Corsini's 'Ferine' Debuts as Terrifying Italian Horror
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Andrea Corsini's feature debut 'Ferine' had its international premiere at Fantasia Festival on July 23, where viewers reportedly broke into cathartic applause at the sight of the director's name on a significantly delayed title card.
- The film follows Irene (Carolyn Bracken), a successful artist grieving multiple miscarriages whose private adoption collapses when the birth mother expresses regrets, sending Irene and the baby fleeing into the night.
- An escaped jaguar from an exotic animal collector's transport vehicle collides with Irene on a dark road in what the reviewer calls 'one of the most devastating inciting incidents in recent genre memory.'
- Caroline Goodall plays Dama, a black market sportsman who stalks Irene — called a 'revelatory second antagonist' whose sadism and obsession with beasts of 'feral beauty' drive the film's pursuit.
- The review positions Corsini as an heir to Italian horror lineage including Dario Argento, Mario Bava, and Lucio Fulci, citing painterly compositions, operatic violence, and surreal emotional logic.
- 'Ferine' is seeking international distribution through PiperPlay.
Why it matters: With a Fantasia premiere that earned audience applause for a title card and no distributor yet locked, 'Ferine' is a buzzy debut whose next commercial milestone — a worldwide distribution deal — will determine whether Corsini gets the budget track the reviewer explicitly argues he's earned.
