I'd heard mixed reviews of CALVAIRE previous to my viewing, and I can see why it's a "love-it-or-hate-it" kind of film. Those looking for a solid narrative and resolution will be disappointed. Those that can stand more "free-form" story and a vague ending may get more out of it. Personally, I'm a bit on the fence, as i enjoyed the film until the disappointing finale...
Marc Stevens is a popular local singer heading out of town for his next gig. He gets lost and ends up staying the night at an isolated inn run by an eccentric and lonely old man. The next day, Marc has car trouble and it seems he'll be stuck at the inn for an indeterminate period of time. Marc is anxious to get on his way - but it becomes apparent that the old man is starving for companionship and isn't going to let Marc leave so easily. Throw in a small village full of odd characters that make both Marc and the inn-keeper's lives a bit tougher, and you have a strange thriller that starts off strong and dies at the end...
CALVAIRE opens well and stays pretty tense until the last few minutes, where the film takes a nose-dive. The film plays out like a dream-like Euro DELIVERANCE with a bit more "horror" thrown in. I have no idea where people are coming up with Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE references in their reviews. I found no similarities between CALVAIRE and that film. I do have to say that the ending provides absolutely no resolution and is so abrupt that I can't rightly give CALVAIRE a very good rating despite enjoying the rest of the film. The performances and sense of tension are worthy of a decent rating, but the finale is so utterly weak that I can't help but find the film barely above-average as a whole. It felt as though the director had no idea what direction he wanted to take the film in, so he just stopped filming. I'm not sure who to recommend this one to. I'd say it's worth a look to horror/thriller fans looking for something other than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood theatrical release - just be prepared to be frustrated by the vague and unfulfilling ending...6/10
Marc Stevens is a popular local singer heading out of town for his next gig. He gets lost and ends up staying the night at an isolated inn run by an eccentric and lonely old man. The next day, Marc has car trouble and it seems he'll be stuck at the inn for an indeterminate period of time. Marc is anxious to get on his way - but it becomes apparent that the old man is starving for companionship and isn't going to let Marc leave so easily. Throw in a small village full of odd characters that make both Marc and the inn-keeper's lives a bit tougher, and you have a strange thriller that starts off strong and dies at the end...
CALVAIRE opens well and stays pretty tense until the last few minutes, where the film takes a nose-dive. The film plays out like a dream-like Euro DELIVERANCE with a bit more "horror" thrown in. I have no idea where people are coming up with Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE references in their reviews. I found no similarities between CALVAIRE and that film. I do have to say that the ending provides absolutely no resolution and is so abrupt that I can't rightly give CALVAIRE a very good rating despite enjoying the rest of the film. The performances and sense of tension are worthy of a decent rating, but the finale is so utterly weak that I can't help but find the film barely above-average as a whole. It felt as though the director had no idea what direction he wanted to take the film in, so he just stopped filming. I'm not sure who to recommend this one to. I'd say it's worth a look to horror/thriller fans looking for something other than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood theatrical release - just be prepared to be frustrated by the vague and unfulfilling ending...6/10