‘Silence is calling’
Voice from the Stone is a 2017 American-Italian mystery thriller film directed by Eric D. Howell from a screenplay by Andrew Shaw, based on a novel Le voce della pietra by Silvio Raffo. It stars Emilia Clarke, Marton Csokas and Caterina Murino.
Verena (Clarke) is a solemn nurse drawn to aid a young boy named Jakob who has fallen silent since the untimely death of his mother nearly a year ago. Living with his father (Csokas) in a massive stone manor in Tuscany, Jakob not only refuses to speak, he seems to be under the spell of a malevolent force trapped within the stone walls.
As Verena’s relationship with the father and son grow, she becomes ensnared and consumed by Malvina’s severe force. If she is to save the boy, and free herself, she must face the phantom hidden inside the stone…
The film is distributed in the US by Momentum Pictures and is available on DVD in the UK from Precision Pictures.
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
” …while misty fog, wind-strewn leaves, a shadowy crypt and crumbling statues work overtime to strike the right macabre tone of decay and disruption, the hazy narrative is about as compelling as one of those overwrought designer perfume commercials starring an overdressed brand-name actress.” RogerEbert.com
“It’s a spooky enough set-up, and director Eric D. Howell mines it for all he can, letting his gloomy, foggy locales do most of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, the narrative itself is sluggish […] Voice from the Stone tries to right itself in the third act, where it revs the horror elements into overdrive. But this sudden burst of malevolence is at odds with the rest of the film…” CutPrintFilm
“Accompanied by a haunting score, Voice moves at a calculated pace, but it never lags during its 94 minute run-time. To call this a slow-burn would not be entirely accurate, although the last 15 minutes of the film are very emotional. There isn’t anything particularly new or original here, but there is just enough misdirection for you to question what is happening.” Suzanne Bell, Haddonfield Horror
” …the filmmakers never approach the kind of heady sense of spiritual dysequilibrium that the ending builds toward, and rather seem more preoccupied with titillation than terror. Even at only 94 minutes, the movie fails to propel toward its climax, preferring to instead amiably stumble into a fairly decent one.” David Crow, Den of Geek!
“From its paper-thin and bewildering characterizations to the various ill-conceived directions that its narrative takes, Voice from the Stone is a dramatically inert slog that leans much too heavily on its sense of atmosphere while never taking the time to examine any of the intricacies that lie within its slipshod narrative.” Slant magazine
“Looking lovely, but with ultimately little of substance,Voice from the Stone is the kind of film you can safely recommend to elderly relatives who enjoy non-threatening gothic dramas where you don’t have to be awake throughout the entire thing to understand it.” House of Mortal Cinema
Main cast:
- Emilia Clarke – Terminator Genisys; Triassic Attack
- Marton Csokas
- Caterina Murino
- Remo Girone
- Edward Dring
- Lisa Gastoni
- Kate Linder – Dead Love; The Charnel House
- Giampiero Judica
- Nicole Cadeddu
- Antonella Britti
Production companies:
Zanuck Independent/Code 39 Films/Producer Capital Fund
Filming locations:
Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Film Facts:
- Maggie Gyllenhaal was going to star.
- Hideo Nakata (Ring) was originally slated to direct
- Writer Mark Wheaton (The Messengers) scripted an early draft.
