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by Marcey Papandrea, MoreHorror.com

Right off the bat I will say that Territories is a challenging film, both in its message and execution. This is what I would call a political horror film, and it really does deliver with both things. I went into this film without any real prior knowledge. I had no expectations and I didn’t know what to expect. This is one of those films that I think benefits from that, so I will keep this review as vague as possible on the plot points.

The beginning scene of Territories is intense and it will keep your heart pounding. It starts off with Dirge by Death In Vegas playing and we see a group of people driving in their car. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with them, they look like a normal bunch of people. As this happens you begin to question...

Director: Olivier Abbou.

Writers: Olivier Abbou and Thibault Lang Willar.

Director Olivier Abbou has delivered a shocker with his first feature film Territories. Shot in Montreal, QC. this title is also know as Territoires and sometimes even as Checkpoint. Territories has been released in the United Kingdom as of September 12th on DVD and this reviewer hopes that the film finds a wider audience in North America - the territory that is the focus of the film. In Abbou's political and horrifying thriller five youths are dressed up in orange jumpsuits to represent those confined, tortured and likely killed in Guantanamo Bay. This is a dark look at an even darker part of humanity and the visuals are not often pretty.

Several friends drive back to Portland after enjoying a friend's Bar Mitzvah. They are stopped by what appears to be two American customs officers. Then, the nightmare of all custom stops begins with rape,...

28Dla is getting to the party a little bit fashionably late on this horror story, but the first trailer for Territoires, or Checkpoint, is relevant for pointing out the current troubles at the Us-Canada border. Although, most Canadian border crossers do not experience torture, as suggested by the clip, there have been some stories of Canadians being held in detention for hours on end. Director Olivier Abbou smartly points out some of the current political tensions between these two nations and horror fans should look for Abbou's message in this first trailer for Territoires.

The synopsis for Territoires is here:

"Five friends returning from a marriage in Canada return home to the United States. Not far from the border, two customs officers stop them to check their identity. Suspicious, they take their time especially with Jalil, a man of Arab origin. The situation worsens when a customs officer finds a...

The Canadian shot Territories is developing nicely with a handful of torturous stills. Picturing a border crossing gone bad, five friends find themselves in a Guantanamo type situation, where some overzealous customs officers take them to task. You can see how events play out in a second still of Territories below, courtesy of Upcoming Horror Movies.

The synopsis for Territories is here:

"Five friends returning from a marriage in Canada return home to the United States. Not far from the border, two customs officers stop them to check their identity. Suspicious, they take their time especially with Jalil, a man of Arab origin. The situation worsens when a customs officer finds a small bag of marijuana in the luggage.

Then things degenerate rapidly: a customs officer grabs the little dog that's part of the group and slits open its belly to be sure it's not a mule. When Gab makes a move,...