Livid (2011)

[s.chivers Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close s.chivers]

Has anyone seen this recent French horror, which seems to have flown under the radar somewhat. It's the second film by the makers of Inside, and having watched the first hour or so last night, is definitely worth a look. Conceptually it could almost be a sequel to Suspiria, albeit the aesthetic is very modern.

I seem to have suffered through a lot of fantasy-orientated horrors in the last couple of years that have really downplayed the horror aspect, presumably in search of a mainstream audience. Livid isn't as excessively brutal or nihilistic as some French horror we've seen, but it is clearly a horror film and a pretty engaging one at that.

[Jens Thomsen Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jens Thomsen]

Yes. I saw it last year at the new 'Bloody Weekend" festival in Copenhagen (which gets most of its program and guests from the Lund Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden). I liked it enough to want to get the BD released here, but the friends I saw it with almost all hated it. I did not care much for the last part of it which was much more fantasy-oriented than the first, but I really loved the gothic aspects of the first part. So it's kind of a mixed bag for me. It almost felt like two different movies.

[s.chivers Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close s.chivers]

Yeah, I really loved the slow-burn of the set-up, the sense of creeping dread. I also liked the Rollin-esque imagery towards the very end, with the two girls walking towards the coast. You're right about it veering unexpectedly into fantastique territory though, having been very naturalistic - for want of a better term - for the first half hour.

I haven't looked at the extras on the UK BD yet, but on the surface I don't think they amount to much.