Sheitan

France, 2006
aka Satan

Director: Kim Chapiron
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Roxane Mesquida, Monica Bellucci, Olivier Bathelemy
IMDB: 5.5

When I watched this I had forgotten that Vincent Cassel was in it ... but as the credits rolled I was shocked to see which role he had played. Took me totally by surprise. I haven't seen many of his movies, but I know he is the smooth French dude that's been dating Monica Bellucci for approximately forever - so his transformation here is very impressive. In fact his performance elevates the film considerably.

Sheitan is at its core a fairly standard 'teens-in-peril' horror flick scenario. A group of young guys leave a nightclub to stay at the country house of a hot chick that one of them has just scored at the club. Little do they know that she's a total freak, in a totally freakish family who seem to have dabbled a bit too seriously with Satan.



In any case, once they arrive things progressively get weird, and realistically enough - the guy who scored the chick but has yet to consummate the deal is powerfully inclined to urge everyone to stay - at least until he's banged her. For once in a horror movie you can actually understand why they don't just GET THE FUCK OUT. A common problem in most films in this genre.




The tension mounts, on with the bodycount! The way the situation spirals out of control is truly creepy, and its believability adds considerably to the experience. This is certainly a class above the average predictable teen slasher. Adding to the fun are some very funny scenes, effectively releasing the tension momentarily only to ratchet it up again shortly after.




Also mixed in are a few sexy scenes - after all these are horny young guys who have mostly just one thing on their mind, and this is what has got them into trouble to begin with. The sexy Eve (Roxane Mesquida) uses this to her advantage, convincingly playing the seductress while leading two of the guys on - eventually taking them both to bed. Hot.



Overall, Sheitan is a very well executed horror movie that does what a good horror should do - creep you out. Aside from Cassel's performance however, there's nothing particular that elevates it to being a classic, but is highly recommended if you're in the mood for a good horror flick. It's vastly better than most Hollywood slashers, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Note: While Monica Bellucci is listed in the cast of this movie, you'll have to really pay attention to spot her. Her presence is really just a cameo.

Rating: 6.5/10

Trailer