Horror Movie Reviews
More Details...Price: $19.98 |
Title: Calvaire: The Ordeal (2006) |
|
Review of Calvaire: The Ordeal
- In the tradition of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PSYCHO and DELIVERANCE comes this chilling Belgian horror that pushes the limits of shock filmmaking. Director and co-writer Fabrice Du Welz masterfully evokes a sense of deeply disturbing terror as Marc Stevens world goes profoundly and utterly wrong. When his car breaks down in the middle of the isolated backcountry he s forced to seek refuge in a rural inn. Marc is taken in by Bartel a lonely and psychologically fragile innkeeper who promises to help. But when Marc catches him dismantling his car he realizes that the innkeeper has other plans for him sadistic plans that will push him to the bounds of human pain and suffering.System Requirements:Run Time: 98 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 660200312022 Manufacturer No: PALM3120
Product Description
[ Back to Homepage | Back to Horror Movie Reviews Index ]
HellHorror.com not responsible for reviews/comments and they may be removed at any time.
Submit Comment
Login / Join/Register for a free account
Comments for Calvaire: The Ordeal
- Posted on 2008-07-03
Disturbing, but two plot points REALLY bug me
I did enjoy this film, found two scenes absolutely brilliant (the dance scene, and the overhead shot of the mayhem going on the cottage near the end), and was left haunted by the ending (which is ambiguous but - SPOILER ALERT!!!!! - I think it's implied that Marc is wandering the woods insane).
However, I found two important plot points to be completely unbelievable and in fact extremely irritating. They are:
(A) A car battery is heavy. If a weak, old man is standing in front of you trying to lift a car battery high enough to hit you in the head with it, you can EASILY avoid it. This is precisely why the actual battery-to-head contact is not shown on-camera. Because it would look ridiculous.
(B) Marc is shown to be a normal human being. Why does he IMMEDIATELY revert to a simpering, powerless child the second he is hit with a car battery and tied up? All he does the rest of the movie is lie around passively and cry! I'm not saying it doesn't HURT to get hit in the head by a car battery, and perhaps what I'm missing is that maybe the injury scrambled his brain so much that he can't think clearly enough to fight back against his oppresser. But man - to see him go from normal man to impotent crybaby that quickly was a bit unexpected.
Still, if you are interested in cinematic depictions of deranged minds, you must see Calvaire. Every single person in the film is deranged!
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-02-21
a true shocker without all the gore
This is not a movie for gore-hounds; in fact, the camera shies away from most of the violence. Instead, this film resonates in more creepy and psychological ways. There are scenes that will stay with you and they are not graphically violent but deeply violent all the same. The extremely disturbing dancing scene of the villagers and the pig squeals still haunt me.
As already noted, it is a tale about all the things that can go wrong once you leave your own protected environment. There is a reason why the backwoods are so scary (shades of Deliverance, French style). This movie is scary and the characters are among the creepiest. Bartel, the inn keeper, and the villagers are a freak show! Certain scenes were hard to watch. The cinematography was breathtaking and eerie all at once. Other scenes are left to the viewers imagination which can make things all the more chilling.
As a viewer I was dying to know about the back drop of this story and the extras on this dvd did not help me. Obviously, there are no females in this remote village. How did this come to pass? Were the men a little off to begin with? or were they driven to this primeval state by the lack of women? This factor is what drives The Ordeal of Marc Stevens. Why Bartel would have stayed with his wife in the first place? It becomes clearer when Bartel confides that the villagers were not like him and Mr. Stevens. While this warns Mr. Stevens away from the villagers it also, we later discover, makes a very fine distinction between degrees of crazy. Very interesting movie.
Some believe this movie is about zombies but I would disagree. I think it's really a movie arguing the natural state of man. According to the great French philosophy Rousseau, the progression of the sciences and arts has caused the corruption of virtue and morality in society but here, the consequences of Rousseau's "Social Contract" which recommended the return to nature and the whole "Naturalism" movement are horrific. The religious overtones (the whole nailing to the cross bit and following baser instincts leads to bad things) and shades of Lord of the Flies (what is the basic nature of man?) and plenty of other references all add up to a fascinating film not to be missed. Definitely a film to own rather then rent.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-01-02
Fairly standard shocker
It's a hard life being a singer I'm told. In the film "Calvaire" we find out how difficult it truly can be. Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) is a singer who is working weddings and retirement homes. Things don't seem to be going too well for Marc as eighty year old women as well as their attendants decide to throw themselves at him. Unfortunately things get much worse for young Marc. On the way to his next gig, Marc's car breaks down in an out of the way hamlet, and he is forced to stay at an inn run by the lonely Bartel (Jackie Berroyer). Bartel takes a liking to the boy and decides that Marc will stick around whether he likes it or not. The worst part for Marc is that Bartel isn't even the worst citizen in town. What follows is a crash course in depravity for the singer.
"Calvaire" is not a movie that breaks boundaries. The comparison to movies such as "Deliverance", "Misery", and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" are fairly easy to make. Like the aforementioned films, "Calvaire" is a disturbing movie about kidnapping, violence, rape, and bestiality. What makes this movie different from others of its genre is the strong performance of Jackie Berroyer as Bartel. As the film progresses, the audience sees Bartel transform from a friendly but lonely inn keeper to a psychotic who misses his wife just a little too much. Unfortunately, Berroyer's fine performance is not enough. The appearance of the town's even less savory customers takes the film into a predictable and unfulfilling end.
Despite some problems with the story, and the fact that the movie was obviously shot on a limited budget, "Calvaire" does not suffer technically. Belgian director Fabri Du Welz did a good job utilizing the materials at hand and shot a thoroughly disturbing movie.
"Calvaire" is another example of the current trend of horror movies that go out of their way to shock people. Jackie Berroyer's performance does help to differentiate "Calvaire" from its peers, but ultimately it is not enough to make it a compelling film.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2007-12-11
BIZARRE, STRANGE, UNUSUAL
Calvaire:The Ordeal is a Belgiun film released in 2004, and it is F#@$%* weird!!!
Our story starts off with our protagonist, Marc(Laurent Lucas), sitting in front of a mirror getting ready for a show at a retirement home. Marc is an upcoming musician/singer touring in his van(that doubles as his home)and doing small-time local shows. As Marc is driving in an isolated part of the country on his way to the next gig, his van breaks down. A very meek looking man named Boris comes to his aid. Boris takes Marc to an abandoned inn, occupied by the former propietor, Bartel(Jackie Berroyer)and leaves him there. Bartel seems like a very nice, but lonely and isolated person. He offers to tow and fix Marc's van, and while doing so, Marc goes on a walk to kill some time. In doing so he, and the viewer learn that this is not the best situation to be in(SICK!). The next mourning, He finds out that Bartel has been going through his private things, and when he approches Bartel to confront him, Marc sees that he has vandalized his van. Bartel suddenly knocks Marc unconcious, and blows up the van. Bartel then takes Marc hostage, and soon he will be 'squeeling like a pig'!!
Again, this movie is WEIRD! I bought this on a whim when it came up in my recomendations after buying another film.
The story is very realistic, and frightening! Marc finds himself in a situation that is almost to terrifying to imagine. It's one of those; I'm alone and the world is out to get me(literally)scenerios. Think of 'Texas Chainsaw', 'Misery', 'Deliverance', and 'A Clockwork Orange' all wraped up in a low-budjet indie film.
The acting is decent. Marc comes off as polite, but arrogant and distant, which only aggrivates the problem. Bartel's personality does a complete 180* flip, and you really don't see it coming. Outside of Marc, Bartel, and Boris, there are only a handfull of supporting actors in background rolls(which helps with the 'isolated' feeling).
The editing is where I have an issue. Some of the cuts just don't 'flow' right. When Bartel knocks out Marc with the van battery, I had to re-wind because it didn't 'flow' properly and I thought I missed something. Parts of the film seem rushed, and others go on to long. Again, there is a very bizarre, almost 'arthouse' vibe going on that at times doesn't mix with the story very well.
Other than Marc singing at the begining(and another weird scene) there isn't any music, and(I.M.O) this makes the movie have a realistic feeling.
Did I mention this movie is weird?! There is one(dance?!)scene that will most definetly have you scratching your head. All in all, this was a decent movie, but some do not care for it, so research and maybe a rent is needed first. I'm rating this movie a 3.5 out of 5, the extra half is for being *&^%$#@ strange. If your in the mood for something bizarre, and terrifying, Calvaire might be what your looking for.
Score: 3 - Posted on 2007-09-22
Eeeewww! But not in a good way.
This movie is disturbing and unpleasant. Give it that. Okay maybe the word 'disturbing' evokes an undeniable visceral response. This might not have gotten to you, but there's no denying that it is unpleasant. Nasty.
I did not like the movie. At all. Except for the guys dancing in the bar, that scene (starting with the piano) was good enough for a Miike movie.
And this doesn't compare to Haute Tension.
1. They have nothing in common except violence.
2. Haute Tension actually had some action/movement.
3. A girl masturbating is not an equivalent cinematic experience as pig raping.
4. Haute Tension was superb (aside from some stringent issues I have with the way that the last scene was shot).
If you want a dirty movie in pretty woods that is about gender-confused inbreds and don't mind ZERO antagonistic action from the victim, then this is the movie for you.
And it is in French!
Score: 2