So often I'll go to see a new horror movie in theaters and end up walking away disappointed. Surprisingly, such was not the case with Xavier Gans' NC-17 rated French gorefest Frontier(s). Nevermind the fact his American debut was the film adaptation of Hitman; despite mixed reviews, Frontier(s) was not only one of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time but also one of the best, if not the best (it's only competition is Audition whose qualifications as a horror movie can be debated) horror movie, of the 21st century. It's not perfect but walking out of the theater, I felt very much like I expected to have felt had Hostel been the film that lived up to its exceedingly high expectations.

Frontier(s) opens looking very much like 28 Weeks Later. Same stock news reels, riot footage, people running and shouting indistinctly at each other, and, of course, the jittery incomprehensible cinematography/editing. I didn't like where things were going at first but was pleased to see the style didn't foreshadow what Frontier(s) is really all about. The film opens in Paris buried beneath a suffocating wave of race riots. A group of thieves find themselves in big trouble when protagonist Yasmine's brother ends up getting shot. These guys can't exactly go to the hospital when cops are swarming the city amidst a government imposed curfue, especially with a sack full of cash. Nevertheless, they decide to help the guy out and high-tail it out of Paris, chased by cops.

The first act essentially sets up the characters and situation. There's not too much development there but it's enough I think. The most important thing to know is that Yasmine's a fertile Mertil; motherhood serves as a somewhat prominent theme in the film.

So off these troublemakers are to find a place to lay low for a little while so they drop in to a motel out in the French countryside. Okay, I know what you're thinking. Hostel? Maybe TCM? Okay, the family running the inn is made up primarily of cannibals but they're far from your stereotypical inbred hick. In fact, they'd like to think they're the master race. That's right. These guys are psychotic neo-Nazis with a father coming straight from the Third Reich. What do they want? To continue their bloodline. Sure, they'll off these poor saps in a flash but they've got special plans for Yasmine. You want to find out? Go check it out.

Okay. So the flick's NC-17. Nevertheless, the gore motifs are familiar. Achilles' tendon slashing and face melting is no new ground for a seasoned horror fan and the giant buzz saw at the end of the trailer is obviously going to be put to use in grisly fashion. Yet it's not the gore that's particularly shocking; it's the utter savagery behind it. Hollywood's obsessed with making sympathetic villains. Even Hostel is about killers who are meant to be just like you and me, albeit filthy rich. This is not the case in Frontier(s). The villains are so absolutely detached from their victims, their utter indifference to their humanity harkens back to the notorious Salo: 120 Days of Sodom (minus the coprophagia, of course). It's also pleasant to see a family of villains who are varied. Each baddie has a distinct personality yet as bad as the siblings get (and they do get bad), they all seem to be united by their fear for their father who is 100% pure evil and the scariest of the bunch, even though he's as decrepit as John McCain. It's also nice to see some girls on the killing end of the slasher business.

The main characters are decent. Two of them are your average dumb slasher fodder but the two leads are interesting enough was things start to get bad. They basically hate each other from the start, having just broken up, so the fact that they have to stick together to get out of hell makes the conflict a lot more worthwhile. The suspense they bring out of the film is also killer. What's most notable is the lighting, which brings back memories of The Descent; it's all onscreen and there's very little of it so you're never able to see what's around the bend. There's also some great use of POV camcorder work; it actually propels the plot forward, instead of serving only as a dying gimmick. Cloverfield, this is not. Towards the end, Gans throws suspense to the wind and the film becomes increasingly more relentless. At this point, the audience has been built up enough so the nonstop carnage doesn't spoil the broth. It's nice to see a writer/director who knows when to say "fuck it" and open the gates of Hell. The third act's definitely a roller coaster ride. Most of the time, this stuff just makes the viewer numb to what's happening onscreen.

So Frontier(s) may not be the most original horror movie of all time but it's definitely fresh and the merging of old school nazi-ploitation with a more contemporary slasher formula makes things a lot more interesting and, at times, nearly epic in feel/scale. It's also nice to see a horror movie with decent characters you haven't seen a hundred times before. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to modern horror so take it from me, flicks like Frontier(s) don't come around all that often (if at all) in this day and age. Go see it! If it's not playing around you, rent it! It's a limited theatrical release so I expect it'll be on the shelves before too long.

Is it all in subtitles? Either way I'm buying it.

~Zack~

Quoted from Zack Is it all in subtitles? Either way I'm buying it. ~Zack~

Yup.