Livide

At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by this movie. There is a lot to unpack! But pay attention to the early minutes of the film and you can see the significance of Lucy and her caregiver trainer.

The whole film is basically a fantasy vampire/ fairy story if that makes sense.

The creatures inside the house all relate to the eerie, very unhealthy dance studio once run by the now comatose woman upstairs. They are very much alive, victims of the dance teacher.

It is the sad story of these girls and the subsequent interaction with Lucy, the inquisitive protagonist that drives the resolution to the film.

Yes, there are some odd flourishes in the house, but it looks like they are all part of the madness of the vampiric dance teacher. Stay with it!

My take is that its about manipulation, control, and ultimately liberation.

Its definitely one of the most interesting horror movies Ive watched in the last 10 years. Enjoy the special references and tidbits.

(source: www.top10horror.com ) I watched this movie during the Film 4 FrightFest Halloween marathon last year in London and next to Human Centipede II it was the most anticipated movie of the night. Being a French horror enthusiast I couldn't wait until the movie would be screened and after an awful show of Lulu Jarmen's "Bad Meat" (2011) it finally started.

Lucy, an absolutely adorable young girl, with two eyes of different colours is the main character of Livid. She is just starting her training as a caretaker under Wilson's eye, a woman you want to trust but she just seems old and bitter. Lucy is brought to a big mansion where she meets Mrs Jessel, an old lady who has been in a coma for many years. Wilson tells her a story about a treasure that is believed to be somewhere inside of the house and that, Wilson herself, has tried to find it but she never did.

After the first day of work Lucy meets her friends and tells them about the treasure rumour. The group of young people decide to break in Mrs Jessel's house with an intention to find the valuable objects to steal. They don't know what awaits them in the walls of the house though…

Seeing Alexandre Bustillo's and Julien Maury's "Inside" (A l'interieur) (Top 10 French Horror list) I knew to expect only the unpredictable. I was expecting a twist and a lot… tons of blood and French cinema didn't let me down at all.

At the very second I saw Lucy's eyes (you could totally see which eye is fake by the way) I remembered some stories I've heard about people with two-coloured eyes. Later Lucy explains that this is indeed called heterochromia and people are believed to have two souls, one for each eye. We learn a lot about Lucy's past through flashbacks (anyone recognizes the psycho woman from "Inside" as Lucy's mummy?) which makes us feel for the character. Everything framed with the beautiful music makes you feel nice and cosy watching the movie until… horrible stuff happens.

Overall a stunningly done horror film, that doesn't lack in everything a horror movie should have, ended up in my French favourite top 10 list and I would watch it again anytime I if had a chance. I definitely recommend this movie no matter what you are into. If you like mysteries, gore, paranormal movies, just go for it and enjoy the ride.

Livide is a French horror film i the style of The Orphanage, in that it has just as much heart and fantasy as it does horror. A young woman begins working as a nurse and sees a number of elderly and sick patients. One in particular catches her eye, an old woman in a coma, who it is said, has a treasure hidden on the grounds. The young nurse and her boyfriend, along with a friend, decide to find the treasure. They break into the house but get more than they bargained for. The film builds up a meticulous but thoughtful pace, bringing us slowly into the world of this house at night. The fiilm keeps the horror at a distance at first, with loud noises from upstairs etc. Once it kicks off the gore is grotesque, but used sparingly, making it even more effective. Some of the visuals are of pure fantasy and even though they are at first horrifying, Maury and Bustillo soon use them poetically. A floating vampire girl in the sunlight, a wind-up corpse etc. All scary at first, become even more disturbing as they reach us on an emotional level. I felt the film tries to do too much in the third act. It tries to give us horror and fantasy, backstory in flashbacks, kills, and exposition, to the point it got a bit muddled. Kills were suddenly followed by long jumps into the past. The film does best when it shows its story visually, which thankfully, it chooses to do most of the time. Great performances, stunning visuals, a unique feel, and a mature handling of difficult themes makes this a worthwhile horror.

I saw "Livid" at the FrightFest in London a few days ago and had neither particularly high nor low expectations before the film started. When the credits began to roll 88 minutes later the final result was similar to my opinion of Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's directorial debut in 2007 with "Inside" – it was good but flawed. However, any comparisons of the two films end here as they are on the opposing sides of the same genre and very different in their own right.

The plot evolves around a young woman named Lucy who is beginning her training as an in-house caregiver. During her visit to an unattended old woman who is in a cerebral coma and living in an isolated, looming mansion, she discovers that years earlier she had allegedly placed a large treasure within one of its many locked rooms. As Lucy returns home the viewer learns of her struggles which are both financial and emotional due to a recent loss. Soon after she is persuaded to return to the house by her boyfriend and his brother in search for the supposed treasure and, in doing so, this is where their lives begin to go rapidly downhill…

Firstly, I'll start with the good elements of "Livid." The cinematography and visuals are absolutely beautiful and really make it a pleasurable viewing experience, especially when combined with the pulsing, brooding score of the film. The actress who plays Lucy is fantastic in her starring role, playing a likable character but with genuine depth, and there are no complaints to be made about the supporting cast. Furthermore, and probably the most importantly – the film is absolutely terrifying at times. This was primarily psychological but also aided by some fantastic imagery.

Regarding the weaker parts of the movie, I felt that the first two thirds of the film are substantially better than the final third. This is because, to put it simply, the film does not seem to know which genre it wants to be. The transaction it makes when switching is not a particularly smooth one. Because of this, many gaping plot holes are left open and at times it is a struggle to make sense of what exactly is going on. Another issue with "Livid" was that the filmmakers seemed too dependent on "jump" scares which cheapened the movie and often ruined both the tension and flow. Finally, I think the very ending was much sillier than intended.

So whilst I had my issues with "Livid" I still believe that the strength of the positives more than compensates for the negative aspects, and that overall this is a genuinely good movie. I would recommend this to any horror (or even fantasy) fan. Considering the graphic nature of their previous film, it was interesting seeing the filmmakers experiment with such a different approach to the genre. And all in all, I believe it was successful.

7/10

This one was for sure a mixed bag, but a lot of the pros pushed me to excuse some of the cons.

This was a spooky and atmospheric one for sure... and I quite enjoyed how it kept surprising me. At each turn I found myself experiencing something I wasn't expecting. Very much gives off the vibe of your basic haunted house horror, however, it surprises you.

My biggest issue was with the execution of the story... the story itself is not where my problem resides. I really quite liked the story, or at least, as much as I could get from it. It ended up being a bit clunky, rushed and undercooked. All of the exposition happened quite quickly towards the end and it left you with a lot of questions. I wish some of the beginning filler would have been cut leaving more time for elaboration, providing for a more well rounded, comprehensive story overall. I also was not in love with the score and some of the editing choices... gave it this odd "made for TV" feel. All of this while keeping in mind it is over 10 years old.

Regardless of the story being a bit half baked and confusing, the foundation was certainly there and provided just enough to have something really cool, spooky and fun on your hands. The acting was solid throughout, nothing amazing, nothing distracting. I was quite surprised and impressed by the special effects and choices that went along with them. Super effective throughout and really amped up the creep factor.

All in all this was quite a pleasant surprise that kept me guessing and led me places I was not expecting. Giving this a 6.5 and want to round up, however some of the confusion and plot holes lead me to round down. Would definitely recommend.