​By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT

Distributor Buffalo 8 kicks off its fall slate of genre releases with the tense Italian psychological horror film MOTHER NOCTURNA (Madre Notturna). Written and directed by filmmaker Daniele Campea, MOTHER NOCTURNA features Susanna Costaglione as Agnese, a wolf biologist who has returned to her husband and daughter after an extended stay in a mental institution. Believing that the moon has supernatural power over her fragile mind, Agnese undergoes a physical transformation as visions of the “God of the Woods” intrude on her reality. Locked away in a house in a dark forest, she must confront her demons as nightmares take hold and sinister presences make themselves known. Sofia Ponente, Edoardo Oliva, Elena Battarin, Riccardo Pellegrini, Vincenzo Mambella and Sveva Colangelo Palombizio co-star.

Campea’s film draws heavily on classical influences, most notably The Bacchae by Euripides. “I wanted to portray the descent into madness of a woman condemned to isolation, both the physical and psychological, a lifelong solitude in which the pandemic has the role of a detonator,” Campea says. “The camera is mainly static, like a painting, giving the viewer the chance to dive into the scene and feel the slow passing of time, surrounded by the obsessive sound of the wind.” 

Campea, a talented composer and video artist, goes on to explain that sound and music are equally important to his vision for MOTHER NOCTURNA. “In contrast with the image, I wanted the sound to be very mobile, subliminal, nervous, pervasive, with explosions of music,” he explains, adding, “The main themes of the soundtrack are taken from two masterworks of Italian classical music: “La folia” (The Madness) by Arcangelo Corelli, and “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini.”

MOTHER NOCTURNA debuts on cable and Digital HD across the United States and Canada on September 27.