Fantastic Fest 2011

Subtle is not a word many would use to describe Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s first feature INSIDE, a hit at Fantastic Fest 2007. A relentless barrage of over-the-top violence provided for a quick and wicked take on the home invasion film. This year, Bustillo and Maury return with something a bit more subdued but no less stylish and clever, a film that will prove that they are able to deliver consistently.

LIVID starts with Lucie on her first day of training as an in-home nurse. She shadows a long-time veteran of the job named Wilson, the pair travelling along well-established routes. One stop in particular, though, intrigues Lucie- an isolated mansion in which lives an elderly woman who is comatose and on a respirator. Wilson tells Lucie that the woman used to be a dance instructor famous for her strict methods. Her final wish was to die in her home amongst some unspecified treasure. It’s at the mention of this treasure that, later that night, Lucie’s boyfriend William decides they, along with their friend Ben, will sneak into the house to rob the woman. What the trio finds inside as they progress through the maze of rooms and unlock doors that probably should stay locked proves to be bizarre and horrifying.

Atmosphere is king in LIVID, Bustillo and Maury taking their time to establish the odd nooks and crannies of the house and getting under the audiences skin in the process. Every minute feels foreboding, mounting to a fever pitch of tension. When mysteries begin to unravel, the answers are guaranteed to surprise and shock. LIVID has a mean bite; it’s another horror treat that will again leave fans of the genre quite satiated.(Brian Kelley)