MadS

The name David Moreau vaguely rang a bell when I first looked up MadS [MalS]. It turns out he directed the incredibly tense and creepy Them, back when French horror cinema momentarily took over the world (read the late 00s). I lost track of his work after that (which included a bad Hollywood remake and some films aimed at younger audiences). But Them wasn't just a fluke, that much Moreau was able to prove with MadS. It's been a while since I've watched a thoroughly impressive and immersive horror film, and I'm glad I was able to watch this around the Halloween period.

The 00s were a great time for European and Asian horror cinema, but one country was pushing the boundaries of the genre. The French raised the bar with films like Inside, Switchblade Romance, and Martyrs, and Moreau's Them belongs on that same list, though on a slightly lower tier. It was a film that didn't reinvent the wheel but excelled in its execution. MadS is a bit more ambitious, as it tries to add a new twist to the zombie niche. Anyone would be mad for trying, as it's one of the most prominent and complacent horror niches, so all the more impressive that Moreau succeeded in his mission.

I'm not a big zombie fan myself. Not of the slow, shuffling brain-eaters at least, nor of the "mankind is the real monster" take that was popularised by The Walking Dead. For reference, the last great zombie flick I've seen was 28 Days Later, which was released more than two decades ago. Just to say that it's not an easy genre to make a mark in. I am a sucker for a good one-shot film though (whether it be edited in post-production or not, I don't really care), and that's exactly what Moreau is going for here. A fly-on-the-wall experience of the first few hours of a zombie outbreak.

Romain is celebrating his birthday, and with his father out of town, the setup is perfect for a mad night out. To mark the event, he tries out a new drug, not knowing what exactly he is buying. On his way home a wounded woman jumps into his car. Romain is still high as a kite but he realizes she needs help, so he offers to take her to the hospital. The woman doesn't seem too keen on the idea and out of the blue, she stabs herself to death. Romain panics and takes her home, not sure what to do with the body. Once there, her body has suddenly disappeared.

Like most one-shot movies, it's best to prepare yourself for a plethora of tracking shots. Moreau keeps his camera close to his subjects and lets the camera dance around them. It's a convenient style for this type of film, but it's also extremely effective for a zombie breakout scenario. The camera work adds to the mania and reinforces the experience of being there with the characters in those stressful moments. Through smart lighting, Moreau is able to add some extra visual flair, and thanks to the capable editing there weren't any obvious scene stitches to be seen.

The sound design is an integral part of the horror experience, as it adds an extra level of dread. It becomes an even more crucial element when a director is limited by the cinematography. Just Ask any (capable) found footage director. Moreau makes good use of crunchy, often distorted soundscapes and melodies to give his film that extra bit of tension. It's not the most distinctive or original score, most horror films end up with something similar, but the execution is top-notch, making this a damn effective flick that urged me to the edge of my seat.

The performances are good, better than technically needed for a film like this, though I doubt their involvement in MadS is going to be a gateway to a great career for the actors involved. There isn't a true main character as we track three people who get infected, spending about 1/3 of the film with each of them. There's a rather large supporting cast, but they offer little in the way of actual valuable performances, they're mostly there to fill the scene or drive the narrative forward. So while the cast isn't too memorable, the most important thing is that they're not actively detracting.

Whether or not we're dealing with actual zombies might be up for debate, it's a semantic discussion I'm not too interested in. They're infected unkillables who are going raving mad, and they're multiplying fast, which is more than enough to put it in the broader zombie niche for me. The structure of the film is simple, staying with each of the characters until they're fully turned, then jumping on to the next victim. This adds a bit more urgency than staying with just one single person, and it comes with the added benefit that there's no plot armor needed to protect any one character.

I haven't been too invested in the horror genre lately, mostly because I've had some trouble finding standout films. MadS might have cured me of my disinterest, though it'll take a few more horror gems to get me back on track. Doing a zombie outbreak as a one-shot endeavor was a smart choice and thanks to the excellent execution MadS turned into a film that does its premise proud. I'm hoping Morerau will stick around for a bit longer than last time because it's clear he is able to add something substantial to tired old niches, and that's a rare skill indeed.