Sunday, October 31, 2010

Inside (2007)

Inside / À l'intérieur (2007)

Genre: Horror
Director: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Starring: Alysson Paradis, Béatrice Dalle

Summary:
Four months after the tragic death of her husband in a car accident. Sarah is pregnant and home alone on Christmas Eve.  She grieves for her husband and prepares to go to the hospital the next morning for the delivery.  As night falls, a stranger knocks on Sarah's door asking to use the phone...

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Directorial team, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's "Inside" is the pinnacle of the New French Extremity.  It starts off slow and rapidly escalates into one of the most tense, gory, disgusting, and shocking films you will ever see.  Béatrice Dalle (Trouble Every Day, Le temps du loup), steals the show here as "The Woman", an absolutely terrifying, menacing, relentless, and psychotic villain.   









Happy Halloween!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Martyrs (2008)

Martyrs (2008)

Genre: Drama / Horror
Director: Pascal Laugier
Starring:  Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï

Summary:
France, early 70s.  Lucy, 10, is found wandering on the road after being missing for a few months. Although abused, her body bears no trace of sexual assault.  The reasons for her abduction remain unknown.  Traumatized and mute, she is placed in a hospital where she becomes friends with Anna, a girl of her age.  15 years later.  Convinced that she has located her tormentors, Lucy goes to their house to confront them...

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Pascal Laugier's "Martyrs" is a masterpiece of extremity.  Hands down the most disturbing film I have seen in a very long time.  Extreme and unrelenting in its brutality, this film is at times very uncomfortable to watch even for a seasoned horror connoisseur.  However, despite all the shocking violence and gore, the film's message was powerful and thought provoking.  What starts off as a straight forward revenge slasher, becomes in the second act a truly original and genre breaking film.






 


Friday, October 29, 2010

Them (2006)

Them / Ils (2006)

Genre: Horror
Director: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Starring:  Olivia Bonamy, Michael Cohen

Summary:
Lucas and Clementine are a french couple in their thirties who recently moved to Romania.  They live in an isolated house in the suburbs of Bucharest.  She is a French teacher, and he is a novelist, living in peaceful bliss.  Then one evening everything changes...


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"Ils" from David Moreau and Xavier Palud is an excellent horror film.  Everything from the casting, setting, photography and soundtrack is remarkable.  Although the film is not gory at all, it is very emotionally and psychologically terrifying.








Thursday, October 28, 2010

In Their Sleep (2010)

In Their Sleep / Dans ton sommeil (2010)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Caroline du Potet, Éric du Potet
Starring: Anne Parillaud, Arthur Dupont, Thierry Frémont

Summary:
A year after her 18 year old son's death, Sarah's life is in pieces. Late one night, her car accidentally hits Arthur, a young man the same age as her boy. Wounded and frightened, he is running from a mysterious assailant. Sarah sympathizes with him, taking him in, only to be tracked down by the bloodthirsty killer.

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"Dans ton sommeil", from brother and sister Eric and Caroline du Potet, is a psychological thriller both tension filled and extremely effective, sometimes dark and extremely bloody and sometimes graceful and poetic. Overall a rather successful debut film.










Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Horde (2009)

The Horde / La horde (2009)

Genre: Horror
Director: Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher
Starring: Jean-Pierre Martins, Doudou Masta, Eriq Ebouaney, Bucky Schuyler

Summary:
In the north of Paris.  A group of police determined to avenge the death of a comrade, storm a housing project tower, where a band of gangsters is holed up, only to find themselves unwittingly facing a horde of zombies. Cops and criminals have no other solution than to join forces to defeat these terrifying creatures ...

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La horde, directed by Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher is an excellent zombie film.  A film that you absolutely must watch if you are a zombie fan.  It features colorful characters, fantastic action, gruesome and gory scenes, and a menacingly dark setting.  Watching this film reminded me a lot of the game Left 4 Dead, with the miscellaneous people joining together to battle the horde.