inside

One of the most hideous and horrifying types of thievery in the world is that of a child. However my friends not the kind of baby thief that robs from a stroller or a park. From French (genius) writer and director Alexandre Bustillo and second director Julien Maury comes a film which brings not only horror and gore but edge of you seat suspense. Quite possibly one of the most disturbing films to ever hit the screens.

aka
INSIDE

   Starting with a horrible car crash and the loss of her boyfriend, young Sarah (Alysson Paradis) has survived, forced to deal with not only mental scarification, but a child still in the whom to raise on her own. Sarah is trying to cope with the situations which lye ahead of her. Along with a few other people who show up randomly, she is alone at home and about to endure that most horrifying night of her life.

   Startled by a strange woman outside the house, she takes a photo to try and catch a glimpse of her face. This Crazy bitch only credited as La Femme (Beatrice Dalle), begins to lurk around the house before eventually making her way in seeking supplies to retrieve the only thing she has come for. Armed with a large pare of scissors she is ready to spill blood.

   Once Sarah is aware of the woman’s presence she fears for her life and the life of her unborn child. Brutally attacked and locked in a bathroom the blood bath begins. Everyone to come into the house walks into the space of a woman scorned. Scorned? But why? What has Sarah done to deserve this and why has she chosen her? The answers to these questions lye within, so fear not, you do find out.

   Like I had mentioned earlier a few very cool murders occur all while Sarah is locked in the bathroom like a prisoner, face sliced open and curled in a corner. When police arrive, having been alerted earlier by Sarah, to watch out for a strange woman lurking around the home, shit really hit’s the fan. Even after a few killings it only gets crazier. You cant beat a beautiful close up of someones face being blown of with a gun, it’s a moment of pure enjoyment in any film… if you’re an FX fan, or just flat out like violence, not to mention that scissors rammed through a forehead is cool as hell too and just plain brutal.

   Back to La Femme and Sarah, after all has cleared the battle of the bitches rages with full force. To protect herself and keep This psycho away Sarah decides to say fuck it and fight back in a total free for all brutal beating battle between the two.

   I cannot say more as this is a fairly short film, roughly one hour and fifteen minutes. What I have said so far should be good enough to make you want to purchase or watch this it. The ending is one of the best I have ever viewed, and the plot is absolutely brilliant, it all ties together into one big beautiful blood soaked bow… Who? What? Why? And How? Will all be answered by the time this film concludes.

Ratings:

   For Story and Direction I give a 10. These days it is rare to get such sickness and such a phenomenal story together in one. Inside being an Indie film took these things to a much higher level for me. The feel and overall ambience of the film was creepy in itself, let alone the premise. Absolutely brilliant in the way this film was put together.

   The FX get a 9. Some small amount of CG was definitely used and didn’t look as good as the hands on work but was very well done. But like I mentioned before the blood flow, gore and utter violence was amazing. From Slashes to burns all looked as real as you can ask for. A big applause to the FX crew for this one.

   As for the acting I give a 9. I wish I could speak French so I could really tell how much feeling was coming from the mouths of the stars of this movie. Judging by The expressions on their faces and the tones in their voices I can say that the feeling in the performances was definitely their. The only week spots in the acting department was that of the cops and the man they are keeping captive.

   The Cinematography gets a 10. The look of this film was grimy and dark when needed. The very smoky look to the dimmer scenes added the eeriness that was needed to let you know that this psycho bitch means business. The bright lights also added a creepy feel though a bit of hope at the same time (at moments). The angles and shots were all perfectly executed and very precise to what these guys wanted us to see and how they wanted us to see it.

   For the film as a whole I give inside a 10.   Like I had mentioned this is by far one of the most horrifyingly real films that has been released in a long time. The realism is in the premise not the off the wall gore, even though there was no problems in that department. Inside is the kind of film that makes the viewer sit back with hand to mouth and whisper the words ’Oh Shit’, which to me is the kind of film that needs to be seen to be believed. For fans of realistic premise and overall realism such as films like The Girl Next Door and perhaps even Irreversible, this is one of the must see films of the year.