The Shroud (Sindone) Review from MegaCity Media!
Fabrizio Spurio is becoming something of a regular on these crimson pages of Severed Cinema. He is the man behind the ‘80s SOV style, Carne (see review here) and Crypts (see review here). Most recently he appeared within the dangerous savage anthology, VHS Strangler: The Giallo Tapes (see review here) with a helping of pure nightmarish wonders. The Shroud (Sindone) is something a bit different. It is unique to his cannon of works, concentrated more on spooky supernatural horrors, and a large dollop of religious symbolism.
The first thing to be noticed is that actress, Chiara Pavoni has a full-time part in this one. She’s the instantly recognisable woman who starred in such films as Xpiation (see review here) and Just a Child (see review here) whilst appearing in Violent Shit: The Movie, Jack The St. Ripper (see review here), plus many more, including the before mentioned Carne. Xpiation was the first extreme horror I showed to my Partner in Gore, Willow Brian to test her out. She loved it and has since taken unholy dark tunnels with me into the sheer depths of extreme cinema. Willow was happy to see Chiari again.
Deep inside some old stone building, there’s a woman being held against a wall and crucified in gory glorious detail, again that old ‘80s look. She’s either screaming or laughing — we couldn’t figure out which. A blade is shoved into her ear, then a pickaxe to her cranium. All the while there’s a rather effective wavy wailing soundtrack — as she is chopped by the axe, my eldest son happened to pass through the room and glanced. He laughed. “You can tell someone had a water pistol to squirt the blood!” Jack doesn’t understand the sheer thrill and fun of SOV flicks like this!
Cut to the exterior of the edifice, we assumed years later and there’s a fella wandering, maybe urban exploring. He finds a shiny metal tin — camera POV into a closed off room, backing from him. He opens it, then walks off.
Sat in his pants back home, he reaches out to the box and a white shroud crawls forth, then wraps around him lovingly. “It’s an erotic porn, man vs shroud.” I said. Willow was distracted, “VHS collection, classic.” He suddenly starts grabbing at his stomach, blood and foam spewing forth. We think the shroud violated him from behind, then burst from his guts.
Cutting to Chiari, as a badly beaten nun wandering the streets in a daze as highly electronic music plays along. Her face is battered, the lens takes this in, and the glorious architecture of the buildings. She gets home and undresses. The camera is brilliant. The simple drop of clothing appears dramatic, whilst long shots just ooze emotions. She wanders to her bedroom.
Twice, by now, a crimson skull has flashed up, once when the shroud rape happened, and now as she writhes in the world of nightmares. Calling Fabrizio regular, Francesco Lonigro, she explains what has happened, and that two masked assailants did it. It’s to do with a shroud, a very important shroud. He knows someone who can help get the shroud back though. Soon enough his mate has found the shroud plus the dead bloke. They arrange to meet at “the slaughterhouse” which turns out to be yet another derelict building.
“Oh my God, this guy is just like me,” Willow said since she’s currently working on footage using similar sound effects (in this case for the shroud POV) plus similar long shots of trees (not to mention creepy dolls as per The Giallo Tapes). The shroud goes for him. Afterwards Francesco comes to collect it. Now his nights are infested by twisted dreams.
The nun tells him the synopsis of all, she is part of an order formed in 1548 to guard the shroud. “There is a diabolical power in her! The shroud can corrupt souls.” Long ago a witch was tortured to death, her body laid in the cloth and her evil has passed into the fabric itself. She has decided to burn it, to finally destroy it.
Of course she becomes corrupted, showing she has some surprising gear in her wardrobe for a lady of religion. How many fucks does she give? Absolutely nun! Hahaha. Oh, hang on, both our main characters are corrupted together. Awesome. She uses the shroud to go after those who attacked her to start with, it’s time for Chiara to create a bit of Xpiation flashback style vengeance. Then the church comes for it, and the bodies pile up…
I honestly think that Fabrizio goes around day after day randomly filming things so that he has a file of potential materials to use whenever the chance arises. Brilliant. The Shroud is big on dreamlike surreal lengthy shots, and it really adds to the atmosphere. The scenery is magnificent, the inside of the church, the streets — it’s so fantastic — and the music fits each and every time. I know that loads of people might not bother sticking around faced by Fabrizio’s many long shots, but this is art, an artwork lost after the ‘80s vanished and the digital age began its swarming festering take-over. It’s the shapes of fences, angles of corners, it all counts if you know what to look out for.
Chiara and Francesco act their socks off. Their chemistry is good, and these characters they play are strong, scripted well, leaving enough room to breathe life into them. Throughout, Fabrizio supplies the cheap and cheerful FX, a lot of blood which splashes like cordial, stabbings, rubbing of blood over nude bodies, disembowelment, rotted flesh, all quite charming and quirky, as is the lighting, reds and greens, very Argento. Fabrizio is an obvious fan of the genre who does this for love, he needs to make films!
Everything is fine until the last moment… yes… right… Long time readers will be aware of one of my pet hates in movies — breaking the fourth wall, looking right into the camera!! C’mon, what the fuck does it add to the proceedings other than a pathetic joke, or something!! It ruins any setting and feel that has built up. Damnit, The Giallo Tapes did the same thing at the very end!!! Unless you’re in a comedy giving a knowing look or wink (Laurel and Hardy, Fresh Prince, even Deadpool) it doesn’t bring anything at all so what is the flipping point???!!! Cheap!!! stupid!!!!! I swear now I will not consider reviewing another flick that does this — EVER!!
Rant over, but I still rate The Shroud highly. Willow, by the way, isn’t fussed about the fourth wall breaks, she just gets amused by my rage at the screen when it happens.
AKA: Sindone
Directed by: Fabrizio Spurio
Written by: Fabrizio Spurio
Produced by: Fabrizio Spurio
Cinematography by: Fabrizio Spurio
Editing by: Fabrizio Spurio
Music by: Samuele Lagonigro, Fabrizio Spurio, Andrea Pacilli
Special Effects by: Fabrizio Spurio
Cast: Chiari Pavoni, Francesco Lonigro, Andrea Pacilli, Paolo Di Gialluca, Sara Lagonigro, Andrea Pucci, Alessandro Massari
Year: 2022
Country: Italy
Language: Italian (English subtitles)
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 15min
Distributor: MegaCity Media
