The New Wave of French Horror

[Ed Mironiuk]

Much like a few years ago when Japan seemed to be making the most new and interesting horror it seems the French have now taken the baton from the freaky wet long haired girl. This past week I saw some of the coolest new horror flix I've seen in a long time.
Perhaps my fave is Inside...in fact I watched it twice. It's tense, and sick and delicious.

INSIDE
Second place is Them. Forget about the US remake (The Strangers) and go with the original...

THEM
Last but not least Frontier(s)...A nice combo of Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Devils Rejects, with a little bit of nazi incest fun.

FRONTIER(S)
So pick up some Perrier, escargot and nutella crepes and have a French Horror filmfest this weekend.C'est Magnifique !

[jonny.illuminati]

... are they subtitled? i'm gonna have to ride the scooter up and drink/watch flicks with you... soon!

[Ed Mironiuk]

... are they subtitled? i'm gonna have to ride the scooter up and drink/watch flicks with you... soon!

Yeah, all subtitled that way you don't have to be distracted by bad dubbing.
You're always welcome at Casa De Mironiuk.

[Morning Glory]

awesome. I'm always looking out for new horror movies that don't suck.

I've never seen any of those films to die for, on the whole are they any good? a couple sounded interesting.

[TheKin]

Last but not least Frontier(s)...A nice combo of Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Devils Rejects, with a little bit of nazi incest fun.

'cause it just ain't horror without Nazi Incest to spice things up. W00t!

[Ed Mironiuk]

awesome. I'm always looking out for new horror movies that don't suck.

I've never seen any of those films to die for, on the whole are they any good? a couple sounded interesting.

Inside is absolutely amazing, The art direction is beautiful and the violence is nice and unexpected at points. It also has an ending that isn't of the norm.
Them is also really good, not a lot of plot, just a lot of tension. Short sweet, gritty and to the point.
Frontier(s) has the the same cinematographer as Inside, so it looks great. It also has undertones of the French riots like Inside. Out of the 3 I found it my least favorite. But that's like saying between a Snickers bar, a Reeses Peanut Butter cup and M&M's the Snickers bar is less delicious. They are all really great original little flix.

[Ed Mironiuk]

'cause it just ain't horror without Nazi Incest to spice things up. W00t!

Couldn't everything benefit from a little nazi incest?

[jonny.illuminati]

speaking of incest...

jamie has a new hat on the way (for clubbing and moto club parties):

[Ed Mironiuk]

speaking of incest...

jamie has a new hat on the way (for clubbing and moto club parties):

GTFO! Where the heck did she find that?!?

[jonny.illuminati]

GTFO! Where the heck did she find that?!?

if your nice i might send you the link....

[Morning Glory]

who is Jamie?

I'm not really big on Nazi paraphernalia. but I guess that's just me, and millions of Jews worldwide.

I'm not so sure about that movie Inside either. I like stylized comic violence like zombie movies, but I'm not really a big fan of violence shock movies. I prefer more atmospheric horror to straight up gore. I saw that they made a series of movies that were marketed as faux snuff, where it was just various people being killed and no plot. I don't really know why people would be interested in that.

[Ed Mironiuk]

who is Jamie?

I'm not really big on Nazi paraphernalia. but I guess that's just me, and millions of Jews worldwide.

I'm not so sure about that movie Inside either. I like stylized comic violence like zombie movies, but I'm not really a big fan of violence shock movies. I prefer more atmospheric horror to straight up gore. I saw that they made a series of movies that were marketed as faux snuff, where it was just various people being killed and no plot. I don't really know why people would be interested in that.

I like the military style of the nazi clothing. I think the only way you could wear a hat like that would be by removing the regalia and replacing it. Gen from the Genitorturers is a good example of that.

Did you see Inside? It is incredibly atmospheric and tense.
I also have no interest in faux snuff or torture porn (example eli roth). But I do appreciate films like The Descent and Inside.

[Ed Mironiuk]

I like the military style of the nazi clothing. I think the only way you could wear a hat like that would be by removing the regalia and replacing it. Gen from the Genitorturers is a good example of that.

Did you see Inside? It is incredibly atmospheric and tense.
I also have no interest in faux snuff or torture porn (example eli roth). But I do appreciate films like The Descent and Inside.

I also must add that Inside even had such a strong sense of atmosphere that one scene was a great homage to Ridley Scott's cinematography in Alien and it wasn't jarringly different from the rest of the film. It also had undertones based on the recent French riots and ultra conservativism. I have a hard time believing that that can be considered just violence and shock with no plot.

[jonny.illuminati]

side note: it's the style of the hat not the stuff on it (looking for new badges/accouterments for the hat)... certainly not meant to be offensive to anyone, purely a fashion statement (not a lifestyle statement)

i'm with you Morning Glory, stylized is the way i like it... fake snuff has no appeal... (20 years in SF i saw enough real death)

[Morning Glory]

A lot of people are harsh on Hostel, but I think that they don't give it the credit that it deserves and it's unfairly lumped into the trashy new-wave of exploitation that it inspired.

The success of Hostel is that it makes you think it's a lot more gruesome than it actually is.

as I'm sure you know it was hugely influenced by Audition, another movie that is remembered as a blood bath. But really it had one scene of gore, and 3/4's of the movie was not even horror or suspense, let alone violence and torture. What it did was really build a climax that sold the whole thing, to a lesser extent so did Hostel, and that was what made them stand out.

Now when I think of a movie like high tension, it had just the right balance of gore, suspense and atmosphere, and story. that's what makes a good horror movie, IMO.

based on what you said I'll give some consideration to Inside. It could just be that people who are gorehounds and can't appreciate cinema are the ones that are watching it.

[Ed Mironiuk]

A lot of people are harsh on Hostel, but I think that they don't give it the credit that it deserves and it's unfairly lumped into the trashy new-wave of exploitation that it inspired.

The success of Hostel is that it makes you think it's a lot more gruesome than it actually is.

as I'm sure you know it was hugely influenced by Audition, another movie that is remembered as a blood bath. But really it had one scene of gore, and 3/4's of the movie was not even horror or suspense, let alone violence and torture. What it did was really build a climax that sold the whole thing, to a lesser extent so did Hostel, and that was what made them stand out.

Now when I think of a movie like high tension, it had just the right balance of gore, suspense and atmosphere, and story. that's what makes a good horror movie, IMO.

based on what you said I'll give some consideration to Inside. It could just be that people who are gorehounds and can't appreciate cinema are the ones that are watching it.

If you liked High Tension (which I also enjoyed but was a little disappointed with the generic "see it from a mile away" twist ending) Then I would think you would like these 3 flix. Especially since High Tension also fits into the New Wave of French Horror. In fact it was one of the vanguards.

I must admit I did like the fact that Eli had Takashi Miike make a cameo in Hostel. He also made perhaps the best movie trailer ever with Thanksgiving.

[Dishuman]

Oooohhh I saw Frontier(s), It was a GREAT movie, one of my new favorite horror films, along with big titles such as "Audition", "Return of the Living Dead", "Dreams in the Witchhouse" among others.