I absolutely love this movie. It's obviously not for the faint of heart or anyone easily grossed out. It's gory. It's really gory.
Inside is a French film that deserves the same review and reputation as many of the other extreme horror films of the 2000s. Even though I feel like extra effort was put into effects and makeup, the writing is not subpar. They didn't sacrifice creating an amazing story just for shock factor.
This movie came into my life in a weird way in 2010, I think. There was a video shop you could rent from where you didn't need a credit card (which 17 year old me obviously didn't have) to sign up and rent movies. I rented a lot of REALLY great horror movies from this place. They had all kinds of terrifying underground films that you would never be able to find anywhere else. I had Inside rented out on DVD and the store actually shut down. So I was unable to return it (SO SORRY), and I have no idea where it is in the world now. Could be anywhere.
Anyway, I loved it so much I still talk about it all the time. More people have seen it these days which is nice. I dressed up as the main character, Sarah, for Halloween one year and literally not a single person new what I was. Just a pregnant girl covered in blood.
Anyways back to the movie. So, it's in French obviously. At the time I had the DVD, there was an English dub - which actually wasn't as annoying as most movies. So that's how I've always watched it. Currently it's pretty impossible to find online since they took it off Shudder/Amazon. But if you CAN find it, it's extremely worth it. So the movie starts out at the scene of a brutal car crash. We are introduced to our main character, Sarah, who has survived the wreck but has lost her husband. She is about 5 or 6 months pregnant, but keeps the baby. However, obviously the loss of her husband and gaining twice the responsibility to raise this child on her own has left Sarah very sad and feeling truly alone. The other car in the wreck is empty and is shot purposefully to make sure you remember that someone else is out there. Sarah and her husband live in a pretty large house (maybe I'm just used to tiny apartments), and it's seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Similarly to Human Centipede or Us, the house has tonnes of large windows and glass doors. I never really thought about it, but horror movies really do use that setting quite often. Weirdly no one really has blinds either. So how could you not feel like you are being watched constantly? Sarah would sit on her couch and she is literally visible from any side of the house. I mean, it sets up a lot of opportunity for the story to take a few directions. Also, someone always needs to use the phone for some reason. Just like in Human Centipede as well. People in horror movies always seem to have car problems (or allegedly) and always find someone alone and vulnerable in the middle of no where to ask for their phone. This storyline works especially in these houses. Sarah tries to make this woman at her door go away, but obviously the woman is there for a reason - or we would have no story. But what is the best thing to do in this situation realistically? You say no, but they need help. Or maybe they don't take no for an answer. When that happens - all they have to do is walk around your house and they can see you in there by yourself. Then they know you lied, then they're more angry because they have to find alternate access to you. Which isn't really that hard with a bunch of glass windows. So what can you do? Sarah can call her mom - who is far from her and probably asleep. She can call her weird older boyfriend - who is also not close. She convinced everyone she was fine on Christmas Eve being sad in her house alone so no one is really expecting to hear from her. The police? I guess... and I mean they do their job real well. Does the antagonist know this? Maybe. Either way, they have a lot of time to get what they want from Sarah. And what is it that this woman wants? Sarah's nearly due baby inside her womb. WHAT A GREAT PREMISE. I love it. The movie is extremely suspenseful because it makes you feel as though you are Sarah, and you are fighting for your life and the life of your unborn baby. The advantage you have is that you know the house. But the woman is obviously fucking nuts if she's trying to steal a baby out of someone's womb. There is no point in the movie that is boring or not completely shocking. And still at the same time it's not unrealistic at all. It's unhinged and unimaginable but ultimately it's a completely possible scenario. Which makes it really easy to invest and get lost in the movie. You hear the footsteps, you feel the eyes watching. You're scared and you're hiding and trying to defend yourself with barely anything. At least just until someone can help. The effects are INCREDIBLE. So much gore. You can literally FEEL IT. I couldn't be happier. I will recommend this movie for the rest of my life. It's amazing. And both of these women deserve awards for how well they acted. Love it! As for the 2016 remake? Someone needs to get slashed over that. Skip that one.
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