Home Entertainment: ‘Inside’ Blu-Ray Review

Following hot on the heels of their release of High Tension, Second Sight are back in the land of New French Extremity with Inside. First released in 2007, the film directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, places a heavily pregnant woman in peril on Christmas Eve. 

Inside opens in the aftermath of a nasty car crash. A pregnant woman, Sarah (Alysson Paradis), sits injured beside her dead husband. The story quickly jumps forward four months to her final medical examination. The date is December 24th, and Sarah is to be induced the next day. After bickering with her over zealous mother, Sarah is determined to spend her last night of child-free life alone. However, her evening of peace is disturbed when a strange woman arrives intent on taking Sarah’s unborn baby. 

Splicing together both the ‘pregnant and in peril’ and ‘home invasion’ subgenres of horror, Inside taps into a multitude of anxieties. To focus on either scenario alone would be sufficient to induce nightmares, but by mixing them together the stakes are raised exponentially. The story is simple, but very effective, with Alysson Paradis doing wonderful work as the distressed Sarah. She is desperate to survive, but is smart enough to try and out wait her attacker. It might not sound particularly exciting to watch the prey be cornered, but for Inside it heightens the tension. Knowing that at some point Sarah will have to leave her sanctuary adds enough suspense to keep the viewer engaged. Every time Sarah does make a bid for freedom, adrenaline spikes and in this there are plenty of exhilarating moments. 

Whilst Martyrs is often cited as the meanest and gnarliest of the New French Extremity movies, Inside might actually be the rightful owner of that title. Martyrs may include a flaying, but the process is skipped over. Here, attempts at a guerilla c-section are made, and every snip is captured in its grotesque glory. That isn’t the only gore though. Antagonist La Femmes (Béatrice Dalle) loves scissors. Throughout the film she hacks her way through faces, hands, and eyes to demonstrate just how dangerous the household implement can be. On the other side, Sarah shows the risks of the knitting needle, which opens us even more avenues for bloody brutality. Inside also features some mind-blowing gun-play, ensuring that all opportunities for violence are fully explored. 

Despite all of the blood and tension, Inside has more going on than a cat and mouse bloodbath. The cinematography is beautiful, and the reveal that La Femme has breached the house is a stunning and crafty shot that fosters a wonderful penny drop moment. The blood looks beautiful and adheres to the New French Extremity rule of coating everything, especially the protagonist. In addition to looking great, the sound design helps to create the claustrophobic atmosphere. More than that, Inside explores the concept of being a mother. Both women have conflicting thoughts and feelings about the role, and they are fascinating to see play out alongside one another. 

The newly restored release conforms to all of Second Sight’s high quality standards. The special features include fresh interviews with several of the cast and crew, as well as an in-depth analysis of motherhood in the film by Jenn Adams. As with the recent High Tension release, it is pleasing to see films from the New French Extremity movement be given respectful and proper high definition releases. Although probably not the best baby shower gift, Inside remains a release to add to your collection.

Inside is released on Blu-Ray on Monday 5th February via Second Sight.