‘Inside’: This Chilling Slasher Film Turns Christmas Eve Into a Bloody, Sinister Nightmare
The universal worry that nowhere is really safe, even at Christmas, is tapped upon by the home invasion horror genre. The 2007 French slasher ‘Inside’ (À l’intérieur) tells a horrific, violent story set on Christmas Eve that is notable for its startling severity, in contrast to more recent films like ‘Terrifier 3’, which included a gory holiday attack. It is a relentless investigation of violence and human evil and is a part of the New French Extremity trend.
Sarah, a pregnant woman who recently lost her husband, is shown inside. She intends to spend Christmas Eve alone, sleeping well until the next morning, when a coworker will drive her to the hospital for an induction. When a stranger, only known as The Woman, shows up with the one, terrible intention of stealing Sarah’s unborn child at any costs, her seclusion is broken. Instead of hiding behind a mask like other slasher villains, The Woman, played terrifyingly by Béatrice Dalle, is made all the more frightful by her unnerving presence and humanity.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
The horror is heightened by the cramped, one-location setting of the movie. From beginning to end, the film is filled with dread thanks to the skilful use of images like strobe-lit shadows and frightening silhouettes by directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. Sarah’s intense resolve to live is the only thing that can equal the Woman’s unrelenting violence. The film occasionally jumps to Sarah’s unborn child to reveal the life-or-death situation from the inside—a disturbing and unsettling detail.
The violence in ‘Inside’ is unrelenting, with quick, heartbreaking wounds and fatalities that give little cause for optimism. A reflection on grief and how it may eat away at a person’s humanity can be found beneath the violence. In a vicious battle, traumatized Sarah and The Woman vent their suffering on one another. The film’s depressing and startling impact guarantees that it will always stand out among horror films.
–Farheen Ali
