Greetings again from the darkness. For his debut feature film, writer-director Josh Heaps pays tribute to the Italian Giallo films (originating in the 1960’s) he clearly adores. But he goes a step further by creating his own Giallo … placing a Giallo-loving film student right in the heart of a Giallo world. Clearly not a film for the masses, but for the admirers of this genre, it’s likely to bring great pleasure and entertainment.
Sam (an interesting Diletta Guglielmi) is a young film student who finds a USB drive filled with information that sets her on a journey to locate forgotten (fictional) Italian film director Saturnino Barresi and his final film, “City Wide Fever”. Barresi’s films followed the Giallo style – meaning they were supernatural thrillers filled with eroticism, intensity, and violence. An example would be some of the films by director Dario Argento. Sam’s obsessive investigative journey devolves into an environment where she herself is in the midst of one of the films she is so attuned to … really a conspiracy to keep her from finding Barresi.
This is true guerilla filmmaking (it’s doubtful many permits were secured) by Mr. Heaps leading to an authentic feel and lack of staging. We get a terrific montage through Times Square, and then Sam and her partner Chloe (Angelika Kim) wade their way through the sleazy side of town – porn shops with poor lighting. This is a mystery with many moving pieces, and viewers should be prepared for what feels like time warps, multiple slashes, and a clever use for a bobby pin. Surreal horror is one description, yet know there is a story here – it just may not look and feel like those you’ve become accustomed to.
The always creative marketing team at The Alamo Drafthouse is including the film as part of their Weird Wednesday series on April 15, 2026. The film will also have a digital release on May 1.
The trailer can be found on the movie’s website
Movie Reviews from the Dark 