CALVAIRE is a rarity: a Belgium horror film. But is it really a horror film or only a twisted drama wanting to be perceived as horror?
A horror film doesn't have to have tons of bloody murders or supernatural elements to be considered horror. And CALVAIRE can be seen as one of those films, as a sorta backwoods horror kind of film with no gore or murders. But in my opinion, CALVAIRE is not a horror film nor a thriller. The director is most likely a big fan of horror films and CALVAIRE is an homage of sorts to the horror films the director admires (such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but it just doesn't even come close to those classic films, in terms of horror or gruesome action. The director, probably afraid that this film could be perceived as a tacky, trashy exploitation film, threads the horror genre so carefully that it never becomes true horror. For example, the spinning table scene is almost an identical copy of the infamous scene when Marilyn Burns is tormented at the table in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a noble effort but it never makes sense in the context of the rest of the film. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that scene is brilliant because of the culmination of gruesome things which occurred before. And because those who are tormenting her don't have any empathy for their nameless victim. In CALVAIRE, that recreated scene doesn't make any sense because Bartel thinks Laurent, the main character, is his wife, whom he loved so much and misses her so much that he's willing to overlook the fact that Laurent is a man. So why would Bartel, with his friend, be laughing and tormenting Laurent if he loved his wife so much? The whole scene is a remarkable recreation and it's beautifully shot but ultimately it is pointless.
That scene, along with so many other scenes in CALVAIRE, demonstrates another weakness in the film: why doesn't Laurent do more to leave? A vital element in horror is to see how people struggle against adversity and what they do to survive. Laurent hardly does anything. He could have easily left the Inn and Bartel during so many instances and yet he hardly fought against the older man. Because there was very little struggle going on, the horror element, imo, was never fully realized. Sadness and morbidness, yes, but not horror.
The one thing that's truly amazing in CALVAIRE is the atmosphere. The atmosphere throughout the film was just right, thanks mainly to the cinematography which was really beautiful. Shot on Super 16mm, CALVAIRE is a thing of beauty. The ending is simply amazing because of the wonderful imagery.
If there's one way to describe CALVAIRE is that it's beautiful and admirable but pretty much pointless. Being a fan of horror movies is not reason enough for making a film.
A horror film doesn't have to have tons of bloody murders or supernatural elements to be considered horror. And CALVAIRE can be seen as one of those films, as a sorta backwoods horror kind of film with no gore or murders. But in my opinion, CALVAIRE is not a horror film nor a thriller. The director is most likely a big fan of horror films and CALVAIRE is an homage of sorts to the horror films the director admires (such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but it just doesn't even come close to those classic films, in terms of horror or gruesome action. The director, probably afraid that this film could be perceived as a tacky, trashy exploitation film, threads the horror genre so carefully that it never becomes true horror. For example, the spinning table scene is almost an identical copy of the infamous scene when Marilyn Burns is tormented at the table in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a noble effort but it never makes sense in the context of the rest of the film. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that scene is brilliant because of the culmination of gruesome things which occurred before. And because those who are tormenting her don't have any empathy for their nameless victim. In CALVAIRE, that recreated scene doesn't make any sense because Bartel thinks Laurent, the main character, is his wife, whom he loved so much and misses her so much that he's willing to overlook the fact that Laurent is a man. So why would Bartel, with his friend, be laughing and tormenting Laurent if he loved his wife so much? The whole scene is a remarkable recreation and it's beautifully shot but ultimately it is pointless.
That scene, along with so many other scenes in CALVAIRE, demonstrates another weakness in the film: why doesn't Laurent do more to leave? A vital element in horror is to see how people struggle against adversity and what they do to survive. Laurent hardly does anything. He could have easily left the Inn and Bartel during so many instances and yet he hardly fought against the older man. Because there was very little struggle going on, the horror element, imo, was never fully realized. Sadness and morbidness, yes, but not horror.
The one thing that's truly amazing in CALVAIRE is the atmosphere. The atmosphere throughout the film was just right, thanks mainly to the cinematography which was really beautiful. Shot on Super 16mm, CALVAIRE is a thing of beauty. The ending is simply amazing because of the wonderful imagery.
If there's one way to describe CALVAIRE is that it's beautiful and admirable but pretty much pointless. Being a fan of horror movies is not reason enough for making a film.