Inside (A L'interieur) - Real French Horror

The French do something special with horror film making, something I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s the fact that they aren’t afraid of ratings, or maybe it’s just the way they intricately frame all of their shots. French filmmakers seem to treat each shot as a canvas, and all of them are trying to create their ultimate masterpieces. Much like Martyrs and Frontiere(s), Inside is an extremely strong horror film.

The film’s simplicity is equivalent to the original Halloween while still maintaining a modern amount of violence to keep all the gore lovers satisfied. Along with the Carpenter-esque lighting and shots, the film’s editor, Baxter, is rising through the ranks as one of the top editors of today. This film, along with Piranha 3D and Haute Tension showcase Baxter’s ingenious editing skills. Of course, both the directors and Baxter are working with scenes composed by one of the genre’s greatest cinematographers of recent years, Laurent Bares.

The plot behind Inside is a deeply disturbing, and intricately pieced together story about loss and revenge. Revenge seems to be a reoccurring theme in French cinema, and Inside is no different. The anger behind the revenge in this film is, however, very different from anything I’ve seen before. It deals with a fragile and innocent aspect of everyday life that will touch a nerve on almost every viewer; childbirth.

Once again, French cinema delivers a serious of extremely strong performances by an ambiguous cast. The lead females portray two opposite characters with similar goals. One, a depressed woman who wants nothing more than to give birth to her child and have a peaceful Christmas in a rage filled France. The other, a sadistic woman with horrifying plans to get herself a child no matter what she has to do. The outcome is a dirty, gory, bloody and dramatic mess that will leave all of its viewers cringing in their seats and loving every second of Inside’s cinematic genius. 

 

Inside is a film I will go back to again and again. Not only for its entertaining display of intense violence and rage but also for its well executed scenes and amazing cast and crew. It’s something I’d love to see more of here in the States.