The stately manor home, the period setting, the lush accents… From the look of the film to its nondescript title, it's hard to tell exactly what the upcoming movie starring Game Of Thrones' Emilia Clarke is about at first glance. Is Voice From The Stone based on a true story? Perhaps a tale of forbidden romance among the Italian nobility? Or a drama of political intrigue among the Italian court? No such luck, I'm afraid; you're going to need a stronger stomach than that to make it through Clarke's new film, since the first Voice From The Stone trailer quickly makes it clear that this is a bone-chilling horror movie.
To be fair, just because a movie exists in the horror genre doesn't mean it's not based on (or at least inspired by) a true story. Just look at The Conjuring franchise, based on the case files of real-life ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. However, Voice In The Stone is not one of those movies. But just because it's not based on a true story doesn't mean it's not based on anything — in fact, it's an adaptation of a 1996 novel by Italian author Silvio Raffo called La voce della Pietra.
The adaptation is directed by Eric Howell, making his feature film debut after working as a stunt coordinator on a number of films including Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan, the Coen Bros.' A Serious Man, and the cult-classic Drop Dead Gorgeous. In a collision of epic fantasy franchises, it also stars The Lord Of The Rings actor Marton Csokas (who played Lord Celeborn in those films) alongside the star best known as Daenerys Targaryen. For Clarke, this is her third film in the past three years, following the DOA reboot Terminator Genisys and the soggy romance Me Before You.
If the trailer is any indication, Voice In The Stone looks to emulate the gothic horror of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca combined with some gruesome flourishes straight out of Edgar Allan Poe. The movie tells the story of a nurse named Verena, who, in 1950s Tuscany, is put in charge of caring for a mute young boy after the sudden death of his mother. Naturally, not all is what it seems in the family's castle, and soon Verena starts hearing voices coming from the walls themselves. Who are they? What do they want?
If you want to find out the answers to those questions — and whether or not Clarke's beleaguered nurse makes it out alive — I'm sorry to say that, unless you know Italian, you'll have to wait until the film's release to find out; La voce della Pietra is currently only available in Raffo's native tongue.
Fortunately, you won't have to wait too long. Voice In The Stone will go into limited release on April 28 and will be available for streaming on demand the same day. So you can pick your poison: Scream along with a crowded theater, or cringe under a blanket in the comfort of your own living room? Either way, this is one movie Game Of Thrones fans definitely won't want to miss.
