Review of Frontier(s) (2007) by Vineet A — 15 Apr 2008

Director Xavier Gens tries again to dish out a good movie with this attempt at horror, but, once again, swings and misses. His first attempt that I witnessed was the atrocious, disgraceful film adaptation of the Hitman game franchise (I could go on a whole tirade about that pile of shit, but I won't). In this film, Gens goes for the gore factor that so many directors think is horror. Gore can be great, but for God's sake don't make it carry the film. Also, when are writers going to stay away from the psycho cannibal family plot? It's been played out FAR too many times. Originality is something that this genre needs badly.

Luckily, there are a few redeeming elements that make this unlike every other crap movie. There are a couple spots in the movie that are very creepy and unsettling. They make you want to pluck the victim out of the film just to spare them of the psychological torment they are enduring, and that is what more horror films need. The main victim gets the ever-living shit beat out of her, and that is something that doesn't come often. Usually, the main actress is miraculously spared of hardly any bodily harm, but not in this one. Get ready to feel very, very bad for her. Finally, this may sound a bit hypocritical, but the blood and gore that finds its way onto the screen is very good, especially one particularly brutal scene. Gore is good, but use it sparingly.

Overall, not the worst film to try and settle itself into the horror genre but definitely nowhere near good. Try another French film called Inside if you're looking for something that nicely blends suspense and terror with blood and gore.