Monday, September 1, 2008

Inside (2007; Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury)

I need to get two things off my mind in this introduction.
#1. Yes, this is another fetus movie, but that is just a coincidence.
#2. Fuck. It has been a long time since I have been graced by such wonderful violence.


Okay, so, this lady is left alone half way through her pregnancy as her fella is killed in a car crash. The night before she is due, she gets a visit from a lady in black who knows all about the crash and who very clearly wants inside her house. Inside her.

I just want to say that first off, holy shit was I caught off guard with this film. When you see the words "gore" and "bloody" on DVD cases, they could very easily be marketing a PG-13 movie. However, if you see those words on this box, they mean it. This film has GORE. No, it isn't the goriest thing I have ever seen, but shit yeah is it fucking violent.

The effects in this film (that weren't all CG) really were amazing. If it was not for those rare CG spots in the violence, then you could be easily convinced that some of the actors really were killed in the making of this film. The film starts out with a casual horror tone, with just some eerie background music with creepy images, however that atmosphere gets completely dumped as the rest of the film is shot almost completely in a red tint (as seen above) and covered in blood (yes, they are separate, which is why I chose the picture above to demonstrate it).

Now, for the people who really couldn't care less about screens covered in mindless gore (me most of the time). The camera work stays fresh, with uncomfortable close shots to show you every drop of sweat and blood on a persons face, to bizarre angles you really wouldn't expect from a film that revolves around gore. It really adds a whole other layer to my appreciation of this film knowing that a lot of the power of the film is created with it's creative use of it's camera. You are usually shown just enough to where your imagination can't help you try and pretty up what you aren't shown. While other times you just get to stare straight into their faces as they are torn apart.

The score (and lack there of) really helps carry the films tense violence-laced story along. The timing and nature of the "music" makes the silence just as tense as the very hectic score. While this is off topic of the score, I just want to point out that this film is also a perfect example of how well fetus' can impact the intensity if used skillfully.

While the film fully accomplishes what it sets out for, and the story is just thin enough to hold the violence together without getting too in depth where it is not needed, I feel that having a movie with absolutely no depth to it at all always loses a little in subsequent viewings. When I say depth, I don't mean Miike/Lynch confusion, I mean just any form of third dimension. Something, anything, that requires even the simplest response from your brain besides "blood good". Even nudity would have had more depth then this film. One last point, the intermittent images of the fetus do nothing but harm the film.

Score: 3/5

Notes: Broken Windshield Wiper, Smoking is Bad, Zombie?

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