Ludovic sneaks into a graveyard to take photos for his website. He is caught by The Caretaker (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). While waiting for the police, The Caretaker tells stories of some of the people that are buried in the graveyard.
Director: Various
Cast: Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Sophie Jarmouni, Fransesco Porcelli, David Faure, Linnea Quigley
MPAA Rating: N/A
Fun Fact: A film from France.
The next entry of my series of independent films from around the world is an interesting one. Once again, this film comes from France and is my second French film that I have viewed. Everyone that knows me knows that horror is my favorite genre. I love all types of horror movies ranging from the serious to the B-Movie type. One thing most people do not know about me is that I love movies that are anthologies. It brings a different perspective on films that want to tell multiple stories instead of making a series.
Necrologies is an anthology horror film. So, you are probably wondering what I am thinking of, this is awesome.
The film has five segments at a 75-minute runtime with five different directors taking on a segment. My only gripe that I really had was that the segments were a little too short. While the segments are interesting and creative from each director, I wanted to see more of it. Another thing I liked about the short segments that it was an old school way of making a horror anthology film. Most films back in the day were no more than a little over an hour, so they were short and to the point. Necrologies has that feeling to it as the segments are short and to the point, but I always like seeing more.
The first segment has a nice When A Stranger Calls stalker like feel. The interactions are on a cell phone and we get a little detail about the stalker character, but most of it is up to our imagination. The colors in this segment are bright and bold which gives it a unique feel and does not have that typical dark look to those type of segments. The second segment tells of a good Samaritan that finds a woman injured on a desolate road in the middle of the forest. What he does not realize is the woman may not be what she seems. The makeup effects are well done for an independent feature and the blood looks realistic. There is a wolf like creature in this and it looked good for the material that they had. The third segment is in the found footage genre and it is fast paced. It tells the story about the Duckmen and Lizardmen, who are mortal enemies are featured by film students filming a documentary. Again, this has some great makeup effects, but a little too short. I would not mind seeing an extended film on this subject. The fourth segment was a tribute to Gremlins and the most fun of the segments. It tells a story of a shady real estate agent getting his dues. The creature effects are well done for the budget they had. The fifth and final segment tells the story of a woman and her art relating to a demon. It is the most artsy of the segments and has a nice go between of color and black and white segments.
The absolute best parts of the film are the segments between The Caretaker and Ludovic. The Caretaker played by Jean-Claude Dreyfus is an absolute blast. He’s the film’s Crypt Keeper so to say and he has a nice range. Dreyfus has an over the top flair to him that can be menacing. The Caretaker was a great host to this film, and it brought the fun out even more.
Overall, if I could describe Necrologies in one word, it would be fun. It is not a scary horror film, but you can tell the passion coming from the filmmakers. There are many tributes to other films and for an independent feature it has some good stuff to it. The makeup effects are good and the model of a creature in the fourth segment is a blast to see. We get some interesting concepts with the segments and my only gripe is that they were a little too short. These segments had many things going for them though in production design, acting and effects. Throw in a fun performance from Jean-Claude Dreyfus and you get a unique horror anthology film from passionate filmmakers. We need more types of these horror films from passionate people that give tribute to old school horror films. If you are a horror fan give it a shot and order some take out and have a fun evening with different stories.
You can view Necrologies on Vimeo.
Verdict: Hit
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