The Well – Spoiler Free Review
The Well got its English premiere at Grimmfest, Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Film.
Directed by Federico Zampaglione The Well takes us on a bus ride into the shadowy, supernatural world of Italian horror. This one’s got all the right ingredients: an isolated village, a mysterious fire-damaged painting, and the feeling that something’s just not quite right. For any fan of Argento’s vibrant nightmares or Fulci’s eerie atmospheres, this film feels like a well-timed love letter to the golden age of Italian Gothic horror.
The story focuses on Lisa, played by Lauren LaVera. She’s an art restorer sent to a village so remote you’d need access to Starlink just to find it on Google Maps. Lisa’s there to restore a painting that’s seen better days, but naturally, things start getting strange. As the restoration advances eerie characters pop up and you soon realise there’s more lurking beneath the surface—quite literally.
Zampaglione doesn’t hold back on the atmosphere, the film’s steeped in the lore of Italian horror. The Gothic vibe drips from every scene. Flickering candlelight, shadowy corridors, and villagers straight from the book of how to look a bit dodgy. It’s baroque, it’s lush, and it’s beautifully macabre. There’s also a fair bit of Giallo flair, with sharp contrasts in lighting and a few stylistic nods that will make any fan of classic Italian horror feel at home.
The film plays with tension through the duality of Lisa’s surroundings—the stark contrast of the beautiful almost bright rooms she inhabits while dealing with the black, crusty, fire-damaged art she’s restoring while lurking just below, is something even darker. There’s almost two stories going on at once here, with Lavera being drawn into more supernatural events, while down by the well a more physical, visceral story unfolds for the other characters.
The gore is handled with a surprising elegance; it’s definitely graphic, but the practical effects are clearly crafted with love for the old-school methods. It’s got just enough wince factor without tipping into the gratuitously grotesque; although a particular scene involving some garden tools will definitely give you pause to reminisce on Fulci’s Zombi.
Lauren LaVera’s performance really anchors the film. She gives Lisa a lot of depth, going from cautiously curious to full-on terrified, and you buy every bit of it. The supporting cast, including Claudia Gerini and Linda Zampaglione, add layers of intrigue with their enigmatic portrayals—they’ve got that perfect mix of charm and menace that keeps you guessing even though you know you’ve worked it out.
However, it’s not without a few stumbles. The story feels slow in parts then rushed in others, it suffers from the “yeah, I’ll be leaving now” element of weird stuff happening but people sticking around for extremely random reasons. Worrying about your dad’s business going under would not be top of your considerations here. Is he in on it, does Lisa know what’s going on on all along. Is this Saltburn? Who’s Keyser Söze? Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
The Well is a gripping modern Gothic that knows its horror roots and embraces them fully. Zampaglione has done a great job blending eerie, unsettling visuals with a story that’s rich in mood, even if it lacks a bit in character nuance towards the end. For those of us who have a soft spot for creaking floorboards, haunted artwork, and the kind of supernatural threat that only a forgotten Italian village could produce, The Well is one to watch.
It’s a fine addition to the canon of modern Italian horror, proving that the old tricks can still terrify, given the right twist.