proceedings like the late and great Franco Garofalo did with Violets Bloom at an Empty Grave (link up above, plus it’s also on his YT channel).
More lake scenes and what first appears to be floating shit. It’s a branch though. Nice organ backdrop as we see an old church tucked into a graveyard. The film is black and white this time, showing lengthy shots of the edifice from the exterior before we venture within.
“The bells the bells, how I loathe their mournful cry…” thus begins the narration which I think is supposed to be the words of a statue of Saint Jude. It feels like a reading of Edgar Allen Poe; the words are fantastic. This quickie is, as I said experimental so, aside from a dead hand, there’s no cast members other than a statue of Jesus looking angry.
Chris Milewski’s glory days are long gone it seems, but if you’ve never watched any of his multitude of short films, I ask you to please head over to his YouTube channel and spend an evening in his company, you really won’t regret it.
Here’s the link again: youtube.com/@FilmiracleProductions/videos
Plus, his small but cool website: elcarimlif.blogspot.com
The Hanging Doll
Directed by: Chris Milewski
Written by: Chris Milewski
Produced by: Chris Milewski
Cinematography by: Chris Milewski
Music by: Chris Milewski
Cast: Terry Reilly, Silvia Collatina, Pamela Stanford
Year: 2025
Country: USA
Language: Italian
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 9 min
In the Dreams of Those with Unblinking Eyes
Directed by: Chris Milewski
Written by: Chris Milewski
Produced by: Chris Milewski
Cinematography by: Chris Milewski
Music by: Chris Milewski
Cast: Ryan Capizzi
Year: 2024
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 8 min
Le Campane Le Campane
Directed by: Chris Milewski
Written by: Chris Milewski
Produced by: Chris Milewski
Cinematography by: Chris Milewski
Music by: Chris Milewski
Cast: Domiziano Cristopharo (narration)
Year: 2025
Country: USA
Language: Italian
Colour: B/W
Runtime: 5 mins
Studio: Filmiracle Productions
