Language: English (American)
Genre: Horror
Length: 89 mins
Director: Franck Khalfoun
Writer: Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur, C.A. Rosenburgh, (original Screenplay) Joe Spinell
Cast: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder
Plot
Frank is a
psycho murderer who stalks, kills and scalps women. He takes the scalps back home and staples
them to the heads of retro manikin. These are in plenty supply as Frank has
inherited a shop full of them from his mother.
One day Frank meets artist Anna when she photograph’s his retro manikin’s
in the shop window. He strikes up a
friendship with her, possibly his first relationship with a woman other than
his mother, but his psychosis is overwhelming and Anna’s life is in danger.
Review
Beautifully
filmed, especially the night shots where colours pop against black backgrounds. The film looks very slick and glossy and I’m not
sure this works with a slasher horror, but as the film is supposed to be from
Frank’s point of view and Frank see’s beauty in the revolting (shop dummies with
bloody human wigs transform into beautiful women in his imagination) then the
director’s choices here make sense.
As
mentioned the director has made the interesting choice of shooting the film in
the first person (like Doom), so Frank’s face is only seen when reflected in mirrors
or windows. This technique has the effect of continually reminding you you are
watching a film. Traditionally techniques where the film making becomes
invisible and viewers forget they are watching a film may have worked better. But still, it was interesting.
The plot
all seemed a bit farfetched, even for a horror, particularly the notion
that Frank’s mother is the instigator of his madness which is a bit annoying
(it’s always the woman’s fault). The women are all completely stupid; Frank
looks dodgy and ill when we see him in reflections, but the girls still thrown
themselves at him. Very strange. And as the film is a remake of an older film could have been a great opportunity to re-imagine the role of women in horror.The slasher element is completely gory and
distressing, as a horror this film really works.
Elijah Wood
will always be Frodo, but he was pretty convincing as the bulging eyed, frantic
and delusional Frank. Nora Arnezeder (Anna) plays well as the nice girl and
then victim, but it’s not really a demanding role for her.
Overall
great slasher weak on motivations.
Budget: Low budget.
2 out of 5
stars.
