By Sara Castillo

We should take a moment to thank the Italian people for their vast cultural achievements, without which we would not have a majority of the art, architecture and ?isms? that we study today. But, most importantly, we need to thank them for making movies scare the crap out of us.

Writer-director Gabriele Albanesi?s first feature-length film, The Last House in the Woods, is presented as an homage of sorts. It bridges the gap between the grainy and gory giallo greats and American horror films of the '70s and '80s (think I Spit on Your Grave). Taking its cue from films like Phenomena, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eraserhead, The Last House tells the story of young lovers who are imprisoned by a strange couple with, what seems like, an insatiable blood lust. Albanesi ratchets up the terror by mixing familiar horrors with more ghastly elements as the couple finds themselves victims of Euro-trash thugs, Italian hillbillies (American backpackers beware!) and a toddler with a nasty set of teeth and a taste for flesh.

The Last House in the Woods premiered at the 2008 Philadelphia Film Festival, where I had the pleasure to talk with director Gabriele Albanesi and producer Gregory Rossi (who also kindly served as my translator) about the their influences, the Italian film tradition and how to make a truly gruesome scene. Ladies, believe me when I tell you that there are few things more seductive than having two (two!) Italian men whispering sweet nothings (about disembowelment) in your ear...

In the case of many horror movies that involve demon spawns, for instance David Lynch?s Eraserhead, the director has some sort of life experience that parallels the theme of the movie. What propelled you to make this film?

Albanesi: The Last House in the Woods is a movie that is inspired by many other movies. In the movie there are different elements from all the movies I loved. In particular, I am influenced by Phenomena (Creepers) by Argento. In fact, the monster child comes directly from Phenomena.

The theme of the family that creates monsters is a theme that I feel is universal. Not that my family is so terrible, it?s a normal family, but sometimes when families are more worried for you they can be oppressive. Not only a bad family like in the new Rob Zombie Halloween--they are a crazy family that generates monsters--also a good family that loves you too much and it?s too smothering can generate that kind of monster.

Rossi: And I?d like to add a fact about Creepers. When we first met with Sergio Stivaletti--who made the special effects for Creepers--he got interested in the whole project because of the homage to Creepers, which was his first movie with Argento.

The special effects look amazing--particularly the disembowelment scene. How did you get such a great look on an indie film budget?

Albanesi: All the special effects are made on set, there?s no CGI because it was in our purpose to have something real. It?s part of the tradition of the '70s and '80s movies, so we wanted to recreate that kind of special effects that with computer generated images are not yet available, thank God.

We were lucky to have Sergio Stivaletti who is a master, and he decided to work for us almost for free. He got credit as an associate producer so he owns part of the royalties, and we gave him money for the things he needed for the special effects, but other than that, he worked for free. And he worked with us--in his words--even more passionately than big productions. He was very humble, he came to work everyday and worked for us, and he wouldn?t just set up the special effects and leave his assistant to finish them up. He was very into the project.

Rossi: We shot the whole film in three weeks and the special effects were all done in two consecutive days.

In terms of the disembowelment, Sergio did that for the first time in our movie. He made them with latex and from what I overheard he just put in water. Like sausages. After our movie he used the same technique in The Third Mother.

Why the exploding goiter?

Albanesi: When I was a small child I had a lot of pimples so it?s probably an autobiographical thing that was brought to the extreme consequences.

Rossi: In one of his first movies from when we were kids, there was a scene that was never shot where this guy is squeezing his pimples on the mirror. And I?d like to add that the goiter was not intended to explode--it was just a goiter. So the day that we went to make the goiter, the two actors involved in the scene told us separately that they thought it would be a cool idea for the goiter to explode during the fight. We thought it was a great idea.

Albanesi: Sergio never told us what was inside the goiter, but the actor told us what it tastes like. It tastes like mustard and strawberry.

You take many of your cues in this movie from films of the ?70?s. How do you see the aesthetic progressing in your future work?

Albanesi: The aesthetic comes directly from those low-budget movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Eraserhead, and Bad Taste. First of all, because it?s a poor movie we didn?t have much money, and second of all because they are not intended to be mainstream. They want to be very shocking.

Most of the remakes that they are doing right now, like The Hills Have Eyes, completely change the whole reason of these movies. When they give them the Hollywood look they lose all the power they had. They lose the entire ideological message and they become just money-makers. Where in the '70s and '80s those kinds of movies were more art and politics.

What?s the scariest moment in the movie for you?

Albanesi: After we shot the first scene where the tire explodes and they have the accident. I can?t drive too fast on the highway anymore because I am afraid that same thing will happen to me.

Are there any current American horror movies that you really enjoy?

Albanesi: Eli Roth is one of the most interesting horror directors right now in America, mainly because he really has something to say. You can see that?s it?s not all about the blood and the gore, but it?s a more subtle message that he has to express. The aesthetics are not as commercial.

After making this movie do you think you?re going to have kids?

Albanesi: Yes, because I believe in mankind and that mankind can improve in the future?

Even if they eat flesh.

Note: Keep an eye out for the Gabriele Albanesi?s work. If you?re a fan of gore, giallo or just have a soft spot for Italian accents, you will not be disappointed.