1st up Jeff Mahler’s 2006 Inside
Plot line: The main character in Jeff Mahler’s 2006 Inside is Alex has disturbing hobby. He likes to follow strangers. One night Alex takes things too far when he sneaks into a home and gets caught...instead of calling the police, the couple, fascinated by his resemblance to their dead son Timmy, ask him to stay. As the grieving couple begins to believe that Alex really is Timmy, he finds himself trapped in a horrifying existence of desperation, despair, and insanity--and Josie, suspicious of Alex's sudden disappearance, is his only chance at escape...
Scariness Factor: Is off the fucking chain, this well thought out low budget film is more terrifying than William Goldman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery
Gross-Out Factor: N/A
Complaints: The only thing I did not like was the graininess of the film but that took nothing away from this little gem.
High Points: Like in Misery Alex is confined to a wheelchair, so he can't just run away. The thing I love this most is how the kidnappers convince 1st a priest and then a doctor that the person they have captive is actually their son and just the horrible realization and hopelessness that Alex feels as he realizes that he may be trapped inside this house forever.
Personal Commentary: One of my favorite scenes is when Alex is in the bath tub and the mother goes into the bathroom and closes the door, she is furious that Alex keeps trying to tell her that he is NOT her dead son Timmy. We don't get to see what she does to punish him, but its easy to guess by Alex's screams, splashing water and gurgling sounds.
Stars: 5 Stars
Where I rented it: Blockbuster
Our next nightmare is courtesy of Alexandre Bustillo’s 2007 À l'intérieur (American translation: Inside)
Plotline: Four months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
** I don’t think I have ever put a warning disclaimer on a movie that I have reviewed but in this case it’s warranted. **
Scariness Factor: I’m not really sure about what’s happening on the other side of the pond with our UK cousins but this movie is outright brutal. As gut wrenching as writer/director James Watkins’ 2008 Eden Lake is, by far À l'intérieur is far worse. Bustillo uses lighting, shadows, and music to create an atmosphere of terror that is all consuming and it will continue to effect you hours after the movie is over.
EDEN LAKE REVIEW
http://wordsmithcrystalconnor.blogspot.com/2010/07/dvd-pick-of-week-eden-lake.html
Gross-Out Factor: Not really gross but gory because it has to be.
Complaints: N/A
High Points: I love the fast pace and how Bustillo uses the lighting.
Personal Commentary: The main character, Sarah, is nine months pregnant and her baby is due in 3 days. When something bad happens to Sarah we get to see how the baby in the womb is responding to the assault. When Sarah is being pulled thru the hallway by her hair, the camera goes thru Sarah’s stomach to show the baby distressed and crying…it’s really cool.
Stars: 5 Stars
Where I rented it: Blockbuster online
Both of these movies explore the monstrous things parents are capable of for the love of a child
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I saw the 2nd movie almost two years ago and it was one of the hardest movies to watch, I didn't even finish it. Remember the part where Sara is sleeping on the couch and behind her is the dark bedroom, at 1st I thought I was seeing things but then the woman comes of out the dark really slow? That's the part in the movie that I started to feel really sick like I was going to throw up. When sara was finally able to lock her self in the bathroom and her water broke is when I stopped watching. Its all way too realistic and I didn't like that they showed her baby when Sara was being hurt and actually that was the hardest part for me to watch. It was a really good idea to put the warning on this movie review.
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