Synopsis
A young woman falls into the hands of a psychotic surgeon who prowls the streets at night, abducting victims and bringing them back to his private clinic. There, the line between medical procedure and sadistic torture disappears as the killer prepares his gruesome work. Presented as a compact horror short rather than a conventional performance clip, "Under The Boards" unfolds through dim interiors, graphic practical effects, and escalating scenes of bloodshed, ending as a bleak showcase of the surgeon's depravity.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Under The Boards (195, M.A.)" comes from Stormlord's third album, "The Gorgon Cult," released in 2004 through Scarlet Records.
- The video was posted online on October 4, 2004, at a time when extreme music clips were increasingly circulated through fan downloads rather than television.
- Special effects were provided by David Bracci, who was associated with the Sergio Stivaletti effects team known for work in Italian horror cinema.
- Giuseppe Oppedisano plays the killer, while Irene Turati appears as the principal female victim. Other credited performers include Chiara Pavoni, Valerio Caricchio, and Claudio Di Prima.
- The clip was considered too graphic for television and was banned from TV channels because of its explicit gore and violence.
- Its censorship helped give the video an underground reputation. Stormlord bassist Francesco Bucci later recalled that the unusually extreme presentation attracted horror-film fans who might not otherwise have discovered the band.
- The production was promoted as something closer to a short horror movie than a standard metal video, with its approach connected to Italian splatter cinema and the dark, violent tradition associated with filmmakers such as Lucio Fulci and John Carpenter.
- The video is listed at approximately six minutes in length, making it substantially longer and more narrative-driven than a conventional performance-focused clip.