Director David Moreau knows a thing or two about helming intense horror set over the course of a single evening; the filmmaker previously unnerved with the 2006 home invasion horror Ils (Them). His latest, MadS, takes it a step further with an energetic horror movie presented as a single continuous take tracking a night that spirals out of control for young partyers. As stylish as that gimmick can be, the single-take format can’t distract from the familiar outbreak horror trappings.
The French horror film begins with Romain (Milton Riche), an affluent late teen/early 20-something snorting lines of a red-hued designer drug with his dealer in preparation for the night’s festivities with friends. Romain gets sloppy with his cigarette on his drug-hazed drive home, prompting him to inspect his dad’s Mustang for damage. A terrified, bandaged woman unexpectedly hops into the car while stopped, unable to speak but refusing to leave- the only form of communication is a tape recorder, indicating that she’s the subject of grotesque experimentation.
Romain attempts to take her to a hospital but instead heads home to hide the evidence when she stabs herself in the throat and gets blood everywhere- including his mouth. It’s the start of a transformative night of terror, even when Romain tries to carry on as if everything is normal.
Moreau locks the camera onto a single character at a time, using Romain as our entry point into the madness. The camera tracks Romain first through his shock at the strange woman’s behavior and sudden self-harm, then through his almost amusing attempts to hide her existence as girlfriend Anais (Lucille Guillaume) drags him to a nearby house party. It’s here where MadS springs to life, letting the pulsing beat of the dance floor enhance the mysterious new affliction taking root.
MadS hits its peak when the baton is passed from Romain to Anais, with a spirited performance by Guillaume stealing the entire film. Guillaume toggles between frantic survivor and unhinged lunatic, both riveting turns. It’s here where Moreau injects the most scares, too, with Guillaume’s chilling performance working in tandem with clever camera and blocking trickery for maximum effect.
But it takes a while to get to Guillaume’s knockout portion of the story, and once the baton is passed yet again to another key player, MadS‘ deceptive one-shot tracking has fewer places to hide narratively. The energy all but deflates after a particularly nerve-fraying chase sequence, with the third act succumbing to your conventional outbreak plot beats reminiscent of George A. Romero or 28 Days Later.
It’s here where the commitment to the single-take bit exposes narrative limitations. Everything must be carefully blocked in advance, and Moreau achieves this through simplicity. Light is meant to enhance the strength of the affected, and save for some style flourishes, it brings nothing to the mix. Outside of Guillaume’s riveting section, MadS is prone to sparse stretches that only further highlight the familiarity of how this scenario will play out.
And it does ultimately play out how you’d expect, though Moreau and cinematographer Philip Lozano ensure the fluid camerawork and inspired closing moments make an impact. We’ve seen viral outbreak horror movies before, following the exact same path. But MadS‘ innovation is in the way it tells it. Limiting the perspective solely to a single person at a time, obscuring how the rest of the world is coping, adds to the suspense. It’s just too bad that too little time is spent with the film’s liveliest and most compelling character in Guillaume’s Anais.
MadS screened at Fantastic Fest and debuts on Shudder on October 18, 2024.
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