Necrologies: A Silly And Entertaining French-Language Horror Anthology
Necrologies (or Obituaries in English) is a French-language horror anthology starring Jean-Claude Dreyfus (Fitzcarraldo, Delicatessen) that offers up five tales of fun-filled horror. Leaning pretty much exclusively into the silly side of terror, Necrologies’ slew of mostly first-time filmmakers create a horror compilation that feels surprisingly cohesive and consistent in what it delivers.
After getting into a cemetery to take pictures for his website, Ludovic is caught by the old grave keeper (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). Waiting for the police, he shows Ludovic his book of tombs inside which are the most bizarre and intriguing stories he's witnessed.
Necrologies is not a perfect film by a long shot, but it’s charmingly cheap, reasonably well assembled, and highly ambitious despite its limited budget. More than anything, it’s commendable for wanting to do more than just color within the lines, like oh so many horror films do. It successfully establishes its silliness and absurdity early on, and it stays true to that philosophy, regardless of the story, creating a collection that feels like a unified vision, as opposed to five different ones. While all the stories don’t exactly stick their landing, there’s an inspired energy and self-aware attitude to each one that can be felt and appreciated.
Everything is pretty well paced, and none of the stories ever outstay their welcome, which is great because even if you find yourself disengaged or bored with one, the next is not too far behind. Each short has some form of entertaining quality to it, but there are some development issues within each piece. This is understandable due to the obvious time constraints, but some of the kinks were avoidable. The film’s framing device that serves as the connective tissue to each short is the biggest example. We wished the filmmakers would have taken a bit more time developing Ludovic’s character. We’re not really given much information about him — it’s even kinda difficult to glean that he’s a blogger and not some weirdo taking pictures in the cemetery — and his rushed story prevents the film from landing with a bit more oomph.
The first tale, directed by Nathalie Epoque, gives the familiar phone harassment storyline a hilariously silly technological twist. It’s frequently atmospheric and moody, but its twist fell on the weaker end of the spectrum for us.
The second story, directed by Fabien Chombart, takes a compassionate dimwit and places them right smack dab in the middle of a moral dilemma: save a girl in need or just keep driving. Full of good tension, solid practical effects, and clever twists, Chombart’s story stands out from the rest and serves as a high watermark for the film.
Francois Message directs the third story, which is probably the most head-scratching out of the bunch. It’s a bizarre and zany faux documentary about a uniquely crazed cult of “quacks.” This story plays off of the draconian and the reptilian conspiracy theory and is the most WTF heavy. However, like the first short, its twist doesn’t really pay off, but it’s so bonkers in its peculiarity that it winds up being pretty entertaining.
The fourth story, directed by Alexis Wawerka, is one of the more enjoyable of the lot. Its story involves a businessman seeking to acquire an old lady’s property, but her mysterious pet has other plans. When the pet is revealed to be a Gremlins-like monster, some practical puppetry antics and subsequent slapstick comedy transpire.
The fifth and final story directed by Guillaume Defare is somewhat of a disappointing finisher. It’s about an artist and an urban legend about the Angel of Taal, or bringer of death. This story experiments a bit more stylistically, which is refreshing, but it falls a bit flat and lacks some of the punch and humor of the previous stories.
Overall, Necrologies makes for a pretty entertaining watch. It may not be a sleek and stylish as other similar anthologies, like The Mortuary Collection, but it does wonders on its limited budget and doesn’t resolve to just recycle the same old slop. The acting isn’t anything to write home about, but Jean-Claude Dreyfus is an absolute gem. His exaggerated aesthetic and dramatic flair feel very fitting for this delightfully cartoony project.
Recommendation: If you like your horror on silly side, definitely give Necrologies a watch. You can check it out on demand through Vimeo or snag a blu-ray via SRS Cinema.
Rating: 3 lurking horrors outta 5.
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