Inside

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre horror Starring Alysson Paradis, Béatrice Dalle Directed by Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury Publisher Dimension Extreme External Links Official Denension Website

How does one make the stress of a soon to be single mother pregnant with her firstborn any more difficult? "Will I be able to make the frequent doctor's appointments? How will I provide for the soon-to-be family? Will this shade of paint for the nursery provide a suitable setting for LEGO constructing?" For the majority of people baby-proofing their house, these are all valid concerns. Unfortunately for Sarah, she is not part of that majority.

The French film Inside is Sarah’s story. After losing her lover in a car accident in which she was driving, her hopes and aspirations are shattered. Sarah has closed herself off to those left in her life as she furthers in her pregnancy, which is exactly why she is alone the night of Christmas Eve when the story picks up. She is not alone for long, however, as a mystery woman shows up with the seemingly sole purpose of taking Sarah’s baby as her own. As the woman seeks to achieve this goal by any means necessary, she won’t let anyone get in her way: not Sarah, not her family or friends, and definitely not the local authorities.

To get the obvious out of the way, Inside is not for those new to the genre, possibly even for those who only like to visit the often gory horror scene. But it can be said that this film is for the horror resident, those who have made themselves a home in the gritty, dark, and bloods-soaked trenches where this genre resides. There is no candy coating that many mainstream horror titles often sport. Inside is as somber from the get go as it is throughout its darkest scenes. Aided much by the movie’s minimalist music and socially cutoff lead character, you won’t find yourself smiling at all, unless of course you enjoy practical effects such as the squirting of buckets of blood or the random cranial explosion.

Despite Inside’s gory money shots, the film is foremost about mood and the characters taking part in it. Sarah does not laugh, she doesn’t cry. Ever since her life was derailed by that car accident, she acts like she doesn’t feel anymore. That is, until the mysterious woman comes into her life. Both characters are excellently portrayed and the actresses play off of each other extremely well. However, the most chilling appearance in the movie, in my eyes, is Sarah’s baby.

Inside brings to us the same womb-cam POV we loved in 1980’s comedy Look Who’s Talking, sans Bruce Willis’ wise cracking antics. This movie uses these shots with chilling results from the beginning as we experience the initial car crash through this very point of view. There’s something extremely disturbing about seeing a yet to be born baby reacting to outside elements such as punches in a fight or the dimple of a not-yet-run-through puncture wound as seen from the inside.

Though it does start a bit slow, Inside is a great watch for those who love the genre for its chilling atmosphere and intelligent acting. However, this is definitely not an introductory movie for those who choose to wade the shallow end of the horror pool. It’s definitely not a “feel good” movie you take your significant other to.