10 French Horror Movies You Need To Watch
9. Livide (Livid)
Similar to Don't Breathe, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Livide revolves around three friends who venture inside the house of a dance teacher, Mrs. Jessel, hoping to steal a treasure. The trio believe the operation will be straightforward since Mrs. Jessel is an elderly woman who's currently in a coma. However, the thieves quickly realise the dance teacher's family are far from helpless.
Much like the filmmakers' previous work, Inside, Livide contains all sorts of horrific imagery and splatter violence. That said, it plays out more like a gothic horror as it puts emphasis on atmosphere and maintaining a permanent sense of dread, with the slow-build tension making the brief-but-brutal gore more hard-hitting.
Although Livide's big reveal could've easily diluted that tension, it has the opposite effect, with the story becoming more compelling once the penny drops and the film finds an innovative way to play around with a tired trope. It may not have the same ferocity as Inside, but Livide won't be forgotten any time soon due to its old-school scares, inventive set-up, and nightmarish visuals.