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By – Gareth Jones
For fans of one-shot movies, creative one-shot zombie movies like One Cut of the Dead, the end of the world, French Horror films
Recently, we talked about the zombie movie One Cut of the Dead on Sleep In Cinema. It is a wonderfully entertaining film that begins with a single long shot of a low budget zombie movie that lasts for a little over 30 minutes. Well, David Moreau ups the ante with an 86 minute single shot zombie film that trades the humor and heartwarming elements of One Cut of the Dead for dread and nihilism.
David Moreau started his career with a bang with the extremely creepy film Them in 2006. Since then, he has made one American remake horror film and a few family films. MadS is a true return to form. He does a fantastic job of taking what could be a gimmick technical aspect and turns it into an unnerving, disturbing addition to the modern zombie genre.
The film begins with a spoiled, rich Generation Z boy, Romain buying drugs from his dealer before a night out. The first sign of trouble shows when the drugs make his nose bleed, but he pays little attention. He jumps in his father’s expensive convertible to drive to go to a party. Like the Dude, he starts to smoke a joint and similarly to that film, he drops the hot cigarette in his lap. He pulls over to see what the damage is to the car’s leather seat, and a bloodied, bandaged woman jumps into the car. She cannot speak but holds a recorder that plays messages about an experiment. He wants nothing to do with her and she then starts to stab herself, vomiting blood over him and his precious car. Obviously, things get much worse from this point.The title of the film is intriguing, never really referenced in the film, leaving it open to interpretation. Could that be the name of the drug that Romain took? Is it a code name for the experiment? Is it a reference to madness and the zombification of humanity? Is it a salute to one of the greatest actors of all time, Mads Mikkleson (known for his incredible physical performances)? Who knows, but it is worth pondering.Moreau does an excellent job keeping the audience on its toes. The film is a study in screenwriting with three distinct sections with different leads for each, all seamlessly melding together. It is a true rollercoaster as we are dragged, whirled, and discombobulated by the camera movements, character developments, and trying to figure out what the hell is going on and what will happen next. Like previous one shot films, you want to immediately watch the film again to try and figure out all the ways that they made it work so seamlessly.The zombies in this film are an appropriate blend of previous incarnations. You have the convulsive twitching of Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance, combined with the speed of the 28 Days Later zombies. The transformations are exhibited with some nifty eye effects, but the majority of the praise should go to the actors who bring an upsetting reality to their performances. In particular, Milton Riche as Romain and Laurie Pavey as Anais, Romain’s girlfriend, show tremendous strength in the physicality of their roles. They transform in different ways but both are asked to commit to the role in demanding ways. Even though they are not necessarily likable characters, you can’t help but feel some sympathy for them.
Like other great zombie films, this one has a commentary on today’s society. So many of us are distracted and zoned into our own narrow worlds while the world is falling apart around us. Like the characters in the film, it may be too late for us. In other words, we need to put down our phones and try to see what is happening around us before it is too late.
Available to stream on Shudder
Written by: Gareth Jones
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