Director:
David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Writers:
David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Don't you love it when a horror movie starts off with a notice that it's based on a true story? In a way it makes you feel more anxious to see it because you know that it actually happened and at the same moment you feel lucky that you are the one watching this movie and not the one that the movie is based on. This is one of those movies where that feeling of luck mixes with disbelief, anxiety, adrenalin and discomfort making it a perfect experience for the horror lovers. This one will grab your attention from the very beginning.
Plot story: French School teacher Clementine and her husband Lucas recently moved to Bucharest, Romania. They live in a big suburban house. One night Clementine is awakened by the strange noises from the outside of the house. Suddenly they see their car being stolen and moments later the lights go off. They find themselves surrounded and isolated in their own house by some strange people.
The movie is short in its duration, the run time is only 77 minutes, but that is more than enough to pull you in. You know, good things come in small packages, and this one is the real bomb and scares the living daylight out of you :) If it were any longer it would have lost much of its dynamic and probably would result with lots of absurd and non sense situations. The two main actors Olivia Bonamy and Micahel Cohen did a great job of presenting us with people in fear struggling to survive by all means necessary. They convincingly embodied reactions of a person that finds itself in a such situation, deprived of random idiotic acts. Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud (The Eye 2008) made a good choice of the locations and the way in which the movie was filmed (we are not sure if the locations portray the ones from the true events but the ones selected were really scary). Movement of the camera, the dark and the old house isolated in the woods emphasized the overall tension.
The camera work and lightning are the most interesting thing in the whole movie. That was director's ace in the sleeve and it proved once again that the less is more. It gave it a level boost portraying fear and anxiety. Without any special effects, that many nowadays directors use and still do not achieve scariness, this one gave the chills to audience with some simple, ''old school'' tricks. The most memorable are banging on the doors, barely visible and scary outlines of the bodies, creepy sounds etc.
It's not a secret that we are keen on horror movies and this one kept us on the edge of the seat through the whole movie (which is a success since we saw too many horror movies and almost none of new ones cannot satisfy our expectations).From the moment that the lights go off till the movie ends you will be on tenterhooks and at some moments you will probably want to help the characters in their ordeal. While the story is simplistic and maybe sounds like you seen it a hundred times, this is not just another horror movie. Simplicity is used so well that it is precisely its advantage and makes it better than many of those with complex story and forced twist at the end. In the last review we said that it was well done because the director could not do much with one location and not many characters, but this one on the contrary proves us wrong and crashes all of the stereotypes. We're blown away how it manages to pull you in without giving you any space to blink. Feeling of claustorophobia and panic is conjured credibly and you feel like you would get your fingers burnt. It's very frustrating to feel that helpless as they do when there is someone that is always one step ahead of you. It is as though someone was playing with them. One of the most interesting things is the fact that there is not too much blood or violence and it still successfully makes your blood run cold. It was nice to see that there are still horror movies which suceed in their purpose without unnecessary gore scenes. Special applauds go to the last scene with Clem which portrays the meaning of tension and adrenaline rush at its best. This movie also has a little twist and it keeps you wondering about the creepy things that you pass by every day on the street and take for granted.
Still, if you are devotee of gore and harsh violence and not that much of psychological horror movies, this one is not for you, and if you are one of the others, this is a must see and try to watch it before sleeping (like we did) because it will make you sleep with one eye open.
Our score
Liz: 9.5/10
Kyle: 9/10
The movie is short in its duration, the run time is only 77 minutes, but that is more than enough to pull you in. You know, good things come in small packages, and this one is the real bomb and scares the living daylight out of you :) If it were any longer it would have lost much of its dynamic and probably would result with lots of absurd and non sense situations. The two main actors Olivia Bonamy and Micahel Cohen did a great job of presenting us with people in fear struggling to survive by all means necessary. They convincingly embodied reactions of a person that finds itself in a such situation, deprived of random idiotic acts. Directors David Moreau and Xavier Palud (The Eye 2008) made a good choice of the locations and the way in which the movie was filmed (we are not sure if the locations portray the ones from the true events but the ones selected were really scary). Movement of the camera, the dark and the old house isolated in the woods emphasized the overall tension.
The camera work and lightning are the most interesting thing in the whole movie. That was director's ace in the sleeve and it proved once again that the less is more. It gave it a level boost portraying fear and anxiety. Without any special effects, that many nowadays directors use and still do not achieve scariness, this one gave the chills to audience with some simple, ''old school'' tricks. The most memorable are banging on the doors, barely visible and scary outlines of the bodies, creepy sounds etc.
Still, if you are devotee of gore and harsh violence and not that much of psychological horror movies, this one is not for you, and if you are one of the others, this is a must see and try to watch it before sleeping (like we did) because it will make you sleep with one eye open.
Our score
Liz: 9.5/10
Kyle: 9/10
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