User reviews

Romain, high on a new drug, helps a young woman off the road. His helpfulness sets off a series of horrifying events which culminates with the undoing of Romain's girlfriend Anataïs and her friend, Julia.

The director does a good job of keeping the camera angle claustrophobically focused on the main characters, keeping us in the dark about what might be happening outside their direct line of sight. It also keeps us in the dark about whether we are watching the characters trip badly on drugs or if something more sinister is going on with the world. This creates a harrowing and frustrating experience for the movie goer.

As with most new French horror, the feel of the film is raw. It's like watching someone apply the hard cold knife of uncaring reality to the warm but fleshy meat of normal and decent humanness. A lot of slimy blood and a lot of tears. And of course a lot of that deliberately uglified French too fast-paced to follow for a non-native speaker.

The thing with these new French horror flicks is that you are not supposed to like them. There is no revelation, no salvation, no heroics and no solution. There is no beauty, roundedness or meaning. It's basically gore, frustration and claustrophobia. Frustration I think is the main takeaway; frustration with the inadequacy of the characters, with the non-resolution of the plot and with the very few explanations offered. Now, I'm not sure that necessarily means this is a bad movie. Personally, I think frustration is a valid feeling to pursuit for a horror director.

The flaws I see in the movie have more to do with how lazily the two main themes - drugs and pathogens - were connected. Drug psychosis provides interesting plots for horror movies, as do pathogens. But they have fairly little in common. Maybe this is just another way to frustrate the audiences, but I though the movie could have done more with these two basic premises.

In France, the popular teenager Romain (Milton Riche) visits his drug dealer on the day of his birthday to buy and use cocaine. While driving back home, Romain stops his car on the shoulder of the road since he is too crazy. Out of the blue, an injured woman with neither tongue nor teeth jumps in his car, and he calls the police. She shows a tape recorder with a tape in English saying that she is contaminated but he does not understand. However, he is drugged and decides to drive her to the hospital, but she seems to die in his car. Covered in blood, Romain takes a shower and when he returns to his Mustang, the woman has vanished. Soon his former girlfriend Anais (Laurie Pavy) knocks on his front door and together with their friends, force Romain to go to a party. He feels strange and when he meets Julia (Lucille Guillaume), they have sex in the bathroom. When the alarm at his house is activated, Romain needs to run to dial the safety code, and he finds the woman in his house. Soon he is hunted down by soldiers and runs away, believing he has a bad trip. Meanwhile Anais is also contaminated by Romain in the beginning of a night of killing and gore.

"MadS" (2024) is a pessimist and different French horror movie, showing the contamination and transformation of ordinary youths into zombies. The idea is the usual zombie apocalypse story, but the plot is original, with good music score and acting of unknown cast, following the transformation of the lead cast. Overall, the storyline is scary, showing the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available.

"[Julia:] Tell me none of this is happening . . . [Unnamed:] Listen to me. This life no longer exists." The exchange, between the "Julia" and another (unnamed) character does as well as anything to highlight the predicament of "MadS." The insanity of a drug-induced night of partying has leveled-off to the insanity of the "new reality" that unfolds over the course of "MadS's" 1:29 "single-shot" running time.

To accomplish this feat, the director utilizes a technique found in such anthologies as "Southbound" (2015), which weave related stories together through the use of a succession of single characters that intersect at the periphery of each story. Thus, in succession, "MadS" has the viewer follow (and then leave) "Romain," "Anais" and, finally, "Julia." Our journey is through the course of a single night that begins at twilight with Romain scoring drugs for a birthday celebration with his girlfriend, Anais, and ends with Julia returning home for the evening.

In terms of the film's subject matter, comparison might be made to "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "REC" (2005)or "28 Days Later" (2002), with the aforementioned caveat that "MadS" simulates a found-footage style "real time" telling in which the viewer is privy only to the experiences of one character at a time. For two-thirds of the running time, this directorial strategy does place us in the driver's seat as we, like Romain, and then Anais, are trying to separate the "high" from what is "really" happening.

Here, the cinematography and audio choices assist in reflecting the sheer craziness of what transpires (there is a wonderful scene where Romain, in an attempt to escape the noise and chaos of a party, puts on a Halloween-style rubber head mask. The audio suddenly muffles, as though we are now hearing the party through his (covered) ears.)

By the time we get to Julia's segment, however, we in a sense know as much or more than the characters and are simply waiting to see how things will end. In that sense, the conclusion of "MadS" is hardly innovative. I will avoid spoilers and simply note that the ending feels familiar to the genre.

Having said that, I will also say that "MadS" is the type of film you want to go into knowing as little as possible. Much of the ride does indeed feel "fresh."

Note: For those sensitive to strobe settings, there is a scene at the 34:00 minute mark that utilizes heavy strobe lighting.

This is an incredibly well executed film.

The beginning is intense and very well directed and feels credible.

The story does follow a drug addict.

So might not work for those with strong stigma. But shouldn't be a problem for a reasonable viewer.

The film follows an intense night of partying that turns into something else.

It's a very well acted film. And well directed.

A great achievement to so skillfully direct a movie with one take.

The stream of events is engaging.

This is one of those film to watch with as little knowledge as possible.

Well worth it.

I can't say much more. But this movie is well directed and very engaging. And feels fresh.

But in the end, it is very much style over substance which is it's weakness.

But a great ride to take.

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.

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]

The single tracking shot film. What a concept. There seems to be two ways films do it. They either film it like a normal movie with lots of separate scenes and then splice it all together to look like one film. Or, as I believe the was the case in 'MadS', they genuinely film the entire film in one long take. The latter is obviously the far more impressive way of doing it. The problem however, is that it doesn't guarantee a good film.

In fact in this case I thought it actually hurt the film. It took away any of the interesting shots that a good horror film would usually have. The masters of horror like Wes Craven could use particular angles and timing to get a scare out of any suspenseful scene they wanted. Here, we are just tracking along with the characters for the entire duration, and it quickly becomes very dull to look at.

I just couldn't connect with this film. I didn't find the story interesting and the gimmick wore thin quickly. 3/10.

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.

I like a lot movies which take place in real time, or at least, the director intends to give that impression, even when they "cheat" a bit. If it's done right, a movie like this is an anxiety-inducing experience, and the viewer "lives" it, like he/she is inside the movie.

MadS is taking place in real time. At times, it's nail biting, especially during the first hour. Don't expect to get scared, this is more like a psychological drama horror, not a "pure" horror movie. It's more of intense than frightening. I went in blind, didn't know anything about the plot, and i advise the same, even though it's not that hard to understand what is happening.

I don't usually enjoy a movie with unlikeable characters but in this movie, it fits. Acting is above average for a movie of this genre.

In conclusion, it's good. Kinda dragged during the last 20 minutes, but i didn't mind it.

A fresh, fun start to the film that immediately lays out it's ambitions with a single tracking shot, hip soundtrack, and beautiful cinematography. The fresh premise wears thin during the back half however, as the film falls prey to repetition and actors who cannot stop shrieking. The screaming. And shrieking. A director who had shown a competent and semi restrained approach fully betrays this and falls prey to an overly indulgent back half.

I legitimately muted the film at multiple points and considered skipping minutes 70-80 because the screaming and overall sound design was too grating. The influence of 28 days later was also clear during one particular segment of the score, which was neat. Despite not being able to land this, an admirable attempt that I don't regret watching...sort of.

An interesting take on the zombie/contagion genre, filmed in an engaging way, taking advantage of the ''new'' fashion in cinema, the continuous shot.

Unconcerned with blood despite good practical effects, but rich in anxiety and dizzying paranoia, supported by the way the images are captured, MadS has its strengths.

Its opening sequence is a great hook, but quickly the chaos of the narrative that presents itself as a quality, becomes a bit repetitive in its execution.

Despite being fascinating in the technical aspect, MadS is hampered by underdeveloped characters and a narrative that could have been polished a little more, but praiseworthy for its experimentalism and atmosphere with superb sound and music work by Nathaniel Mechaly, Germain Boulay and team.

Considering lls (Them) and now this film, you can see that Moreau prioritizes sensations over history in his works, and that's okay.

After picking up a strange woman, a man begins to descend into a bizarre psychotic degeneration after being bitten by her while on the trip and tries to resolve everything himself, eventually causing him and his friends to be infected with a zombie virus that spreads throughout the city.

This was a solid enough if overall flawed genre effort. One of the main positives to this one is the sense of manic chaos and confusion that occurs during the film as it starts to introduce what's going on. The manic start with the discovery and removal of the strange woman and how that sets everything off for him brings about a wild start that continues on with how his friends try to take him out to the party while he's still battling the effects of everything while being unsure of what's going on. The laser scenes involving the strange figures hunting him and tracking him down bring about all sorts of frantic confrontations with the authorities hunting her down and managing to get him and some of his friends involved which causes things to spiral out of control to an alarming degree as this goes along. Featuring some great action, tons of gore, and some surprising setups as a result of the frantic scenario presented here, this has a lot to like about it and helps to hold up a lot of what's going on in this one. That said, there are some issues with this one. Among its biggest drawbacks is the usual sense of moronic behavior that drives everything forward as it all could've been avoided had there been some intelligence behind their actions. With this one going through an admittedly clever excuse by making his drug-addled brain not that comprehensive about everything happening around him, the fact that there are quite a few instances of his reluctance to do anything about what happened during the night makes this more infuriating than anything. After meeting the strange girl and noticing her behavior, the need to visit a hospital that he was on the way to during the situation is completely ignored after being bitten which should exacerbate the situation more than anything. The whole partying and drug-fueled lifestyle that goes on here is another big part of that, being so clueless and blind to the situation that their friend is facing that it makes their blindness to what's going on feel too contrived than anything else with how this comes about. Moreso, there's also the issue of how the film's one-take filming style is more of a hindrance than anything else that goes on here. The whole concept comes off like a gimmick more than anything after a few minutes with it becoming far too apparent this guy isn't interesting enough to warrant following in this manner as it just goes off and follows a few random individuals in his circle before someone circling back around to deal with him that never makes it feel like anything more than that initial gimmick. This story would've been far more intriguing and worthwhile following him in a regular format rather than doing a single-take uninterrupted format as it goes off on these divergences with his friends rather than following the burgeoning idea of his being infected that this one seems to want to follow. It can't bring much information to this because of how it's structured, and it makes the whole concept feel useless, all of which brings this down overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, drug use, and Brief Full Nudity.

This movie was without a doubt one of the best horror movies of the year, in my opinion. It is basically a non-stop action thrill ride within the first five minutes of the movie.

They claim that this movie was shot in one take, which as you know is impossible to do....but it does seem as if it is shot in one constant take.

The actors did an excellent job, I have never seen them in any movie before, but maybe they are more prominent in France. But bravo to the all.

If you take one thing away from the movie, that message is, don't do drugs kids. It can really mess you up and you never know what's in the drug you are taking.

9/10 - highly recommend it if you like action/horror movies.

Well it is one shot actually - no pun intended of course. Which makes the camera work really interesting and one to look out for (is that another pun) ... well done, which is important! ... what is less impressive: the characters ... really painful and hard to root for ... which is putting it quite nicely! I would go as far as you close to hating them.

They are at least obnoxious ... also not sure if they act different with the sickness than they would with the drugs ... it may be a statement .. one of many the movie tries to convey ... but we are all alone in the end ... whether we are good or bad ... anyway the movie is ... well the pace is high (another pun) ... can you keep up with it? Don't try to make sense of it.

One of the most overused horror tropes in movies is that of twitching and neck cracking. It isn't scary anymore. Was it ever? It's just pure cringe. If that's your thing, you'll find plenty of it here. So I guess this was a zombie movie?? The acting at times was so over the top that I literally laughed out loud. I found the first half hour or so to be pretty great. Unfortunately it starts to drag and becomes very repetitive and redundant. I started to get bored and wanted it to end. But I stuck it through. It feels a bit like a wannabe 28 Days Later, which is a far better film and one of the best zombie flicks ever!

There is something terrifying about getting infected and witnessing the myriad alterations that can proceed. MadS problematizes the irreversible metamorphosis taking place in an individual when the new host claims vast areas in its reach and leaves what once was there inexistent.

Written and directed by David Moreau, the movie has the genre tropes from the beginning when we follow Romain (Milton Riche) on his way to his house, stopping and picking up a strange girl covered in bandages that came out of nowhere in the middle of the road. Strange things happen, and he then proceeds to a night of partying with his friends. The movie focuses on the changes Romain is experiencing that tell him something wrong is happening with him. From hearing voices, head spinning, to being drawn to the light, the symptoms progress rendering a process of depersonalization slowly accentuating more and more in him. And while not a found footage, for this reason, MadS bears a close resemblance to Afflicted from 2013.

The story continues, and other characters take the main spot, although never departing from the long take that makes it feel like a nightmarish choreography with no pauses. What the movie does right, above all, is in portraying such a dread infection that slowly consumes its host. Something possible by its good performances that capture in a nuanced fashion these manifestations in details. Along with Milton Riche, we have Laurie Pavy playing Anais and being responsible for some of the most horrifying scenes. The bike ride has to be one of the best moments since it captures an unbridled bestial and savage identity taking place while riding in the middle of the French night.

Started out as reasonably interesting but nosedived pretty quickly when it became clear it was just another found footage style, shakey cam, zoomed in far too close to see what's going on - filled with unlikable people who spend far too much time shrieking and screaming, in place of any kind of character, plot, or anything else worth caring about.

As mentioned elsewhere, 28 Days Later was vastly superior, if you want to cut straight to 'suddenly zombies' or REC, and even their sequels, were much better at showing how a zombie outbreak might begin / progress.

Overall, very annoying to watch so I'd recommend giving this a miss.

This is a different type of zombie movie that I watched. The movie is focused on this guy named Romain, who, after he picked up a mysterious woman, started to change into something. It's interesting how most of the movie is him turning into something and how it affects him throughout. I found it to be done well with the build-up towards it and him changing. Also, there's a group of people who show up and take down these infected people and even ones who aren't infected. While it's been done before, it doesn't play in the factor throughout the movie. I found it surreal on how the victims act when they get infected and is something different compared to other zombie movies out there. One more thing is that later on, it switches characters, which is different on how it focus on another character and their experience on what going on around here. The way the movie ends is different. This is a weird thing to talk about because of how they handle the characters in the movie. While it seems like Romain is the main character, it switches later in the movie, which is something that has never been done before. As for the characters, their mostly one-dimensional and lack any development other than becoming infected. But the acting is done pretty well in the movie.

MaDS is a different type of zombie movie that is an interesting watch, and I recommend checking out on how it's different.

In a world where the supply of zombie films is high, uniqueness is important. MadS was distinct for its artistic value. The film focuses on some very pretty actresses in glitzy club attire, which was an artsy move. I liked the "all dressed up, but nowhere to go" concept. I thought this was refreshing in a zombie movie.

However other aspects were lacking. The scariness that was building with the escaped "patient" diminished in intensity starting at the half-way point when the movie abandons the initial characters to follow others instead. I wanted to be more scared at the end, but I was less. How the virus spread is not clear as it did not appear to be from bites or saliva.

Overall, I am not mad I watched it though, because it was kind of cool, different and had visual appeal.