the audience applauded

A Masterpiece!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Blistering performances.

If Maléfique is to believed, the French penal system is in need of some serious reform, the prison in this film seeing four men confined to a single, filthy, rat-infested cell, with white collar criminals forced to live alongside convicted murderers, sexual deviants and the criminally insane. Businessman Carrère (Gérald Laroche), whose wife has framed him for fraud, finds himself sharing with three such cell-mates: body-building transsexual Marcus (Clovis Cornillac), wife-murderer Lasalle (Philippe Laudenbach) and compulsive eater and all-round nut-job Pâquerette (Dimitri Rataud), who consumed his baby sister. When this unlikely collection of characters find an old journal hidden behind a loose brick in the cell wall, and read the strange supernatural phrases contained within, they discover a possible means of escape—but at what cost?Thematically, Maléfique borrows heavily from the Evil Dead series, Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies and the world of H.P. Lovecraft, with just a touch of Vincent Natali's cult sci-fi Cube for good measure; but although many elements will undoubtedly seem rather familiar to avid horror fans, the actual execution is about as original as it gets, director Eric Valette delivering arresting imagery, unpredictable WTF moments, and inventive special effects guaranteed to dumbfound, disgust and delight fans of the twisted and bizarre. While I can't say that I found this film as impeccable as many seem to have—I struggle with the basic set-up in which a non-violent criminal is incarcerated with the criminally insane—I have to admire the movie for going the extra mile to continually surprise the viewer.

I was really pumped to see this one and when I began watching it I realized it was not going so well...The characters may seem good at first, but they get boring and annoying after 10 minutes. Story was so slow that you forget what's the movie about. Characters do some stupid stuff that makes almost no sense sometimes. Atmosphere is not that great, it really gives you some promise, but the characters ruin it. Maybe too much light also. Movie is not bad BAD movie but to me it was not enjoyable at all. I usually love French movies, but this one was boring, at least to me! I'm not saying not to check it out cause you might like it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought i would.

~Spoiler~ Stop me if you've heard this one: A cannibal, a transsexual, and a business owner are trapped in a cell...okay, it's no joke. But it is the plot of Malefique, a French import from director Eric Vallette. The three characters I mentioned earlier, along with a professor with an unhealthy thirst for knowledge, are all cellmates in a French prison. During a scuffle, a loose stone falls out of the wall revealing the diary of a former prisoner. The diary is also a spellbook which may help them escape, or drive them all mad. I have to say it was an intriguing concept that kept me involved throughout. Malefique has the feel of a Clive Barker or H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. I don't know if by the end I found it to be up to par with their work, but it has its merits. It's a testament to the writing and the actors that a movie which takes place in primarily one small room is so interesting. And the ending is as dark and nihilistic as all the other French offerings as of late. I would recommend this to anyone searching for something different.

French horror cinema has seen something of a revival over the last couple of years with great films such as Inside and Switchblade Romance bursting on to the scene. Maléfique preceded the revival just slightly, but stands head and shoulders over most modern horror titles and is surely one of the best French horror films ever made! Maléfique was obviously shot on a low budget, but this is made up for in far more ways than one by the originality of the film, and this in turn is complimented by the excellent writing and acting that ensure the film is a winner. The plot focuses on two main ideas; prison and black magic. The central character is a man named Carrère, sent to prison for fraud. He is put in a cell with three others; the quietly insane Lassalle, body building transvestite Marcus and his retarded boyfriend Daisy. After a short while in the cell together, they stumble upon a hiding place in the wall that contains an old journal. After translating part of it, they soon realise its magical powers and realise they may be able to use it to break through the prison walls.Black Magic is a very interesting topic, and I'm actually quite surprised that there aren't more films based on it as there's so much scope for things to do with it. It's fair to say that Maléfique makes the best of it's assets as despite it's restraints, the film never actually feels restrained and manages to flow well throughout. Director Eric Valette provides a great atmosphere for the film; the fact that most of it takes place inside the central prison cell ensures that the film feels very claustrophobic, and this immensely benefits the central idea of the prisoners wanting to use magic to break out of the cell - it's very easy to get behind them! It's often said that the unknown is the thing that really frightens people, and this film proves that as the director ensures that we can never really be sure of exactly what is round the corner, and this helps to ensure that Maléfique actually does manage to be quite frightening! The film is memorable for a lot of reasons outside the central plot; the characters are all very interesting in their own way and the fact that the book itself almost takes on its own character is very well done. Anyone worried that the film won't deliver by the end won't be disappointed either as the ending both makes sense and manages to be quite horrifying! Overall, Maléfique is a truly great horror film and one of the best of the decade - HIGHLY recommended viewing!