CALVAIRE (aka THE ORDEAL) (2004): HOLIDAY HORROR WITH AN ACCENT!!!

CALVAIRE (aka THE ORDEAL) (2004) d. Fabrice du Welz (Belgium)

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After his car breaks down en route to the next holiday gig, low-rent crooner Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) stumbles into a backwards backwoods community devoid of women. Taking shelter at a nearby inn, he soon finds himself captive in a nightmarish scenario that manages to surprise and unnerve without resorting to eviscerations.

ALLELUIA (2014) Movie Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 17
Total First Time Views: 12
Amount raised for ALBANY PARK THEATER PROJECT: $1260.55

Alleluia (2014) d. Fabrice du Welz  (Belgium/France) (93 min) (1st viewing)

Mousy and reserved Gloria (frequent Almodovar star Lola Dueñas) falls deeply for slick, slimy shoe salesman Michel (Laurent Lucas) after their one night of passion, even going so far as to give him money when a business deal purportedly goes south, but then he disappears with the dough and her heart. What Michel doesn’t anticipate, however, is Gloria’s tenacity in tracking him down, followed by her astonishing openness, telling him that she understands and is willing to help him exploit other women in return for his devotion. Stunned into mutual adoration, Michel sets up their next target, only to find his new partner’s emotional attachment a bit complicated for his needs.

RAW (2016) movie review

Raw (2016) d. Julia Ducournau (Belgium/France) (99 min)

From the land of chocolate, beer, and waffles comes this marvelous urban cannibal feature about an innocent young vegetarian (Garance Marillier) who eats raw meat as part of a college hazing ritual and develops a taste for it—humans in particular. Written and directed by Ducournau, who uses her heroine’s ever-growing hunger as a metaphor for sexual awakening, familial bonding, and a host of other meaty subjects.

CALVAIRE (aka THE ORDEAL) (2004) review

Calvaire (aka The Ordeal) (2004) d. du Welz, Fabrice (Belgium)

This rare genre offering from Belgium presents a few novel twists on the well-worn “travelers off the beaten path” trope. After his car breaks down en route to the next holiday gig, low-rent crooner Laurent Lucas stumbles into a backwards backwoods community devoid of women. Taking shelter at Jackie Berroyer's nearby inn, he soon finds himself captive in a nightmarish scenario that manages to surprise and unnerve without resorting to eviscerations. Kudos to director du Welz, who co-wrote the script with Romain Protait, for his skillful evocation of dread-filled atmospherics, as well as one of the strangest dance sequences ever to pass through a camera lens. Watch for appearances from Eurobabe Brigette Lahaie and High Tension’s Phillipe Nahon.