Starring: Clotilde Courau, Clement Sibony, Francois Berleand

Directed by: Lionel Delplanque    Written by: Lionel Delplanque, Annabelle Perrichon

The Story: Well, I'll be damned if I know what's going on here. When I grabbed this flick off of the shelf I didn't realize it was a French film. I don't have anything against the French, even though I can say that I've seen some fantastically rude French people (in France, thank you very much) but as an American I don't always "get" european cinema.

Which is a shame. Different perspectives on things is the spice of life....and I really do love Europeans. I've spent a lot of time over there and I get a warm fuzzy feeling about the people on that continent. But dammitt, they are some weird mutha f*ckas some times. I'm talkin' weird in the way that the cute chick you knew in high school was weird. You'd love to date her, but man, she was so strange she just never seemed right. (which in all fairness, is probably how they see us) That's like this movie. Which is actually a good thing, since I'm a little tired of movies where I can pretty much tell what's going to happen and who is going to say what at any given time. (I hope my European bruthas and sistas know I'm only ribbing them....hey its not like they don't make fun of Americans...)

A strange rich recluse named Axel De Fersen hires a group of young actors, Matthew, lesbian couple Sophie and Jean, Matilda, and Frederick to put on play for his young and equally strange grandson Nicholas. Its the kids birthday and this is his present. The only other person in Axels mansion is the gamekeeper, Stephan, who is an odd fellow himself. Things get surreal fast in this movie. Axel seems enamored with Frederick for some reason even though he keeps calling him "Cedric". The play the troupe puts on is "Little Red Riding Hood", which , while is appropriate for a child, Nicholas looks a little too old to be entertained by it, and looks just plain bizarre when you see it performed in this movie. Nicholas must not have been pleased with the production because at dinner after the performance he stabs himself in the hand with a fork. Nothin' like a disturbed child mutilating himself at dinner to ruin a meal of tripe, huh?

But our young friends have even more craziness to put up with in the mansion. Helicopters swirl by in the night with searchlights. Axel informs them its the police looking for a serial rapist/ murderer in the area. So they do what I guess any group of young people would do in that situation when the old man goes to bed...they have a little party in the mansion and get high...just in time for a police officer to walk in unannounced and not do anything productive except take a hit off of "Cedric's" joint.

Well, naturally, people start ending up dead soon after. I got a little confused during the latter part of the movie and I'll be big enough to admit that maybe something went right over my head. When the last two survivors (Sophia and Matthew) find out the identity of the killer I didn't get it. It was either Axel or his lookalike twin brother. I don't even know WHY he was snuffing people left and right. The first time I watched this movie I might have missed vital clues because quite honestly I was loaded. (Hey, it was Saturday night) The second time I watched it I was stone cold sober and I still didn't get it, but that could be because I was also trying to clean up this place at the same time. Still, I don't quite understand what was going on and if anyone out there knows I'd really appreciate it if you'd share that information with me. Somehow I can't get over the feeling though, that this movie's conclusion just didn't make any sense at all and its no wonder I was left in the dark.

Despite the problem I have with the ending, I do have to say that the movie looks great visually. I didn't expect to get too intimate with the characters, but they were a fresh breath of air simply because it wasn't the Usual Gang of Idiots you see in American made movies. How many American horror flicks are going to have a lesbian as the heroine? (and a lesbian that we get to see gettin' jiggy with her girlfriend to boot.)

Best Lines:  “We are similar, Cedric. You love getting high like me.” - Axel puts the moves on "Cedric. Eeeew.

Are you kidding me?

1.) I used to not act this way....in my younger years I was either too frightened or trying too hard to be polite to just up and leave when someone did something weird...but I can honestly say that when young Nicholas jammed that fork into his hand I would have stood up, thanked my host and hauled my cinnamon brown ass out the door.

2.) Speaking of getting out of the door...."Cedric" needs to have a long talk with me about when to just freakin' leave. It was nice of him to help Axel to his room and even to bear listening to the old man ramble on, but the instant he talked about taking a ride with him and laying his head down in his lap....nope, its time to break camp and go. There's not a lot of people I would even consider allowing to do that while I drive and none of them are creepy old white guys.

3.) Axel calls his special "Bloody Mary" concoctions "Crazy Mary's" because their 70% vodka. Why beat around the bush, Axel, just drink the vodka straight. Why not just call them "I'm a lush" drinks.

4.) Sophie attacks the killer with a knife she sees on the floor of a car. Only if you see this movie you'll note that the only way she could have possibly bent over, picked up the knife, turn around and stab the guy is if he was really really slow! He had a gun pointed at her! He could have shot her in the ass and blown her through the windshield before she could get the drop on him!

Nudity and Sex: Various female cast members are seen topless at certain points. Full frontal nudity is seen with Sophie. Sophia and Jean have a love scene.

Huh?:

As much respect I have for the law, I'd have had to kick that policeman's ass. Aren't there any laws prohibiting the cops from just skulking into your house unannounced in France? I'm home alone as I write I this and if a cop just strolled into my den right now, its on. <jive mode>I gives a f*ck about a badge! You just can't roll up on people like that! </jive mode>

What the hell is Tripe? Axel serves it to his guests but it looks like beef stew to me. What's it made of and is it any good?

The entire ending of the movie will make most of you go "huh".

The characters are supposed to be professional actors, but uh, they suck.

The Final Judgment: I've tried not to give too many spoilers, but  this movie is just plain weird. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I can't recommend it. The Inferno grants it two devil heads. And if you can throw some light on the purpose of the killer, email the Infernal Demons and let us in on the clue.