BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 5: FRONTIER(S) (2007)

Sometimes in one's search for the next great horror film or simply the next strange and visceral cinematic experience, looking overseas is the answer. Foreign horror films can descend to new darker depths and bizarre places the likes of which we often don't see. Not always but certain films do. There are many different countries making up the world and many different ways of life than what we Americans are used to. But there is one thing that all walks of life have in common: fear. No matter where you're from or how different your world may be, there is always something to fear.

Back in 2009 a friend told me about this foreign horror film called FRONTIER(S) and said it was pretty intense. I made a note of the movie and added it to my extensive Netflix DVD queue. Now, nearly ten years later, I finally sat down to watch it. Michelle was right. Frontiers is freakin' intense, reaching heights of gore and tension seldom met. In many ways this film feels like the French answer to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, specifically the 2003 remake of Chainsaw. Sadly this film doesn't have a figure as iconic as Leatherface though. But it does have something the world was once afraid of: Nazis.

THE PLOT

Riots erupt across France in the aftermath of the presidential election in which a candidate whom many view as Nationalistic and borderline Fascist is elected. In the ensuing chaos a group of friends steal a load money and flee the country. Taking off in separate cars, the group decides to meet up at a hostel out in the middle of nowhere. What they discover when they arrive at the hostel is a family of Neo Nazis and one genuine Nazi commander from World War II. This Nazi family proceeds to kill the group of friends one by one, eating the men, and raping and impregnating the women to ensure the next generation of Nazis.

WHAT I LIKED

Gore Galore. To say that this movie is pretty gruesome is an understatement. It seems as if the director, Xavier Gens, watched the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre and said, "We can do better than that." There are buckets and buckets of blood in this movie. Meat hooks like the kind that suspend a deer in the air ready to be gutted and skinned. There's melting flesh. A mine shaft filled with deformed cannibal children. And exploding heads. By the end of the movie our main character, Yasmine, is soaked head to toe in blood and shaking uncontrollably from the ordeal she's been put through.

The Intensity. Few horror films reach the level of intensity met by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Evil Dead remake from 2013 is a fine example of one that meets and some might even say exceeds the tension level. Frontiers meets if not exceeds as well. Not only does the film supply you with blood and gore but there are moments of pure suspense too. There's a scene in which two characters are fleeing their pursuers by crawling through a narrow tunnel, claustrophobia setting in when one of them gets stuck. Another such scene occurs when one of the characters falls into a completely dark mine shaft with nothing but the night vision on his video camera to see. Crawling all around in the dark are the deformed cannibal children. And there's more too.

Weirdness. Just like the Chainsaw Family, the Nazi Family in this film is uniquely bizarre, sick, and twisted. It adds to the tension and creates many uncomfortable moments. The location of a house adjacent to an old mine adds for some unique sights and terrifying locations. Add it all up and it amounts to one good horror movie.

NITPICKS

What worked for me may not work for you. This film does have quite a few parallels to the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I kinda view Frontiers as an homage to that film and in that I enjoyed it greatly. Some of the actors performances, particularly in the group of friends, may not have been as strong as I would've liked. The blonde haired friend was downright unlikable but that was his character I think? Other than that I thought what this movie achieved was very impressive.

THE VERDICT

Frontiers draws a lot of inspiration from the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, specifically all the good things of the movie. I think Frontiers may even surpass TCM in the sheer amount of blood on screen. Frontiers reaches levels of horror and intensity that few others do. There's plenty of tension and suspense along with a terrifying locale and bizarre and frightening characters. If you're looking to really test your nerves and your blood tolerance give Frontiers a try. It's a rare and intense watch.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Really good! One worth owning!

Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10