How French cinema led the horror genre in the decade of 2000s

In the 2000s, Hollywood busied itself with churning out sequels to "Saw" on a yearly basis. The film kickstarted a franchise where each film deviated more and more from the essence of the original until it became a mockery of its former groundbreaking origin. While Hollywood was busy milking the cash cow, French cinema was inventing new horror tales that were bold and unique, thus picking up the baton and leading the genre. Any horror fan tired of the monotonous and sterilised horror of the Hollywood franchises should indulge in the raw take of the French. 

Inside (À l'intérieur):

Great horror emerges from the moments of simplicity. The unnerving sequences do not rely on production or narrative complexity extravagance. The most effective ones tear away the superfluous furnishings to reveal a simple conceit. Inside is deceptively simple in its premise. A heavily pregnant woman is pursued by a vicious woman who wants her unborn baby. Set in one location, the film begins a deadly game of cat and mouse. The pregnant woman is weak and vulnerable, and the pursuer is deranged, vicious and ruthless in her pursuit. The odds are stacked against the protagonist, which is the core principle that all good thrillers use to ratchet up the tension. The film is edge-of-the-seat tense from beginning to end, with no moment of respite for the audience or the protagonist. Just remember to breathe because you might forget to at many points throughout the film.

Martyrs:

On the surface, the comparison can be drawn between "Martyrs" and "Hostel", but the motives here are far deeper, deep-rooted in the bigger questions about human desire and the quest for impossible answers. Whereas the latter is more interested in spilling guts and decapitating limbs, the former is more focused on the strength of a woman and the endurance of her spirit. The shocking and horrifying events of the films are more powerful because the character who endures them feels real. Unlike the usual Hollywood genre films, the characters are not caricatures drawn to be killed and disposed of. The film begins as a tale of revenge and switches gear midway into something far more sinister and brutal. It does not hold anything back and the result is a tour de force that can not be easily forgotten. I dare you to try and forget the last moments of the film. I haven't been able to, after all these years.

Irreversible:

One thing that all the films in the list share is the characteristic of being bold. The films here do not shy away from showing the uncomfortable. The unflinching view into the depravity of humanity is arresting and horrifying in equal parts. It's certainly true for this film. The film centres around a terrible incident which occurred in an underpass to one of the protagonists and the film then shows us the events leading up to it in reverse chronological order. We also see what happens later and how the lives of ordinary people are changed forever. The structure of the film is incredibly affecting as we see the characters inching closer to the horrible events without them knowing. The disjointed structure of the film works in its favour as the audience is apprehended and there is a poignant inevitability and sadness in knowing what's coming their way. The performances are raw and real to a degree that it's highly unforcometable to watch horrible things happening to them. Yet great horror is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and this film accomplishes the task effortlessly.

Sheitan:

This one is more fun than the gloomy affair of the other films on the list. It's the story of a group of teenagers who are enjoying a late party. After exiting the disco they encounter a mysterious shepherd whose actions get weirder as time passes. Not Hollywood-standard weird but the weirdest possible actions in any film out there. It is very hard to top this film in its self-indulgent craziness but that's not necessarily the bad thing. It works as an experience like going through a horror house, when you know you will be freaked out but you can't resist going in. It will take some time to absorb all the imagery but the plot is interesting enough to keep you hooked. The fun is in the unexpected and that's how this film should be seen. Vincent Cassel is a brilliant performer who also features in Irreversible. Lots of genre films revolve around a great central performance and that's truer here than anywhere else. His performance is bold but also unhinged in a way that is deeply unsettling. Few performers can jump into the insanity of a character with such uninhibition. As a craft, it's a joy to see a performer at the top of his game and as a film, it's horrifying to witness a deranged character who relishes in his own madness to such a degree.

Frontier(s):

This is a French answer to the American classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". A group of friends came upon a deranged family and carnage follows. Frontiers is a fast-paced hell ride. Nothing is certain and nothing is off-limits. The tone changes throughout the film from pulse-pounding action to nerve-racking horror. I cringed, flinched and squinched throughout most scenes. But at no point did I feel exploited because it had a way to work up to the carnage with a proper setup that led up to the moments of shock and horror. It's a story of young thieves fleeing Paris during a riot only to be trapped in a situation ten times worse than before. We are not particularly sympathetic to them at the beginning but as the story unfolds we start to root for them. Even the terrible ones do not deserve the merciless violence inflicted upon them by the deranged. This film is more stylised than the above-mentioned films but it works perfectly within the context of the film with a sense of cohesion that binds the whole thing together.