MadS – Movie Review | Shudder (5/5)

MADS on Shudder is a French One-Take Horror Movie. It turns into an apocalyptic nightmare of a zombie variety. Relentless and insanely brilliant, it’s a tour de force in horror filmmaking. Read our full MadS horror movie review here!

MADS on Shudder is a new French Horror movie. It’s shot in One-Take which is simply insane but also makes for one of the most intense horror movies I have ever witnessed. Usually, we get a break every now and then, but with this one, it just keeps going.

With a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes, it isn’t even that they’re cutting any corners to make it easier on themselves. What a wild ride of a horror movie. Witness the apocalyptic events unfold as humans turn into creatures who turn on each other.

Continue reading our MadS horror movie review below. Find it on Shudder from October 18, 2024.

A different kind of zombie movie

In MadS, we begin on a seemingly normal and calm summer evening in France. The 18-year-old Romain has recently graduated and makes a quick stop at his dealer’s place to try a new drug. What is it? Not even the dealer knows but it’s a reddish powder that will change the world.

Romain (Milton Riche) is heading to a party when he sees an injured woman. Or really, she jumps up on his car and forces her way into his convertible – which obviously isn’t difficult. He decides to help her but she can’t tell him anything about herself and seems extremely distraught.

She does have a recording device and tries to play something from it for him. Hot tip; Pay attention to what is said on this recording!

Then the woman, who is wrapped up in bandages, starts smashing her head against the dashboard injuring herself so badly that she dies. Is this truly happening or is Romain in the throws of an extremely bad trip?!

Unfortunately for Romain, it is actually happening and he’s about to find more strange things occurring. Including a newfound interest in looking into the light. Streetlights, lamps, any kind of light.

And getting quite bitey, but not in any classic zombie-style.

MadS is entirely its own creature, but definitely a creature. As the night continues in real-time during this one-take, we also meet an additional two main characters that we follow on-off. These two are portrayed by Laurie Pavy and Lucille Guillaume. And, finally, Lewkowski Yovel.

MadS is an immersive waking nightmare

The director has shared a statement that talks about MadS as an “exploration of a waking nightmare, an immersive plunge into a universe where the boundary between dream and reality blurs” and how this leaves both the characters in the movie and us, the audience, in a state of confusion and constant tension.

Well, I could not have described this movie any better, so I simply had to borrow his words. I also say “Mission Accomplished” because this is exactly the experience I had when watching MadS.

Please, please, do not let the fact that this isn’t in English stop you from watching it. I don’t know if Shudder will offer a dubbed version, but even if that’s the case, you do not need it. There isn’t much dialogue and the overall experience is what works so well with this movie!

Watch MadS on Shudder – and remember to hydrate!

David Moreau is the writer and director of MadS and also clearly a genius that has managed to employ like-minded to create this masterpiece. The choreography required to pull off this one-take zombie horror action movie is breathtaking.

In fact, I felt like I needed to drink a lot of water while just watching it, so do remember to hydrate!

MORE FROM DAVID MOREAU

He also co-wrote and co-directed the amazing French horror-thriller Ils (or Them)

MadS is labeled as “Shudder’s One-Take Descent Into Madness” and it’s easy to see why. Hot damn, this movie just does not let up. If we leave one character, it’s to follow a new one and the pace only rarely slows down. Usually because someone needs to hide or just think for a second.

It has the intensity of 28 Days Later and [REC]. If this isn’t enough to make you watch MadS immediately, then we clearly do not have the same taste in zombie movies. I like mine to be character-driven, relentless, and soul-crushingly terrifying!

MadS is out on Shudder from October 18, 2024.

Details

Director: David Moreau
Writer: David Moreau
Cast: Milton Riche, Laurie Pavy, Lucille Guillaume