Inside (2007, Review)

NOTE: The image to the left is the French poster. I thought the “Dimension Extreme” cover wasn’t nearly as good or representative.

aka À l’intérieur

Writer: Alexandre Bustillo
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Cast: Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis

Dimension Extreme / NTSC Region 1 / Enhanced 16×9 Widescreen / French with English Subtitles and English Dubbed Versions / French and English Dolby 5.1 / EXTRAS: Making of Featurette; Theatrical Trailer / Purchase at DiabolikDVD.com

A pregnant woman named Sarah and her husband are in a horrible car accident in which he dies. A few months later she is released from the hospital just days before her baby is due. Amidst social and political upheaval, she is left by herself to continue grieving and plan for her new life with her child. That night she is alone at home, thinking of her beloved husband, when there is a knock at the door. An unknown woman wants to come in and use the phone because her car has broken down… or has it? She soon reveals that she knows Sarah’s name and that her husband is dead and she wants in the house. But why?

A few reviews ago I praised the new wave of French horror when I wrote up Frontière(s). À l’intérieur or Inside as we Americans call it, is part of that artistically violent and terrifyingly intense crop. From the opening prelude of the horrific car crash and the beautifully gory opening credits we are lambasted with the most perversely satisfying carnage I can ever remember.

I just read the article in Rue Morgue about it and one of the creators said something that hit a chord with me after watching these movies; French filmmakers make movies for art and American filmmakers make them for entertainment. That makes so much sense when you compare what Hollywood is putting out (endless remakes and homages, Hostel, Saw, etc.) with the current French stuff and the recent stuff like Calvaire, Haute Tension, In My Skin, etc.

The direction, the camera work, the acting and the score are just so wonderfully creative. There is one particular shot where the protagonist, referred to as just “La Femme”, is standing outside of Sarah’s sliding glass door and Sarah is taking pictures of her with a big flash and the camera is behind La Femme and you just see her silhouette with the flashes in front of her. It’s incredibly effective and the visual is stunning. There are just so many shots like that and I could go on and on about them, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.

There is a distinctly feminine feel to the proceedings with the female antagonist and protagonist, the maternal struggle for life and the intense range of emotions both women are feeling. The absurdly gory and over-the-top violent final act works without being too cartoonish because of the absurd psychosis that seethes from Béatrice Dalle who plays “La Femme”. It just works somehow on a very base level. She and Alysson Paradis, who plays “Sarah”, could not have played their parts any better. Both were the epitome of their strong characters.

Inside left me wanting more after the prodigious ending. I sincerely hope that creators Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury continue to make horror movies with as much gusto as they did with this. I pray that they don’t move over here and let the Hollywood asshats fill their heads with ideas and their pockets with cash (Alexandre Aja, anyone?). But I digress… pick up this DVD now and thank me later. And until next time, Viva La France!

Related posts:

1. Frontière(s) (2007)
2. Birth of Separation (2010, Review)
3. Severin Films to Release “The Hairdresser’s Husband” and “The Perfume of Yvonne” on DVD