‘City Wide Fever’ Review – A Lo-Fi Homage to Giallo Movies

In Josh Heaps‘ City Wide Fever, we are, once again, witnesses to the tragic outcome of deep and unchecked obsession. This movie, however, makes that old idea seem less routine than usual. Here, Diletta Guglielmi’s character, a giallo-loving film student named Sam, discovers evidence of a forgotten Italian filmmaker named Saturnino Barresi.

When she goes searching for more answers, she only attracts the attention of a certain black-gloved, pink-masked killer who doesn’t appreciate her prying.

Like Open Water and Inland Empire, City Wide Fever was shot using a Sony DSR-PD150. It’s a quirky choice, but the grungy, SOV-esque route also leads to a more apt and effective atmosphere for the increasingly delirious story. Other filmmakers today would use the 4:3 ratio and then call it a day, yet Heaps went that extra mile with the retro technical aspects. His efforts elevate an otherwise well-trodden concept.

It’s only a matter of time before you, too, are falling down the rabbit hole with the main character. That journey is ultimately one fraught with severity and frenzy, but in the meantime, Heaps keeps things somewhat light and even a bit fun. Keep in mind, a sense of foreboding is glued to just about everything and everyone on screen, regardless of any levity involved. Onur Tukel’s naturally humorous presence alone, or a couple of well-placed jokes, can’t erase the sinister quality of this story.

Where City Wide Fever doesn’t quite excel is, surprisingly, its horror parts. Heaps has a good grasp on stage-setting and tension-building, but whenever it comes time for the killer to act on his or her impulses, the following sequences are brief and underwhelming. With this being a movie about the giallo genre, you would be right to want more of the red stuff to go with that pink-purple aesthetic. Alas, that’s not the case here, as the movie’s real strength is, apart from its overall presentation, a heady and intriguing story. Gore buffs will have to look to the classics for more over-the-top and sanguinary set-pieces.

Knowing full well how giallo movies don’t always possess the most sound logic, or they are simply weird, City Wide Fever throws in these certain elements that may lead to confusion. Such as, why are two different actors playing the same character? Nancy Kimball suddenly portraying Sam in a few scenes is quite odd, but perhaps Heaps is really referencing a specific Luis Buñuel movie with that decision.

Then there are moments where the story almost convinces you that Barresi was indeed real, thanks to some well-done reality-bending. On top of the home movie-like approach, actors portray themselves, albeit fictitiously. Seeing the likes of Larry Fessenden and Rutanya Alda here, feeding into the myth of Barresi, might have you wondering if Heaps really did dig up a bona fide yet long-lost filmmaker and then fabricated a mystery about him.

To Heaps’ credit, this isn’t just a case of throwback filmmaking that’s been achieved with contemporary technology; the director used era-authentic equipment to help create this striking and nostalgic piece of modern horror. The end result is a movie that, despite all appearances, doesn’t entirely escape convention, but it’s also teeming with enough verve and style to make it feel fresh.

City Wide Fever screens in Alamo Drafthouse venues on April 15th. It’s also now available from Vinegar Syndrome.