Fantastic Fest ’11 Review: ‘LIVID’

Going into Fantastic Fest 2011, a lot of buzz has been building for Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s follow-up to their 2007 hit Inside.  So much praise has been awarded to the two after only one feature film under their belt that it seems the duo have a lot to live up to with their sophomore effort.  The film, Livid, makes its US premiere at Fantastic Fest; a festival filled with horror lovers that is the true test for a film like this.  Can Livid live up to the unbelievable amount of pressure that horror and genre fans have put on the film?

Livid begins with an simple yet interesting set-up.  Lucie is beginning her training as an at-home nurse.  She is learning from Wilson, a woman who has been doing this for years and is clearly burnt out on the position.  After traveling and medicating several patients, the two land upon a creepy old house occupied by a bed-ridden comatose woman.  Lucie later recounts the large majestic house to her boyfriend and friend.  They become even more intrigued when Lucie mentions the fact that there is apparently a treasure locked somewhere in the house.  Like all dumb teenagers in horror movies, they break into the house and get more than what they bargained for.

For starters, I want to begin by saying that I did enjoy Inside a lot.  At the same time, I don’t think it nearly deserves all of the “new classic” titles that many bestow upon it.  It is a very effective home invasion film that is relentless and brutal.  The female intruder is a mysterious, blood-thirsty beast that tears apart the victim’s house just as easily as what she does to the victim’s belly by the end of the film.  Livid, on the other hand is an entirely different beast.  In fact, it is more like a “Frankenstein monster” that is assembled using unique visuals and creepy plot devices found in every horror film that has come before it.  Livid attempts to be a love-letter to fans of the horror genre who are well-educated on the classic horror tropes that many love (complete with a funny nod to Hallowwen III).  Yet, it comes across as an empty fun-house ride complete with creaking doors, cob-webbed covered cellars, creepy children, and chilling flashbacks.  This is not even counting some of the other more specific nods to Guillermo del Toro and his iconic Spanish-style horror imagery.  Just wait till the end; one of the final scenes easily brings to mind the mechanical device used in Cronos.  Without the knowledge of these previous films, you can still argue the fact that Livid’s set-up is just a bigger budgeted episode of Tales From The Crypt.  This is where my main issue with the film stems from.  Instead of focusing on a clear narrative and engaging characters, the directing and writing duo seem to have focused all their energy into including whatever creepy imagery popped into their heads while writing.  Once again, it feels like a haunted house ride compete with random “horror movie imagery” that is pieced together in a non-sensical fashion.

What does work quite well in the film is the opening set-up.  It begins with a fascinatingly creepy intro that could have made for a much more interesting film.  Unfortunately, the film takes the easy way out and throws in a haunted house instead.  I did also enjoy the gorgeous set-pieces displayed throughout the film.  Though lacking in originality and rationality, there are numerous scenes that would function as a best-of tape that gets played on mute at your next Halloween party.  You get sharp teethed “vampires” , Tim Burton flashbacks, creepy veiled little girls, an old woman with a breathing apparatus, and an ending that will bring to mind The Lady in White (a personal favorite of mine).

I wanted to like Livid.  I thought, based of the fact that some people were previously disappointed after the film’s previous festival showings, that people were just expecting another gore-fest like Inside and were upset.  If that was the case I would have been fine with the film.  I fully welcome the idea of directors exploring different aspects of film and not repeating themselves.  At last, that’s not the problem with Livid.  The duo’s second effort can be seen as a sophomore slump.  Even worse, the film feels like they took about thirty steps backward and ended up in Hollywood.  On the surface, it is beautiful looking, but it stands as an unoriginal horror film that feels like a really good “Dark Castle” produced film.