MadS

I'll be the first to admit, Shudder has a habit of dumping a lot of questionable content on their platform, but MadS is a real gem. The French director David Moreau brings a fresh take on the zombie genre with his frenetic, one-take style that plunges you straight into the madness. The only thing better than a single-take film is a single-take horror, and MadS uses this technique to perfection, creating a claustrophobic and tense experience that feels both chaotic and masterfully controlled.

David Moreau's take on the zombie genre is frenetic and totally refreshing. The French just know how to make horrors that get under your skin, and MadS does exactly that with its claustrophobic atmosphere and tense pacing. If you're into inventive, pulse-pounding horror, this is definitely worth checking out.

The film starts out with terrific potential and appears to have a great concept behind it. The gimmick here is the one shot deal is it appears the entire movie was filmed in one atke. That is actually brilliant and incredibly difficult to do. For that reason, I upgraded the movie by one point. Otherwise, it's really not a horror movie. There are some interesting scenes with some good acting, but by the end even the acting becomes monotonous and difficult to watch. The movie had no closure and really had no direction as a whole. It was interesting and intriguing but needed more development and follow through.

MadS seemingly came out of nowhere, and as soon as I saw it was a French zombie movie, I was intrigued. The first thing to mention is that the entire film is shot in one continuous take. A remarkable achievement that few filmmakers dare to attempt. There are, however, a few moments where it's clear that if the movie had been shot with multiple takes, certain scenes might have been redone due to minor flaws. But none of these issues are so distracting or problematic that they significantly harm the movie.

This isn't your typical zombie movie; the behavior of the infected is unusual, yet interesting. It brings a fresh take to the genre, which is always appreciated. The characters aren't particularly likable, but they're not bad people either, and the lead actors deliver solid performances. What I enjoyed most about the movie is its realistic feel. The single-take approach contributes to this realism, as does the fact that nothing overly fantastical happens. The characters generally behave in a believable manner, though some of their decisions are a bit foolish and irrational.

Despite that, the film manages to convey a grounded, realistic tone, and even the small dramatic moments worked well for me. Overall, MadS is a decent and unique zombie movie with some flaws, but it still succeeds in the end. [5.6/10]

Although the story seems simple and usual, this is a very interesting movie in how it escalates and how it chooses where to focus and what to leave unexplained. In other words we have seen this before but not in this way. Also it is important to point out the different interpresentations that one could extract in general. Drugs related the most important. What it leaves, is a feeling of unease which is very important from the beginning. If you choose to watch this movie searching for allegorical meaning or not, you will be satisfied in the end. Very promising acting from Laurie Pavy and a big hope for the future.

I'm American so this french film with subtitles going to the top of my horror list for 2024 independent films is a pretty big feat. It wastes no time which is spectacular and seriously warranted with all these drawn out tv halfway horrors. It's very well filmed even with the handheld steady run & gun style Cinematography, I loved every scene. Definitely a film you can have fun watching with other people. Hearing them scream in french "s'ilvous plait" over and over was like music to my ears. It was choreographed to be chaotic and yet it was incredibly smooth and sharp. It didn't beat around the bush with dumb responses or poor acting it seemed very logical and crazy all at the same time. The dialogue had just enough info without being extra wordy while reading subs. From start to finish I have no complaints. The last scene was hell-fully picturesque. I see the similarities of all young people no matter where your from trying to figure out life getting dealt some life changing anguish 😧 and having nowhere to turn no where to hide and only thing u can do is lose your mind and scream. I love artful simplicity even the movie cover was a good clue to all who watch will be in for a disturbing fun ride.