I saw Sheitan at the Melbourne International Film Festival and thoroughly enjoyed 26 year old Kim Chapitan's directorial debut.
Sheitan, meaning Satan in Persian, follows a group of 4 French kids on a roadtrip to an exotic vixen's country retreat on Christmas Eve. Upon arrival we greet the intoxicating local family who are a 'banjo shy of a Cahulawassee River ride', Deliverance style.
The buildup of tension is the film's greatest asset as we fall for the motley locals before all hell breaks loose in diabolical circumstances. There's enough lashings of nudity to titillate and a fantastic scene involving a placenta and the best use of SFX for a long time.
Great acting for a horror movie, including a superb performance by Vincent Cassell who proves he's as good as he is in front of the camera as he is behind it, a breathtaking performance by Roxane Mesquida and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Monica Bellucci.
The art direction/ set design was perfect, the Provincial French manor where the kids end up is as beautiful as it is haunting. If clowns don't scare the hell out of me, dolls do, and Sheitan certainly pushes the right buttons whilst not resorting to 'Chucky' style offerings. A beautiful soundmix accompanies the pictures providing some of the best sound effects work seen for a fair while.
For a directorial debut, Chapiron is streets ahead of Eli Roth, again proving that the best horror directors aren't in Hollywood. As part of the emerging French group Kourtajme', Chapiron has greatly learned from some of his more famous contemporaries, namely Cassel.
So kudos to you Mr Chapiron. A few editing flaws stop me giving a higher score but a good 8 for a debut film is nothing to sneeze at, and announce yourself on the horror stage as a star of the future.
Sheitan, meaning Satan in Persian, follows a group of 4 French kids on a roadtrip to an exotic vixen's country retreat on Christmas Eve. Upon arrival we greet the intoxicating local family who are a 'banjo shy of a Cahulawassee River ride', Deliverance style.
The buildup of tension is the film's greatest asset as we fall for the motley locals before all hell breaks loose in diabolical circumstances. There's enough lashings of nudity to titillate and a fantastic scene involving a placenta and the best use of SFX for a long time.
Great acting for a horror movie, including a superb performance by Vincent Cassell who proves he's as good as he is in front of the camera as he is behind it, a breathtaking performance by Roxane Mesquida and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Monica Bellucci.
The art direction/ set design was perfect, the Provincial French manor where the kids end up is as beautiful as it is haunting. If clowns don't scare the hell out of me, dolls do, and Sheitan certainly pushes the right buttons whilst not resorting to 'Chucky' style offerings. A beautiful soundmix accompanies the pictures providing some of the best sound effects work seen for a fair while.
For a directorial debut, Chapiron is streets ahead of Eli Roth, again proving that the best horror directors aren't in Hollywood. As part of the emerging French group Kourtajme', Chapiron has greatly learned from some of his more famous contemporaries, namely Cassel.
So kudos to you Mr Chapiron. A few editing flaws stop me giving a higher score but a good 8 for a debut film is nothing to sneeze at, and announce yourself on the horror stage as a star of the future.