People make horror films for various reasons. For some, it is a medium for storytelling; to teach us via analogy or social commentary with the evil or negative concept personified in certain ways. For others, it is an exploration of the beast within; a creation of morbidity that explores the idea that we are all savages just under the surface and that horror is a way for us to sate some primal urges. Others explore film as a moving canvas, a means to create something powerful and shocking with both audio and image—an evolution of traditional artforms. This is Enfer: a work of almost-abstract art in the form of cinema…and I loved it.
Enfer was written and directed by Duilio Scalici, an Italian director, songwriter and musician. He is mostly known for his work on music videos in Italy, having collaborated with artists such as Francesco Renga, Ermal Meta, Marina Rei, and Management among others. The work on music videos is rather evident in the short film as it does have the feel of an MV, yet this one is set to Angus Dei’s Mass No 2 in G major: VI.
This popular and powerful piece of symphonic music dances erotically with the visuals, which are as sexy as they are contemporary, like blending the ancient and the nouveau. Yes, the sets and the settings are simple but also striking and clean. The angles and lines, the framing and the shots, it all just comes together beautifully to form some kind of warped, surrealist dream that I really did not wish to wake from.
There is no monster, there is no dialogue, there is not much of a plot…nor is it really horror—but I doubt it would really fit into any other category. Scalici describes the film as “oldest love story in the world,” which to him is apparently the love between the Le monde and Le Diable (Our world and the Devil). For something that was apparently created during the lockdown on zero budget, if was an awesome four-minute ride that I am not ashamed to say I’ve now taken at least five times simply because I could. With all the festivals going online and with the world in such chaos, it’s comforting to know that artists are still finding ways to explore their talents and to create in new and interesting ways. Enfer is one such example. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Poster below.
