Calvaire - A DVD Review

The french word 'Calvaire' means 'the ordeal'. What our hero goes through is indeed an ordeal. What the viewer goes through is a fucking ordeal.
Lemme break this down.This is a creeped out movie with some issues. Now, I love horror flicks, especially when they freak me out, but this is different.
This is a horror with some artsy leanings, and thats okay, cos the director seems to revel in the artistry of all that is scary... no, Creepy. He creates a creepy fucking movie. The darkness, the dialogue, it's all creepy as hell.
What works in this movie is the visuals. It looks scary from frame one. Every shot seems composed from some sick nightmare. A guy looking out the window after just waking up takes on so many freaky layers... I can't describe!

I was expecting a shocker when I watched this, but in fact it's an artsy horror film.
Is it scary? The atmosphere says 'yes'.
Is it gory? no.
Is it good? YES.
Settle in to this one with no expectations. This is a ride, so keep your arms in.
The last french horror I saw was Haute Tension, and it satisfied on way more basic levels than this one.
The difference is the gore.
Calvaire has minimal gore, but psychologically it's fucked up.
Haute Tension was fucked up AND had the gore.
It's all about your limits.

That said, I recommend Calvaire to anyone who wants to be creeped the fuck out, without the blood.

Ultimately, as a gore fan in intelligent films I was dissapointed, but I still feel compelled to recommend this film.

Tell me what you think.