Here’s our review for “The Well” starring “Terrifier 2” favorite Lauren LaVera as an art restorer who has no idea about the horrors awaiting her after she gets called to Italy to work on a mysterious painting…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
It wasn’t tough to predict after the success of “Terrifier 2” that breakout star Lauren LaVera would be popping up in more and more features in the future. Her latest work comes in an Italian horror movie titled “The Well” — a role she landed just after she got done battling Art the Clown but despite production wrapping quite some time ago, the film didn’t get released until September.
Now usually that’s a red flag that perhaps something wasn’t quite right with the film and there was a lot of work to be done. It’s the same fear many Stephen King fans are clutching onto right now after the recent “Salem’s Lot” remake was scheduled for release into theaters in 2022 but now the movie is just dropping on streaming sometime in October with very little push from the studio.
While the jury remains out on that film, “The Well” actually ended up as a remarkably enjoyable watch filled with some nightmarish visions, really great practical effects and a story that ties itself in knots at times but remains intriguing enough to keep you interested for 90 plus minutes.
In “The Well,” LaVera plays Lisa — the daughter of a world-famous art restorer — who gets called to a small Italian village in her father’s place to fix up an old medieval painting that was damaged in a fire. It’s there she meets the owner of the castle — a woman known as The Duchess along with her young daughter — who ask her to finish restoring this painting in a matter of days rather than the months it would normally take for her to complete her work. Lisa is warned that the painting she’s attempting to restore is actually cursed and that’s just not going to be good for anybody.
Along the way, Lisa also meets some other Americans traveling to the same area conducting a scientific study but these unfortunate souls end up being kidnapped and caged by a monstrous, brute of a creature who plans to eventually dump each and every one of them down a mysterious well that sits in the middle of the dungeon where they’re forced to reside.
So how exactly do these two stories coincide?
That’s exactly the plot of “The Well” because you don’t know right away but once the plot really starts to unravel, you’ll definitely understand the real horrors awaiting Lisa and the rest of these Americans stuck in this picturesque Italian village.
“The Well” is directed and co-written by Federico Zampaglione — a veteran of the Italian horror scene — who pretty clearly wanted to make a film set in his home country but with the appeal tying back to the United States with his American star in LaVera along with several other castmates. Zampaglione definitely tapped into some of the classic Italian tropes when it came to making a horror movie but he also manages to let his original voice be heard throughout the film.
Now truth be told, Zampaglione and co-writer Stefano Masi actually tried a little too hard when it came to crafting the story because there are a few plot twists and turns that either don’t really fit in the film or you’ll see it coming a mile away. In particular, the ending actually feels a little out of place compared to the slow burn brutality that Zampaglione employs for the majority of the movie.
It’s almost like he was meticulous and exacting with his nightmarish vision that haunts Lisa and the other Americans throughout the film but then decided to race towards a conclusion. As a result, the ending feels rushed and a little bit unsatisfying but that certainly doesn’t ruin the overall aesthetic of the movie.
Much like “Terrifier” creator Damien Leone wanted to make a movie to show off his skills as a makeup and effects artist, Zampaglione similarly displays his talents when it comes to the goriest and most grotesque moments in this film. There are several truly uncomfortable scenes in “The Well” where your stomach may turn or your skin will crawl at the blood and guts being spewed at the screen.
Understanding the sheer savagery unleashed by Zampaglione in this film will appeal to some but may make others turn the channel. That’s why it’s best to know what you’re walking into when watching this particular film.
That said, LaVera gets a little bit more scenery to chew on with this film through her interactions with the Duchess and her daughter as well as a local bartender she befriends after first arriving in the village. This isn’t the action set piece like “Terrifier 2” where she’s asked to rely on her physicality as much as her acting chops throughout the film.
Instead, LaVera shows off a different side of herself in this film as Lisa attempts to live up to the towering legacy that her father built as the world’s foremost expert on art restoration while quickly figuring out that she’s settled into a potentially horrific situation that goes far beyond logic or reason.
LaVera has certainly proven that she’s more than capable of leading a film but “The Well” actually allows her to stretch her legs a bit more dramatically. She’s a capable and convincing foil to face down the atrocities being carried out in this quaint Italian village but LaVera is also vulnerable enough to make you believe she may not make it out there alive.
While the story does get bogged down with a bit too much mythology, especially in the final act, “The Well” still demands your attention in the most gut-wrenching way possible. It’s tough to say if this one will end up on anybody’s “best of” list for 2024 but it’s a movie that’s definitely worth your time.
LaVera shines, the practical effects are gory and gruesome and sometimes that’s all you need for an effective horror film.
“The Well” is currently available through VOD including streaming services like Apple TV.
“The Well” gets 3 out of 5 Tarmans
