Tonight's story begins with Sarah (Alysson Paradis), a young, pregnant photographer getting into a hideous car accident which claims her husband's life. Jump ahead 4 months to Christmas Eve. Sarah, who fortunately didn't lose the baby, is 9 months pregnant and ready to give birth, whether induced labour is required or not. Back at home, all is going well - as well as can be expected - until she is awoken by an unexpected knock at her door. A mysterious woman (Béatrice Dalle) is asking to come inside, and after being refused, she smashes a window and disappears. Sarah obviously calls the police, who tell her that they believe the woman will not return, but they will swing by every so often to check up on her. Certain that she is safe, Sarah goes to bed with the hopes that this incident is over. She couldn't be more wrong. Sleeping soundly in her bed, she is woken this time by slashes across her belly and face from a massive pair of shears. She fights her way to the bathroom, where she barricades herself and waits. We don't know who this woman is, or where she came from. All we know is that she wants the baby inside of Sarah, and nothing short of death is going to stop her.

I don't know how many of you follow the horror scene, but in the past week or so, this movie has been quite the topic at the proverbial water cooler. Dimension Extreme has an exclusive deal with Blockbuster, meaning that their films are only available to rent at this one particular franchise. I'm not too familiar with the US, but up here in Canada, Blockbuster is the biggest movie rental chain in the country. What seems to be the problem, you might ask yourself. Well as it would seem, Blockbuster has cut out a staggering 7 minutes from the film, leaving the folks who only rent films to not get their full money's worth. I'm not intending to rant about censorship, and things of that ilk, but c'mon folks. The company is called Dimension Extreme; that should mean something.

As for the movie itself, brilliant. I haven't enjoyed a horror film this much in a long time. There are so many elements to this film which make it a genre masterpiece, it is almost hard to list them all. Since I'm such a nice guy however, I shall do my very best. First things first, the acting. The two leading ladies, who are essentially the only two people in the film, do a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. You don't quite know who to root for, or who to sympathize with, as both women are struggling and fighting for what they think is right. Which brings me to the script. It's simple, believable, takes place all in one location, and written so that again, you don't know who the "bad guy" really is. The characters develop very quickly, and even though you can figure out why the woman is harassing Sarah, it's not touched upon until the final moments.

When I said this was one of the most terrifying films I'd ever seen, I meant it. What I forgot to mention however, is that it's also one of the most blood-filled, cringe inducing films I've ever seen. Everyone involved is brutalized in one way or another, and it never once feels excessive or inappropriate. There are stabbings, slashings, shootings, piercings, and even some burnings; all of which fit into the story ever so nicely. From start to finish, this movie is one giant bloodbath, and without spoiling too much, lets just say that there is one of the finest gunshot wounds I have ever seen in film. You know how there's been a wave of CGI gore effects in movies lately? I can point out Day of the Dead and The Rage as the first two that come to mind. I am so glad that this film didn't go that route. It made good use of prosthetics, props and bucket loads of the red stuff. And I do mean bucket loads. By the end of the film, the entire house looked like a war zone.

Directors Maury and Bustillo have created a fantastic addition to the horror genre. After checking their IMDb credits, I was amazed to find this was their first film, and from the looks of things, they have nothing else lined up afterwards. Much like the writing/directing duo of Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur, these men know that what makes a horror movie is suspense and atmosphere. Since it takes place in such a small area, the film has a very panicked and claustrophobic feel to it. Coupled with the low lit, ambient glow of the house, it makes for a very eerie setting. It's also a very modest suburban home, which I think adds to the beauty of the location, as most people can easily identify with the concept of your home being the safest place you can think of being.

All in all, a bloody fantastic film. A little on the short side, but I think making it too much longer would have just been a time filler. It was everything I wanted it to be, and I can only hope that directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury get the recognition they rightfully deserve for this. This is solid proof what a good premise, a good script, and some believable, realistic acting can do for the horror genre.

A well deserved 10/10.

The movie's premise is also short and to the point -- a woman named "Sarah" loses her boyfriend in a car accident, leaving her alone with her unborn child, who's still kicking in her belly. Distraught over her loss, she confines herself in her home; counting the days before she finally gives birth. However, this night wouldn't be like any other night, as she's woken up by the sound of knocking at her door. A shadowy figure is seen outside, who reveals herself to be a woman having car trouble and in need of a phone. Sarah obviously doesn't fall for such a foolish trick, and attempts to shoo her away. However, this strange woman reveals that she knows Sarah's name and other bits of information that only someone who knows her personally or has been stalking her would know. The rest of the film is played out with Sarah trying to survive the rest of the night from the crazy woman, who wants what's in her belly.

Since the film is relatively short, the action picks up pretty early on. After about 20-minutes of character development and setting the scene, the crazy woman makes her appearance and pretty much gives Sarah hell for the rest of the night, offing anyone who comes to visit. I wasn't sure how they could make a movie set in pretty much one location with very few characters without it getting rather dull, but they somehow pulled it off and I wasn't bored one bit. The movie offers some decent tense situations, but it really shines when it comes to the blood and guts, which we get an extensive amount of. Call me morbid, but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw how much blood would squirt from a victim's neck. Artery or not, it was just so excessive! It’s no wonder that the Weinstein’s are only releasing this movie on DVD here in the US, because it definitely wouldn't be able to handle a theatrical release without getting an NC-17 by the horrible MPAA.

OVERALL: Once again we have to turn to France to find a good horror movie. We've got a fresh premise, some tense scenes, and simply put: this is one of the bloodiest horror films I've seen in a while. Look out for this one when it hits DVD later this year.

Quite possibly the scariest film I've seen since THE RING remake is Dimension Films' INSIDE (A l'interieur), which was co-directed by first timers Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. The duos creation is something I have never seen in a French film--it's a unique and artistic vision that transcends into one of the most grounded bloodbaths in the history of our beloved genre. If there was one film to compare INSIDE to, it's John Carpenter's classic HALLOWEEN (seriously).

It's impossible to really give a good analysis of INSIDE without ruining some of the plot, which is unfortunate because I almost believe one should know NOTHING before viewing. But here we are and here we go--there's no turning back now...

INSIDE is a trip back to the late ‘70s, early ‘80s when the idea behind a good horror film was created on a level of minimalism. Most of the film is contained within a small space, thus creating a high level of claustrophobia and anxiety. In addition, the plot is razor thin, keeping everything simple and to the point. Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is a young photographer who recently lost her husband in a car crash. She's alone on Christmas and is going to have her baby the next day--even if they have to induce labor. She's so sad and miserable that you almost believe she doesn't even want to have the child. After her trip to the hospital Sarah returns home only to be visited late in the night by a mysterious woman (Beatrice Dalle) who wants to get inside. Soon enough we learn that this woman has one goal in mind... retrieve the baby from inside Sarah's womb.

There are two wonderful things about this film; the first being that the movie features two strong women as leads; the second is that both of these women have motives that are so focused and believable that you almost don't know whose side to take. The screenplay for INSIDE is solid, grounded, believable and most of all captivating. Our two main characters are developed beautifully into women that we both care about and can sympathize with, making every moment that much more suspenseful.

Besides the gore, which we'll get to momentarily, the centerpiece of this masterpiece is the directing by Maury and Bustillo and breathtaking cinematography by Laurent Bares. The entire film is an emotional ride built simply on the structures and aesthetics of the environment. What you are about to witness is a film that can be compared to a classic painting by Michelangelo or Leonardo DeVinci. The rooms are low-lit with an odd haze and a soft yellow look, only something about it is unsettling... maybe it hits almost too close to home? Sarah lives in a typical suburban that many viewers will feel like they can relate to. The way its shot makes the film feel ultra dense; every scene, every moment, every single second is claustrophobic making it hard to breathe. INSIDE is like looking deep into the soul of those classic paintings where you become so engulfed in their beauty that it takes your breath away.

This is cinema at its finest.

And then there's blood... lots and lots and lots of blood.

The Woman (we never do find out her name) is determined to get her hands on Sarah's baby and will no anything to get it. Once she gets into the house the level of chaos unloads so quickly that there's not a second to digest. She slashes Sarah across the face and then chases her to the bathroom where she locks herself in. Throughout the film, various people stop by to check on Sarah, which results in a bloodbath of epic proportions. This is quite possibly the most violent, realistic and bloody slasher film ever assembled, ending on such a gut-wrenching note that there's not a single person who could walk out of that theater feeling normal.

Furthermore, INSIDE is terrifying, one of the scariest movies I have ever seen in my life - think HALLOWEEN, only bloody as hell. Early in the film, after attempting to trick her way into Sarah's house, The Woman (dressed in all black) appears outside the back porch door glaring inside. She stares with hate and determination, only we don't know her motive at that time. The moment is so incredibly unsetting only escalating from there. She punches the glass and runs off as the cops come to check in on Sarah's call. There's no one there and this mysterious person has vanished. Relax Sarah everything is fine! Of course it isn't - The Woman is now in the house. She blends into the atmosphere and appears in the background of nearly every shot. She's there, I swear I just saw her... but maybe that was just my imagination? Then as quick as she vanishes she appears through the blackest of shadows like she's walking right of the thin air (the only time I have EVER seen a shot like this was in HALLOWEEN 2!) As the film progresses we learn a little more about her motives and determination. Her sanity begins to snap and this confident, looming, uncompromising individual turns into an axe murderer from hell - only her weapon of choice is a pair of scissors. She will do anything to get Sarah out of that bathroom and loses it when she can't get the door open; she kicks it, stabs it and freaks out so hard that she even accidentally hurts herself. It's such a “human” moment and something quite rare in this genre.

Sans a few odd moments that had me scratching my head (instead of escaping from The Woman, some cops attempt to turn the power back on?) INSIDE is the perfect horror film and easily one of the greatest home invasion movies ever made. It will toy with your emotions, keep you on the edge of your seat and eventually scar you. Mark my words, not a single genre fan will be disappointed with this work of art... that's painted in blood.

Score: 10 / 10

It is Christmas Eve, the holiday that is paradoxically the happiest time for year of many while also boasting the highest suicide rate by far of any day of the year. France is being swept by yet another wave of rioting and class violence while Sarah stays at home alone mourning the death of her husband four years ago in a car accident, an accident that occurred while she was at the wheel, his absence brought home even more by the fact that Sarah is heavily pregnant by him and due to be induced the following day. Sarah will have the gift of a Christmas baby, a gift that will always remind her of her loss.

Sarah’s mourning is interrupted by a knock at the door, a strange woman asking to come in and use the phone. But something seems wrong, Sarah refuses, and her intuition is proven correct when her late night visitor begins to recount intimate personal details about Sarah’s own life back to her. We quickly realize that Sarah’s assailant has only one goal, she wants Sarah’s baby and is willing to tear it from Sarah’s still warm flesh to get it. Will anyone survive once she gets inside?

Inside succeeds because Bustillo and Maury are smart enough to root their scenario into an instantly recognizable situation before beginning to crank up the levels of tension and violence, which they do unrelentingly. We understand Sarah, we understand her loss and her grief, and so we also understand her terror. Likewise we also recognize the obsessive desperation of the woman who wants nothing more than a child to call her own. While the situation is extreme and contrived the emotions behind it are not at all and this emotional grounding gives the film makers license to push things and push them hard in any number of directions. As long as responses and reactions ring true - and they do throughout - the emotional core of the story holds and Maury and Bustillo are free to lay an emotional beating on their audience.

They feed their beast wisely, the body count being added to and padded in ways that make perfect sense, in ways that you’d expect it would were this to happen in real life. Sarah’s mother comes to check on her pregnant daughter. Her boss, scheduled to take her to the hospital the next morning, does likewise. Patrolling cops called in after the initial knock on the door swing by. Each of these characters and situations makes perfect sense within the story, each of them behaves as you’d expect they really would - there are no senseless teens in the woods here to simply up the count, each of these work as real people which makes what is done to them all the more horrific.

The core of the film lies undoubtedly with its two lead actresses. Alysson Paradis - sister to Vanessa and sister-in-law to Johnny Depp - turns in a fearless and nuanced performance as Sarah, the woman who must find the strength to survive for the sake of the baby she carries. Maury and Bustillo remarked that they cast her in part because she simply doesn’t care about her on screen image, she has no vanity or need to look good on screen, which was an absolute must for the pair and she acquits herself remarkably well. The iconic Beatrice Dalle is even more remarkable as Sarah’s unnamed assailant, a remorseless woman utterly consumed by her obsession and coldly willing to do absolutely whatever it takes to get what she wants.

Inside is a punishing film, one that will leave you feeling more than a little bit bruised when the credits roll by. It is not for the squeamish, certainly not for those uncomfortable with the sight of blood. More than likely destined for a straight-to-DVD release here in North America, it deserves far better.