New French Extremity
French transgressive and horror films most of which have fallen under the label of the New French Extremity.
See also: Torture porn (and their antecedents), a list this one crosses over with due to the violence in a lot of these films. Splat Pack films, movies by a more tightly-knit group of anglophone creators whose work has often been labelled as 'torture porn' even though most of their output doesn't reach the heights (depths?) of some of the films listed here. New Japanese Gore films are also extreme films create by a closely-knit ground of movie-makers.
Further reading: The 8 Most Disturbing Films of The New Wave of French Horror, The Best French Horror And Extreme Films Of The Decade and 50 Must-See French Horror Movies (this last one looking at earlier films too). This blog has reviewed a lot of them in some depth.
Others: Anatomy of Hell is flagged as porn so can't be added.
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
See also: Torture porn (and their antecedents), a list this one crosses over with due to the violence in a lot of these films. Splat Pack films, movies by a more tightly-knit group of anglophone creators whose work has often been labelled as 'torture porn' even though most of their output doesn't reach the heights (depths?) of some of the films listed here. New Japanese Gore films are also extreme films create by a closely-knit ground of movie-makers.
Further reading: The 8 Most Disturbing Films of The New Wave of French Horror, The Best French Horror And Extreme Films Of The Decade and 50 Must-See French Horror Movies (this last one looking at earlier films too). This blog has reviewed a lot of them in some depth.
Others: Anatomy of Hell is flagged as porn so can't be added.
Comments: As I don't have a Facebook account I cannot interact with the new comments system, so have switched it off. I will start a thread on the message board and link it in here shortly.
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- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsPhilippe NahonBlandine LenoirFrankie PainAfter a dreadful incident coupled with an ungovernable paroxysm of violence, a butcher will fall into a downward spiral that will burn to the ground whatever dignity still remained in him.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsDavid DoucheMarjorie CottreelKader ChaatoufA social movie about current life in the north of France. Freddy and his friends are all unemployed. They pass away time by wandering around on their motorcycles and by directing their aggressive feelings towards Arab immigrants. Freddy is in love with Marie, a cashier at a local supermarket. When she is proposed to by Kader, a young Arab man, Freddy, and his friends have an idea: they decide to punish Kader for what they call "such a provocation." After they have raped another girl, Marie finally commits to Kader, which seals his fate.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsMichel SerraultMathieu KassovitzMehdi BenoufaOld professional killer Wagner seeks someone to teach what he knows as long as he is already dying, and he chooses Max, young and passionless thief to be his successor.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsPhilippe NahonBlandine LenoirFrankie PainA horse butcher's life and mind begin to break down as he lashes out against various factions of society while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
- DirectorPhilippe GrandrieuxStarsMarc BarbéElina LöwensohnGéraldine VoillatA sexually frustrated serial killer takes a liking to a woman he comes across.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsÉvelyne DandryFrançois MarthouretMarina de VanThe adventures of an upper-class suburban family abruptly confronted with the younger brother's discovery of his homosexuality, the elder sister's suicide attempt and how much do you want-masochist tendencies, and the intrusion of a very free-spirited maid and her husband it all starts with the arrival of an innocent-looking rat.
- DirectorClaude MillerStarsClément van den BerghEmmanuelle BercotYves VerhoevenA schoolboy Nicholas always worries about something. When he goes on a school skiing trip, all his visions and nightmares take him over.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsNatacha RégnierJérémie RenierPredrag 'Miki' ManojlovicModern retelling of Hansel and Gretel. After committing a murder, a young couple on the run find refuge in a remote cottage in the woods, where they become trapped by the perverse hermit who lives there.
- DirectorLeos CaraxStarsGuillaume DepardieuYekaterina GolubevaCatherine DeneuveA young writer becomes intrigued with a mysterious dark-haired woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, starting an unusual relationship with her and prompting a downward spiral involving his domineering mother and lovely fiancée.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsEmmanuel SchottéSéverine CaneelePhilippe TullierWhen an 11-year-old girl is brutally raped and murdered in a quiet French village, a police detective who has forgotten how to feel emotions--because of the death of his own family in some kind of accident--investigates the crime, which turns out to ask more questions
- DirectorVirginie DespentesCoralie Trinh ThiStarsRaffaëla AndersonKaren LancaumeCéline BeugnotTwo young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men - and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences.Thelma and Louise just with unsimulated sex and a lot more violence, giving it a very, raw, chaotic and realistic feel, possibly at the expense of a story.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsBernard GiraudeauMalik ZidiLudivine SagnierIn 1970s Germany, a 50-year-old businessman falls in love with a 20-year-old man.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsJean RenoVincent CasselNadia FarèsA murder detective must follow the footsteps of a brutal killer within the secrets of a classist college.
- DirectorDominik MollStarsLaurent LucasSergi LópezMathilde SeignerHarry knew Michel in high school; they meet again by accident, Harry inserts himself in Michel's life... and things take a sinister turn.
- DirectorLionel DelplanqueStarsMarie TrintignantSuzanne MacAleeseMaud BuquetA group of young actors stay overnight in their host's castle only to be hunted by a serial killer.
- DirectorJean-Pierre DenisStarsSylvie TestudJulie-Marie ParmentierIsabelle RenauldBased on the true story of two chambermaids (the Papin sisters) of 1930s France who murdered their employer and her daughter.
- DirectorClaire DenisStarsVincent GalloTricia VesseyBéatrice DalleTwo American newlyweds in Paris experience a love so strong, it almost devours them.
- DirectorPatrice ChéreauStarsMark RylanceKerry FoxSusannah HarkerA failed London musician meets once a week with a woman for a series of intense sexual encounters to get away from the realities of life. But when he begins inquiring about her, it puts their relationship at risk.
- DirectorBertrand BonelloStarsJean-Pierre LéaudJérémie RenierDominique BlancJacques Laurent made pornographic films in the 1970s and '80s, but had put that aside for 20 years. His artistic ideas, born of the '60s counter-culture, had elevated the entire genre.
- DirectorLaurent TuelStarsKarin ViardCharles BerlingLudivine SagnierContent with two children in an upper class French marriage, a woman finds herself faced with visions of rape, violence and the supernatural. Her husband, a successful businessman also starts experiencing hallucinations in which he often ends up physically hurt. Their babysitter hangs herself and the children begin acting strangely, their sadistic behavior arousing suspicion. It becomes apparent that the children's bodies have been possessed/inhabited by two dirty, old people.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
- DirectorMarina de VanStarsMarina de VanLaurent LucasLéa DruckerA woman grows increasingly fascinated with her body after suffering a disfiguring accident.
- DirectorJean-Claude BrisseauStarsCoralie RevelSabrina SeyvecouRoger MiremontNathalie teaches Sandrine that sexual transgression can cause violent pleasure and give those who use it a powerful weapon to climb the social hierarchy. They decide to get a job in a bank, a place where victims abound.
- DirectorJacques NolotStarsVittoria ScognamiglioJacques NolotSébastien VialaIn a Parisian porn theater, a cashier, a 50-year-old man and a young projectionist are drawn into a complex love affair.
- DirectorEric ValetteStarsGérald LarochePhilippe LaudenbachClovis CornillacFour prisoners find an ancient diary in the wall of their cell which might be the key to getting out.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsConnie NielsenGina GershonChloë SevignyA French corporation goes head-to-head with an American web media company for the rights to a 3-D manga pornography studio, resulting in a power struggle that culminates in violence and espionage.
- DirectorPhilippe GrandrieuxStarsZachary KnightonAnna MouglalisMarc BarbéThe story involves a young American who falls obsessively in love with a mysterious courtesan named Melania against the backdrop of a dilapidated Eastern European landscape.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsCécile de FranceMaïwennPhilippe NahonBest friends Marie and Alexia decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia's parents' secluded farmhouse. But on the night of their arrival, the girls' idyllic getaway turns into an endless night of horror.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsYekaterina GolubevaDavid WissakDavid, an American photographer, and his Russian girlfriend Katia are scouting locations for a photo shoot. During the day, they drive through some of the wildest, most bizarre desert landscapes, but their luck begins to run out.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsCharlotte RamplingCharles DanceLudivine SagnierA British mystery author visits her publisher's home in the South of France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter sets off some touchy dynamics.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsIsabelle HuppertAnaïs DemoustierBéatrice DalleWhen Anna and her family arrive at their holiday home, they find it occupied by strangers. This confrontation is just the beginning of a painful learning process.
- DirectorJean-Baptiste AndreaFabrice CanepaStarsRay WiseLin ShayeMick CainChristmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsLaurent LucasBrigitte LahaieGigi CoursignyMarc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitants.Belgian, but it has been linked to the NFE.
- DirectorC.S. LeighStarsBéatrice DalleGuillaume DepardieuJulia FaureAn actress makes several suicide attempts. Through flashbacks the trials and hardships that drove her to this point are revealed.
- DirectorChristophe HonoréStarsIsabelle HuppertLouis GarrelEmma de CaunesWhen his father dies, a young man is introduced by his attractive, amoral mother to a world of hedonism and depravity.
- DirectorOlivier DahanStarsJean RenoBenoît MagimelChristopher LeePierre Niemans faces the threat of the apocalypse while investigating a series of ritual murders.
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsVirginie LedoyenLou DoillonCatriona MacCollAnna is a servant who accepts a post at the St. Ange. She arrives to confront an unsettling lack of orphans, save for one. Then the bizarre sights and sounds begin, which seem to elude detection by the other servant or the gloomy director.
- DirectorFrédéric GroussetStarsKaren BruereAbel DivolCapucine MandeauSix people wake up locked in an empty room. They are observed by a camera and loudspeaker broadcasts music on hold. After meeting, they try to find a way out, but the only possible outcome is walled. Suddenly, the music stops and a voice begins to dictate their orders.
- DirectorGéla BabluaniStarsGeorge BabluaniAurélien RecoingPascal BongardA man takes over a dead man's task without realizing the horror it entails.
- DirectorKim ChapironStarsVincent CasselOlivier BarthélémyRoxane MesquidaA group of youngsters go out to a disco on Christmas Eve and accidentally run into a shepherd who has prepared himself for a night of pure insanity.
- DirectorDavid MoreauXavier PaludStarsOlivia BonamyMichaël CohenAdriana MoccaLucas and Clementine live peacefully in their isolated country house, but one night they wake up to strange noise... they're not alone... and a group of hooded assailants begin to terrorize them throughout the night.An effective home invasion film, but it is quieter final moments in the film that really stuck with me.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsAdélaïde LerouxSamuel BoidinHenri CretelBruno Dumont follows up the controversial Twentynine Palms with this tale of a group of young soldiers who go off to war and experience some life-changing events. Flandres won the Grand Prix Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsAlysson ParadisJean-Baptiste TabourinClaude LuléFour months after the death of her husband, a woman on the brink of motherhood is tormented in her home by a strange woman who wants her unborn baby.
- DirectorXavier GensStarsKarina TestaAurélien WiikPatrick LigardesA gang of young thieves flee Paris during the violent aftermath of a political election, only to hole up at an Inn run by neo-Nazis.
- DirectorFranck VestielStarsClovis CornillacVimala PonsZohar WexlerA man wakes up in an underground cave, next to a dead body. He has no memory of how he got there and starts to try and work his way to the surface and escape from the network of tunnels, which seem to be some kind of ancient civilisation.
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsMorjana AlaouiMylène JampanoïCatherine BéginA young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
- DirectorFabrice du WelzStarsEmmanuelle BéartRufus SewellPetch OsathanugrahA couple are looking for their child who was lost in the tsunami - their search takes them to the dangerous Thai-Burmese waters, and then into the jungle, where they face unknown but horrifying dangers.
- DirectorYannick DahanBenjamin RocherStarsClaude PerronJean-Pierre MartinsEriq EbouaneyAn end of the world battle between gangsters, cops and zombies.The film starts off like a grim and gritty French crime drama and rapidly transitions into a solid zombie film.
- DirectorDavid MorleyStarsHélène de FougerollesFrancis RenaudDida DiafatIn the middle of a zombie apocalypse, a resourceful couple hides out in an isolated abandoned building. The woman is pregnant and the man is infected, slowly transforming into the kind of inhuman monster they are trying to escape.Crosses over with my contagious violence list.
- DirectorCatherine BreillatStarsDominique ThomasLola CrétonDaphné BaiwirAn adaptation of the classic tale of a wealthy aristocrat with a blue beard.
- DirectorCaroline du PotetÉric du PotetStarsAnne ParillaudArthur DupontThierry FrémontOne year after her teenage son's death, Sarah's life is in pieces. One night, her car accidentally hits Arthur, a young man the same age as her boy, who is running from a mysterious assailant who is hunting him down.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsNathaniel BrownPaz de la HuertaCyril RoyAn American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.
- DirectorDaniel GrouStarsClaude LegaultRémy GirardMartin DubreuilA doctor seeks revenge by kidnapping, torturing and killing the man who raped and murdered his young daughter.
- DirectorFranck RichardStarsYolande MoreauÉmilie DequenneBenjamin BiolayOne winter morning, while driving through the desolate French countryside, traveler Charlotte picks up hitchhiker Max. Together they stop at a roadside diner, where a strange and depraved horror awaits.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsDavid DewaeleAlexandra LemâtreChristophe BonIn a village on the French Opal Coast, a drifter engages in a perplexing relationship with a young woman who has suffered abuse.
- DirectorAlexandre BustilloJulien MauryStarsChloé CoulloudFélix MoatiJérémy KaponeThe suggestion of a big treasure hidden somewhere inside Mrs Jessel's once renowned classical dance academy will become an irresistible lure to a fiendish trap for Lucie and her friends.
- DirectorThomas SzczepanskiStarsGuillaume BeylardZuriel De PeslouanSarah LucideSince the dawn of time man has always hunted something or other.