Released 4th September 12

Berberian Sound Studio, the second feature film from Peter Strickland and starring award-winning actor Toby Jones, is released into UK cinemas today.

Directed by Peter Strickland and Starring Toby Jones, Tonia Sotiropoulou, Susanna Cappellaro, Cosimo Fusco and Eugenia Caruso and co produced by Warp Films & Illuminations Films. This is Peter Strickland's second feature after his critically acclaimed debut film Katalin Varga.   
  

Synopsis

It's 1976 and Gilderoy, an introverted sound engineer of a very sensitive disposition from Dorking, specialising in local nature documentaries, goes to Italy to work on the horror film ‘The Equestrian Vortex’ by exploitation maestro Giancarlo Santini. Only the cheapest, nastiest and most abhorred films pass through the run-down Berberian Sound Studio doors though and in this crazy, dodgy and alien environment Gilderoy composes bloodcurdling sounds from hacked vegetables, works out how to create chainsaw effects and mixes screams. But soon life begins to imitate art as both time and realities begin to shift – and Gilderoy finds himself lost in an otherworldly spiral of on screen witchcraft, off-screen sexual intrigue and sonic and personal mayhem. From Strickland comes an evocative celebration and delicious deconstruction of the Italian horror genre, full of sly references and a brilliant soundtrack by Broadcast.

Article image credit: Jack English