WiHM: Our Favorite Female Roles In Horror, Day 5

Today's two beauties are courtesy of Marie, who is back from the cold grip of death (just kidding) to give us not one but two fine examples of fantastic (and unsettling) performances in horror.

Cécile De France - Haute Tension (2003)

French film Haute Tension - or as we English-speakers know it, High Tension - has become quite a popular and controversially violent film since its release in 2003.

This film put director Alexandre Aja on the road to horror and he has not turned back since, afterwards giving us The Hills Have Eyes remake, Mirrors, Piranha, and the upcoming flick starring Daniel Radcliffe, Horns.

A home invasion film turned psychological thriller, Haute Tension stars Cécile De France as Marie, a young woman who is joining her best friend Alexia (Maïwenn) to visit her family in the country. Marie is quiet and reserved but harbors an obsession for Alexia, who is all but oblivious to it as she chatters on about sleeping with various men.

The two arrive late in the evening, and there isn’t much family fun to be had before terror strikes. A brutish, sexually deranged man breaks into the home and begins slaughtering the family one by one—except for Alexia. “If he wanted to kill you he already would have,” reassures Marie, who has been narrowly eluding the murderer and tries to free Alexia from her chains.

The character of Marie is our protagonist, and she is the only character who is really permitted any development. After all, she is the only one alive, except for Alexia of course, but she is stuck in the back of a truck for most of the film. However, that development doesn’t go in the direction you might expect…

There are, of course, times when we find ourselves attempting to scream through the screen at Marie, but for seeing what she sees she seems to move on quickly and get back to the task at hand—saving Alexia. But honestly, Marie has nerves of steel; she watches every single member of her best friend’s family brutally murdered and still, she does not give up. Even when attempt after attempt to contact the police fails, she carries on.

Actress De France really delivers in this film, and while she might not give us the most likable, sympathetic character, she gives a strong, memorable performance. When Marie is cowering under the bed, keeping her breath sucked in tight until the killer leaves the room, you are holding that breath with her, exhaling, as well, when the coast is clear. When she sees each person mutilated before her very eyes, we feel her sorrow and disgust.

One thing we can’t relate to is Marie’s strange infatuation with Alexia. While her drive to save her friend is admirable, it just doesn’t feel all the way right. It is clear she has a motive to be alone with Alexia, and as the film unfolds we see she might do some disturbing things to get what she wants…

De France brings to life a surprisingly complex character, one that must be examined just underneath the surface. You feel an unease about Marie’s affections in the back of your mind the whole film, and it is that creeping sensation that De France has mastered in her role.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but this movie will shock you. De France’s performance and portrayal of Marie is one to be remembered.

 Eihi Shiina - Audition (1999)

Takashi Miike shocked and revolted the world with his 1999 film Audition. He’s known for his unflinching scenes of violence, having directed Ichi the Killer and one third of the film Three…Extremes. It’s one of those movies you get bullied or dared into watching - but in the end, you will thank yourself, because this film is considered by many horror fans to be a masterpiece.

After seven years of living single, widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi, The Grudge) feels it is time to begin dating again. Given his son’s blessing, he goes along with his film producer friend’s plot to host a mock movie casting to pick a new mate

Out of all of the girls that show up, Shigeharu is instantly enchanted by plain, quiet Asami; a woman made legendary monster by Japanese actress Eihi Shiina. Originally a model, Shiina has also done a dozen films—many of them horror—including Tokyo Gore Police.

Shigeharu gets Asami to fall for him almost immediately, but he quickly realizes that she is not the polite, simple girl that he thought she was. Asami harbours a deadly hobby and a dark, disturbing past, one that has shaped her into the thing she is today.

We, the audience, see all that Shigeharu sees and more. So, while he may realize that all of the references Asami put on her resume are fake, we also realize that she sits endlessly by the phone in an apartment that nearly empty, save for a large bloody sack…that moves.

Asami’s childhood was devastated by a physically and probably sexually abusive man who she later exacts her gruesome revenge on; this trauma has bred in her an insecurity cured only by bloodlust.

Audition is known for its scenes of brutal torture, which last less than ten minutes. What is really disturbing is the way Asami adores torturing men, and the way Eihi Shiina is cute and terrifying at the same time. She has created every man’s girlfriend from hell, and is made memorable by lines like, “Kiri, kiri, kiri…” and of course, her weapon of choice—razor wire.

To play a role like this a person must have real dedication and even bravery. One must make themselves vulnerable to try and understand what kind of person might have this sort of…hobby.

This film has had a record number of walkouts in theatres and audience members have even claimed needing medical attention after viewing the movie. Now that is what I call a powerful performance. I wonder if Shiina is proud of all the terror she has inspired—if she is a true horror girl, I’m sure she is!
 

Do you speak French?

I have mentioned before the 'horroretc' podcast (http://www.horroretc.com/ ) and how much I love it. Well, this week's podcast was all about French horror - so I moved up a few movies already on my Netflix list (and collected my thoughts on one I had already seen) so I could correlate with a few titles Tony and Ted discussed on their brilliant weekly show. Hope that's ok, guys!
First up, "Inside" :



Talk about suffering.
No, seriously - actually talk about suffering.

Ok - this is one of the most disturbing, graphic, unsettling films I have seen in like, many many moons. It starts out slow and reels you into its house of horrors.

'Inside' ("À l'intérieur", in French) is a story about an ill-fated pregnant woman not only dealing with her husband's death and impending childbirth- but a stark-raving mad lunatic who has seen reason to - for lack of a better phrase - steal her child right out of her womb.

A strange concept, to be sure - and I certainly wouldn't recommend this to..... let's see.... anyone at all who isn't a true fan of grisly, revoltingly realistic horror. If you liked Hostel, absolutely pick this up. If your idea of horror is more like The Sixth Sense or maybe even Halloween on your bravest evening - steer clear of this, for sure.

That said - I have to admit, I liked "Inside" alot.

When our little gore-fest starts, Sarah (Alysson Paradis, coincidentally Johnny Depp's future sister-in-law) and her hubby are in a car accident in which he gets the worse end of the deal.
He dies. She was the driver, and has struck another car. She's pregnant, but apparently the baby is alright.

Fast forward a few months - she's now 9 months and ready to pop. Her doctor and her are planning her admission to the hospital for early the next morning (which happens to be Christmas - why on earth would you have a planned birth on Christmas day?). Anyway, She makes plans with her boss so he can drive her to the hospital in the morning and then retreats to her country home to relax and contemplate the impending big event. Depression seems obvious, since her child is fatherless and she is alone.

She hears a knock at the door. When she asks who is there, a woman replies that her car has broken down and she needs to use the phone. Sarah asks her to leave, saying her husband is asleep and she should ask someone else in the neighborhood for help.

At this point, things go all wrong. The woman, it seems, knows Sarah's husband is dead. How does she know that? Sarah has called the cops and they soon arrive but find no sign of the mysterious intruder. They assure her she must have left and say they will keep a patrol car in the area on watch. They leave.

The next chilling scene shows a close up of Sarah on her couch. The camera pans out and you see the outline of the stranger directly behind Sarah. Great atmosphere and camera work. The angles are great and you have a huge sense of impending doom.

Here's where the real gore starts. I cannot elaborate without truly giving everything away, but suffice it to say, it is a bloody mess. Some say there is a 'twist' ending. I prefer to think of it as a reasonable (?) explanation.

And like 'The Orphanage', this movie is subtitled. It's a french movie, folks. And after seeing 'Them' (aka 'Ils') and 'High Tension' ('Haute Tension'), I have come to believe that the French truly know what they are doing as far as making horror is concerned.
Check this one out if you dare. The first twenty minutes or so are pretty untroubled, while the story is being set up. But once it gets moving, it really rolls.

*Just a tidbit: Here in western Pennsylvania, a few years ago - not far from where I live, an obviously disturbed woman kidnapped a neighbor of hers, took her out to the woods, and proceeded to attempt to perform her own style of C-section. She slit the 8 month pregnant woman open - after beating her severely - and tried, unsuccessfully, to steal the child. She fled the scene, leaving the pregnant wounded woman there to die. A passerby (hero) called the police and the victim was flown to a nearby hospital where her baby was delivered safely. The perpetrator was arrested and jailed. She was known to say she just wanted to pass the baby off as her own.
See, this shit really does happen!

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Now on to "Ils" (aka 'Them') :

Similar in theme, Ils is a movie about a couple who are terrorized in their home by mysterious hooded strangers.

To start out, in rural Romania, a mother and her daughter are driving down a dark country road and they wreck their van into a utility pole. The mother (apparently knowing something about mechanics!) gets out of the van and lifts the hood, soon telling her daughter to try the engine. The daughter tries a few times to no avail. The girl calls to her mother, who does not respond. The bratty teenager angrily gets out of the van and comes around the open car hood to find her mother has disappeared. She calls out to her over and over, looking into the dark woods that surround the car. Soon she hears strange noises so she jumps back into the van and proceeds to be harrassed by unseen figures until the camera pans out and you see someone in the car attacking the daughter, with an obviously poor outcome.

Next we see our couple, Clementine and Lucas, settling down at their remotely located country home for a cozy weekend. Previously, on the way to the house, Clementine passes a tow truck towing a wrecked van away.

The evening arrives and after dinner Clem and Lucas are hanging out, watching some bad tv. Lucas hears a stray dog outside barking up a storm so he goes out and gives it a few morsels and dispatches it for the night. They decide to head off to bed.

During the night Clem awakens, disturbed by some odd noises outside. She wakes Lucas, and after looking outside and noticing their car has been moved, they get an uneasy feeling.

Telling more would be a spoiler, so let me just say this is a home invasion to put in the record books.

The film isn't really anything mindboggling or different, but the way the story is delivered in tight montages of action is appealing. There is very little gore factor to speak of, which separates it from "Inside" quite a bit. But they are both stories of intruders in the house, and if there is anything scarier than that, I don't know what. To feel so ill at ease in your own home is a frightening thing. The first time you get an actual glimpse of the hooded interlopers who have barged into the couple's lives, it will give you a slight shock, and no doubt fill you with dread of things to come.

There is a twist ending in this movie as well, though I have to admit I thought the final 20 minutes or so were a bit blase - they seemed borrowed from so many other films I have already seen. However, when you finally see the home invaders it is quite a heavy handed realization.

One of the final scenes with Clem in it is memorable.

Both movies work well at making tense moments nearly unbearable, but I have to admit I think 'Ils' is a bit better at setting up the fear factor than 'Inside'... Both are frightening, but in different ways.

I would suggest seeing both. I saw them within one day of each other and this makes a nice contrast.

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Ahhh.... High Tension - what an interesting movie to say the least.

Also known as Haute Tension in France, this gory thriller had me going pretty good.
There are so many discussions about this movie's ending that you could probably fill an entire book of debunking myths and falsities.

When I first heard about this movie, I couldn't wait to see it. I had to wait awhile even after I had bought it, as my hubby just isn't crazy about subtitles or dubbing.

Finally, he was away for a fishing weekend and the DVD player was all mine.

Yes, I watch these kind of movies by myself all the time. And I even listen to the movie score for Psycho while showering, I'm that weird.

Anyway, I loved the beginning.

Marie (Cécile De France) has come to her friend Alex's secluded house in the country to study for final exams.

It isn't long before they are all headed to bed, with Marie getting the attic guest room.

Soon after all is quiet and everyone is settled in, a mysterious stranger knocks on the door and when Alex's father answers the door, everything takes a horrible turn.

Marie hears a ruckus and wanders down the stairs, only to see a horrific, gory sight.
From then one, the middle part of the film is just body after body piling up. I hate to spoil things, but it is just a bloody mess.

The same exact comment could be made for the final act in this extremely tense and satisfying (up to this point) movie. The ending just left me completely taken aback.
Aghast at the sheer silliness of what this film turns into, I still have to recommend it because of the first two-thirds of the film. It is just plain scary. High Tension is the perfect title.

But that ending..... Oh my. Nothing can stop the animosity I felt towards the writers, producers, and the great director, Alexandre Aja, after this debacle.

But hey, French horror has made a name for itself. They really can get under your skin.

Literally.

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