Movie Review: Violets Bloom at an Empty Grave

Over the past few years I have come to the realization that there is nothing quite like Italian horror of the 1970's and 1980's. In particular, I have become a big fan of Lucio Fulci. Granted, I have only seen a handful of his films, but his horror output is second to none, delivering some of the move surreal nightmares ever put to the screen. With that in mind, I approached watching this short, Violets Bloom at an Empty Grave. It is a short horror film written and directed by Chris Milewski (under the name Luciano Imperoli), and it delivers a nicely surreal tale that brings Fulci to mind.



It is hard to describe the plot of the film, as it barely reaches eleven-minutes with credits. Still, it is a delivered in a hazy dreamlike fashion that is very reminiscent of Fulci's features. It is a look that keeps you a little off balance, even keeping you off guard with the soft focus and score. This is a fascinating short that will leave you looking for more.

The film is well shot and they have some great locations. The pan through the cemetery as the score plays is just what you need to evoke the feeling of Fulci. This is the more creative and artistic way of keeping everyone aware of Fulci's influence. Now, what I would like to see is this short played out as a feature. There is plenty of fodder here to make a truly surreal excursion into the merging of the past and the present, of life and afterlife, as well as tossing in some classic gore.

The movie features Karen Lyn Widdoss, as well as the voice talents of Sylvia Collatina (House by the Cemetery) and Franco Garofalo (Hell of the Living Dead). On top of that, Violets Bloom at an Empty Grave features new music from Fabio Frizzi (Zombie, The Beyond, City of the Living Dead)! If nothing else, this should entice you to give it a listen.

I have to say that I really enjoyed the short. It delivers plenty of atmosphere and reminds one of the past and why that era of Italian horror worked so well and has proven to have a lasting mark. The best I can say is to give it a watch and see if you don't agree. I will say it is light on overall content, but it remains effective as a surreal experiment and has a lot to offer in execution and potential for story expansion.