Bloodtype Online

    It's always a tricky business watching, and then reviewing, movies that you have been waiting a long time for. The expectation levels, the fear of disappointment, you get the picture. Sometimes I prolong watching the movie, putting it off until the desire gets too much, then I just cross my fingers and hope for the best. Some movies, which i won't name here, came as such a letdown; the potential was there but no cigars were cut by the time the end credits rolled. On the other hand movies such as Them (Ils), Pan's Labyrinth and Gutterballs surpassed my expectations. It all comes down to the fact that first and foremost I am a fan of movies, and as such I just want to have a blast when I watch them. 

    This all brings me around to Inside (aka A l'interieur), which is yet another in a seemingly neverending line-up of fantastic, or potentially fantastic, new French horror movies. My anticipation levels had been sky high since first reading about it sometime in early 2007; would I be let down, or would it take a seat next to the excellent Haute Tension, Sheitan and the aforementioned Them, amongst others, as another cracker? Time, as they say, will tell. Well I waited long enough, so time's up. 

    Inside revolves around Sarah (Alysson Paradis), a pregnant woman who survives a car crash that claimed the life of her husband. Four months later, and on Christmas Eve no less, she is spending one last night at home before she heads off to the hospital to give birth to her new child. During the night though she is paid a visit by a strange woman (Beatrice Dalle) who at first wants to just use the phone, but upon further questioning reveals that she knows Sarah and is determined to gain entry to the house. 

    What follows from hereon in is an absolute bloodbath of almost Biblical proportions as Sarah fights to stay alive, whilst the Stranger does her best to paint the house red; literally. 

    Now, blood and gore aren't a rare thing in horror, however, the amount of claret on display during this movie is absolutely astounding. Once it starts, and yes there is a little build-up, it really doesn't stop. You can believe the hype, this is one of the bloodiest, and goriest, movies you will see in quite sometime I can assure you. This is one Dimension Extreme release that is extreme; there are scenes that will knock you sideways in their sheer audacity, not to mention having you cover your eyes at times. 

    Bloodshed, gore and general carnage is all good and well, it's not new and it isn't especially scary, but when you combine this with a few good scares and tension that will strip the skin from your bones you know that you are on to a winner. Inside may well be bloody but it is also a superbly crafted and incredibly tense movie. The directors (Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury) take their good sweet time in ratcheting up almost every scene to almost unbearable levels before delivering whatever killer blow will follow. 

    Aside from the more visceral aspects of this movie there is also some quite wonderful cinematography within; the use of light and colour is nicely utilised throughout and the camerawork is excellent. This coupled with some bone-jarring sound design and you have yourselves a winner on the technical front. 

    On the acting front both Dalle and Paradis put in tour de force performances; Dalle is quite disturbing, and a million miles away from her role in Betty Blue all those years ago. Whereas Paradis as the tormented mother-to-be is quite believable in her position of peril. 

    I was close to giving Inside top marks, after all it is a bloody good movie. However a couple of things slightly let it down for me. The first being that the violence gets perilously close to going just too over the top in the sense that the tension that was so successfully created early on is very nearly ruined. The other being that it is a little too simplistic in its plot; you'll work everything out quite early on I can assure you. 

    With that minor negativity aside all that remains for me to write is that I thoroughly recommend you see this glorious bloodbath of a movie as soon as you can. I don't care if you don't like subtitles, there isn't that much dialogue to bog you down, just watch and enjoy the madness unfold. 

Rating - ***1/2

- Jude Felton