kay900 The movie is slow paced and there is no a single moment where the movie manages to be terrifying. The movie introduces a sexual atmosphere from the beginning and builds upon it a sickening story and atmosphere. Although the movie is not terrifying it manages rather well to be disturbing and sick. The movie revolves around a singer travelling through the woods and suffering a car breakdown in a sparsely population region isolated from the world. Luckily he manages to find some lodgings where he can rest and get his car repaired. The movie portrays the events that unfold rather well. I would give the movie a skip if I was looking for something scary but the movie will fit right in if you are looking for something sickening.

Michael_Elliott Calvaire (2004) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Entertainer Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) gets stuck at an old inn when his car breaks down. At first the owner Bartel (Jackie Berroyer) appears to be a kind man who wants to keep Marc happy but soon it turns out there's a dark secret in the village. CALVAIRE is certainly a well-made film and there's no question that director Fabrice Du Welt knows how to build up a rather creepy atmosphere. This film is in the same mode as stuff like THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, DELIVERANCE and several other movies that deals with strangers getting caught in an area that they don't know and have to meet the weird locals. I'm not going to spoil the big twist with this film and I think the less you know the better. What I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that you never quite know what's going to happen next. For the first forty-minutes or so there's really nothing that happens. You sit there waiting for something to happen and when it doesn't, well, you just keep waiting and this here keeps you off guard as to what's going to happen next. Once the horror elements kick in there are some some rather disgusting moments but the pure brutality that some reviews will make you think is going to happen are quite false. In reality, I didn't find the film nearly as disturbing as its reputation. WIth that said, I thought the two lead performances were quite good and it was also nice to see cult favorite Brigitte Lahaie in a small role. The director does a very good job with the atmosphere and we're also treated to some excellent cinematography. With all of that said, there's still no way to deny that we've seen this type of film way too many times before and I never thought the film reached the psychological tension that it's going for. CALVAIRE is certainly worth watching even if it doesn't quite match its reputation.

kimjarman19 I found this film through my recommendations on IMDb and when I saw the overall rating was 6.3 I was expecting a pretty good horror.. instead all I got was a big steaming pile of crap.I've been going through a few pages of the reviews people have written on this film and I honestly don't know what I'm missing.. I mean I must know nothing about "art" or "dark comedy" if this is what it supposedly is.I sat there for the entire film thinking "oh, maybe something good will happen" "oh maybe the guy will fight back" but no, no such luck.I imagine Bartel's utter madness was supposed to be creepy but it was stupid, just plain stupid. Don't even get me started on Boris, trying to find his dog, then he comes back with a cow.. it's all just utter stupidity and I don't think it was creative or artsy at all. Just a load of jumbled up crap, with weird, vintage looking cinematography which in my opinion left a lot to desire as well.I enjoy an odd film with twists and turns as much as the next person, but this delivered neither. And what's with the village people? I mean I'd half believe if it was just one guy who was nuts but all of them?! No.It started out badly, and ended even worse. There is no plot or storyline.This is one of the worst films I've ever seen and I don't recommend it to people who like horror, at all. Hell I don't recommend it to anyone.

Maz Murdoch (asda-man) The French always shock me in the quality of horror films they produce. France really know what horror is about and produce some of the most disturbing and grisly films I have ever seen. "High Tension", "Frontiers", "Martyrs", "Inside", "Seven Days". All of these films are different in their style and story lines, but they all share two things in common, they're French and they are some of the best horror films to ever grace our screens. And now we can add "The Ordeal". I don't know why it took me so long to actually get hold of "The Ordeal" but this Christmas I thought that I'd finally get my hands on it just to see if it is as good as the rest I've listed. And I can safely say that this is one of the best horror films I have ever seen."The Ordeal" should be a horror classic. It's one of the scariest, disturbing and unique horror films I have ever witnessed. It is so intriguing and expertly executed and also very well acted. I also think it's important to watch it without knowing much about it, don't read any reviews or watch any clips or trailers, all you need to know is it's about a singer's car who breaks down and he goes on quite a terrifying ordeal which is complete demented brilliance. I'll try not to spoil things too much, but if I were you I wouldn't read this review either.I loved "The Ordeal" and would put it up there in my top 10 horror films, just for it being genuinely really scary. What makes everything so terrifying is that Marc Stevens is the only sane person we meet throughout the entire film, he's someone who we can relate to, but he can't relate to anyone else. As soon as his car breaks down their is this fantastic feeling of dread that carries on and increases throughout the film, as things begin to get even more insane."The Ordeal" also doesn't pull stops. It's not afraid to go the extra mile to shock, yet it can still shock without showing any violent imagery. There are some sequences in "The Ordeal" that will always stick with me, I know it will be a film i will never forget and will definitely be revisiting more than once! It feels like their are so many iconic moments, and it should be a 5 star horror classic! It is also amazingly shot, it feels very realistic despite its often outlandish behaviour, thanks to the use of long drawn out shots, as well as a genius use of camera work during the dinner which takes dizzying intensity to a whole new level. You can also feel a lot of sympathy for the main character who just seems like a regular nice man who really does not deserve any of the extreme abuse he receives. Everyone is crazy except Marc Stevens, combining this with long shots of the outside country, you get a really terrifying feel of isolation.It can often feel quite funny, and I can imagine a lot of people laughing at what is going on, but for me I found the unnatural actions so absurd and disturbing that I couldn't do anything but feel petrified like the character! The writing is spectacular and combines a whole mix of new and vibrant ideas that are incredibly original. Sometimes it throws in moments that are never explained or mentioned which makes for very disturbing viewing, like the random people who stand in the background in red hooded coats, or the really disturbing villagers dance in the pub.I do feel that I need to talk about the ending. "The Ordeal" comes to a rather inconclusive and abrupt ending and I didn't know how to take that. At first I thought that it brought the whole film down and it deserved a proper closed narrative, but then I thought that it ended perfectly on a rather disturbing note. I was expecting a big twist or explanation for why the villagers behaved like they did but their wasn't one, which only adds another big stroke to why "The Ordeal" is really so scary and disturbing.I know I've gone on quite a bit here, but right now I am really in love with this film. It is beautifully shot with some perfect cinematography and offers an extremely twisted, disturbing narrative that is sure to haunt your mind and nightmares. Basically to me it's a horror classic and is basically horror perfection. It is completely gripping, highly original and quite simply unforgettable. I can't wait to watch "The Ordeal" again.