Sheitan (2006)

'Sheitan' tells the story of a group of youngsters who exit a disco late one night and accidentally run into a shepherd who has prepared himself for a night of Satanic worship.

Director:

Kim Chapiron

Writers:

Christian Chapiron, Kim Chapiron

Stars:

Vincent Cassel, Olivier Barthelemy, Roxane Mesquida

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Cassel	...	Joseph / Joseph's Wife
Olivier Barthelemy	...	Bart
Roxane Mesquida	...	Eve
Nico Le Phat Tan	...	Thaï (as Nicolas Le Phat Tan)
Leïla Bekhti	...	Yasmine
Ladj Ly	...	Ladj
Julie-Marie Parmentier	...	Jeanne
Gérald Thomassin	...	Maurice
Quentin Lasbazeilles	...	Gilou
Guillaume Bacquet	...	Bébert
Alexandre Borrel	...	Jérôme
Georgette Crochon	...	Marie
François Levantal	...	Le pompiste / Le chirurgien
Monica Bellucci	...	La belle vampiresse
Oxmo Puccino	...	Client boîte

Storyline

On Christmas Eve, in the Styxx Club in Paris, the troublemaker Bart and his scum friends, Thaï and Ladj, meet the bartender Yasmine and the customer Eve, and after a fight of Bart in the nightclub, Eve invites the group to go to her house in the country. While on the road near the cottage, they are introduced by Eve to the weird shepherd and housekeeper, Joseph, whose wife is pregnant. Joseph feels a sort of attraction for Bart, and during this Christmas night, Joseph discloses his real intentions.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | club | disco | fight | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Christmas Eve...

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [ru]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

1 February 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

Satan

Box Office

Budget:

€2,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

120 Films, La Chauve Souris, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

A few seconds after the credits start, a subliminal pornographic frame is inserted.

User Reviews

Cabin Fever meets Delierance with a slice of France

I saw Sheitan at the Melbourne International Film Festival and thoroughly enjoyed 26 year old Kim Chapitan's directorial debut.

Sheitan, meaning Satan in Persian, follows a group of 4 French kids on a roadtrip to an exotic vixen's country retreat on Christmas Eve. Upon arrival we greet the intoxicating local family who are a 'banjo shy of a Cahulawassee River ride', Deliverance style.

The buildup of tension is the film's greatest asset as we fall for the motley locals before all hell breaks loose in diabolical circumstances. There's enough lashings of nudity to titillate and a fantastic scene involving a placenta and the best use of SFX for a long time.

Great acting for a horror movie, including a superb performance by Vincent Cassell who proves he's as good as he is in front of the camera as he is behind it, a breathtaking performance by Roxane Mesquida and a blink and you'll miss it cameo by Monica Bellucci.

The art direction/ set design was perfect, the Provincial French manor where the kids end up is as beautiful as it is haunting. If clowns don't scare the hell out of me, dolls do, and Sheitan certainly pushes the right buttons whilst not resorting to 'Chucky' style offerings. A beautiful soundmix accompanies the pictures providing some of the best sound effects work seen for a fair while.

For a directorial debut, Chapiron is streets ahead of Eli Roth, again proving that the best horror directors aren't in Hollywood. As part of the emerging French group Kourtajme', Chapiron has greatly learned from some of his more famous contemporaries, namely Cassel.

So kudos to you Mr Chapiron. A few editing flaws stop me giving a higher score but a good 8 for a debut film is nothing to sneeze at, and announce yourself on the horror stage as a star of the future.