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Rating:
THE REVIEW
Homeland of the best horror works released in recent years, France is also the homeland of Eric Valette who directed "Malefique" in 2002, a pioneering film for all the French horror films that followed shortly after (High Tension, Calvaire, Sheitan, Frontiers, Inside, Martyrs). But while the mentioned titles managed to emerge both in the European scene, and partly in the world scene, Malefique fails in this endeavor, remaining a product that's only halfway successful.
There is no doubt that compared to what we see across the ocean, Malefique clearly wins the comparison, but despite this, it remains a film that doesn't fully convince. The four protagonists, a businessman, a transgender person, a jittery individual, and an elderly man, all imprisoned, discover that inside their cell there is a book with strange engravings. They conclude that this "book" is the diary of a serial killer who managed to escape from prison many years ago.
Up to this point everything seems to go in the right direction. Valette shows us the difficulties of prison life, the fears, the anxieties, life outside of this reality. An interesting aspect is exactly the importance that the director places on the psychology of the characters, all linked to each other but nonetheless suspicious of one another. Malefique flows well until the discovery of the aforementioned book: from this moment on, strange "events" begin, which will cause most of the film's credibility to be lost, but will guarantee us the most impactful scene, namely the death of one of the inmates, who will suddenly die due to "joint tangling" (watch the scene and then forgive me the term).
If the first half-hour of the work is therefore interesting and partly original between horror and prison drama, the second part of the film doesn't instill fear, but instead almost seems like a trick by the director to spice up the boring nights of the four unfortunate individuals.
A film certainly superior to many things seen recently, with good moments, but that loses credibility and strength in the plot twists. Furthermore, a hasty and tangled ending contributes to making "Malefique" a horror not exactly thrilling, a sign that even in France they make mistakes.
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Summary by Bot
Eric Valette's Malefique is a notable French horror film that blends prison drama with psychological tension. The film excels in character development and atmosphere in its first half but loses credibility toward the end due to weak plot twists and a rushed conclusion. Despite its flaws, it remains stronger than many recent horror efforts though it falls short of becoming a thrilling classic.
