Considering what an utter piece of crap "Inside" was, it's a good thing I didn't know that "Livide" came from the same pens and minds – otherwise I would have avoided it. While with several loose ends, the plot of "Livide" is infinitely more logical than the legendarily idiotic and sadistic-for-the-sake-of-it "Inside": this – in spite of "Livide" being a supernatural horror film, whereas "Inside" is a thriller. Still, at least "Inside" has a lot of style going for it (if only zero substance), having hinted that its creators might be able to achieve something worthwhile eventually; and they did, a surprisingly good job.
"Livide" is a refreshingly original take on the by-now very worn-out vampire genre. Frankly, if I see another set of fangs going into a screaming maiden's neck, I'll either puke or break my jaw yawning. "Livide" is nothing of the sort though; in fact, vampirism isn't even revealed until about an hour into the movie. Once it is, it is given a whole new spin for the viewer to have fun with. Not to mention how well-filmed all of this is; French movies rarely disappoint in the visual department.
Plot-holes abound. 1) What happened to the three young zombie dancers, and who are they? 2) Was Lucie's mother (Dalle) some kind of a witch or perhaps even a vampire herself? 3) Did Lucie and Anna switch minds or not? There is evidence to support both options. 4) Why did Lucie not panic like her male companions, but chose (?) to "go with the flow"? Why did she give Ms. Dracula her hands for a telepathic session for exposition? From the scarce information given, it is quite impossible to connect all the parts of the story into a cohesive whole.
On the other hand, there are advantages to the story's unresolved, and later even further deepened, mystery. The viewer doesn't always need to have everything drawn for him. Besides, it is so much easier to forgive loose-ends when a movie is executed so well. And it's unpredictable, which is always both a blessing and a rarity, not just in horror films. I always criticize French cinema for being "style over substance", but the style suffices this time around, and the semi-complete/confusing but original premise and events make up for the logic flaws. And anyway, there are no aspects of "Livide" that make it overtly cretinous; merely a little "unfinished".
I do have to wonder though what the French have against little girls. Dozens of their films deal with underage Lolitas having affairs with ugly, aging men; an annoying tradition of pedophilic themes that is almost uniquely French. This time around no young girls flirt or have sex with smelly old men, but an innocent little girl is savagely butchered and dismembered. France, leave them girls alone! Frcrissakes, extreme violence against children should be a no-no in films, I'd think that would be quite obvious.
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