Livid (2011)

The suggestion of a big treasure hidden somewhere inside Mrs Jessel's once renowned classical dance academy will become an irresistible lure to a fiendish trap for Lucie and her friends.

Directors:

Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury

Writers:

Julien Maury (original scenario), Alexandre Bustillo (original scenario)

Stars:

Chloé Coulloud, Félix Moati, Jérémy Kapone

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chloé Coulloud	...	Lucie Klavel
Félix Moati	...	William
Jérémy Kapone	...	Ben
Catherine Jacob	...	Catherine Wilson
Béatrice Dalle	...	La mère de Lucie
Chloé Marcq	...	Anna
Marie-Claude Pietragalla	...	Jessel
Loïc Berthézène	...	Pierre Klavel (as Loïc Berthezene)
Joël Cudennec	...	André Marchal
Sabine Londault	...	Maddy
Serge Cabon	...	M. Kerrien, le père de William
Nathalie Presles	...	La mère de Ben et William
Adèle Fousse	...	Catherine Wilson adolescente
Roxanne Fillol Gonzalez	...	Ophélie
Kallia Charon	...	Danseuse 1

Storyline

"It's young Lucy's first day as a trainee in-house caregiver. She visits Mrs Jessel, an old woman who lies in cerebral coma, by herself, in her large desolate house. Learning by accident that Mrs Jessel, a former dance teacher of repute, supposedly possesses a treasure somewhere in the house, Lucy and friends William and Ben decide to search the house in the hope of finding it. At night, they get into the house, which reveals itself to be increasingly peculiar. Their hunt for Mrs Jessel's treasure leads them into a horrifying supernatural series of events that will change Lucy forever..."

---

Plot Keywords:

coma | old woman | old mansion | old dark house | mother daughter relationship | 

---

Taglines:

A Twisted Nightmare!

---

Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

7 December 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

Livid

Filming Locations:

Brittany, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

La Fabrique 2, SND Films, La Ferme! Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Lucie, William and Ben are having trouble getting the car started they are approached by three children wearing masks (a witch, jack-o-lantern and a skull) at which point Ben sings "Happy Happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock" an homage to Halloween III, Season of the Witch.

---

Goofs

When Lucie enters the house the first time, she lets the door wide open. On the next shot, the door behind her is half open.

---

Connections

Remade as Livid

---

Soundtracks

Tonight, Every Night
Written by Rurik Sallé
Performed by Rurik Sallé , Marie-Anne Favreau, Franck Barraud, Alexis Cottereau
Courtesy of Zantrox

User Reviews

Livide (2011)

Livide is a French horror film i the style of The Orphanage, in that it has just as much heart and fantasy as it does horror. A young woman begins working as a nurse and sees a number of elderly and sick patients. One in particular catches her eye, an old woman in a coma, who it is said, has a treasure hidden on the grounds. The young nurse and her boyfriend, along with a friend, decide to find the treasure. They break into the house but get more than they bargained for. The film builds up a meticulous but thoughtful pace, bringing us slowly into the world of this house at night. The fiilm keeps the horror at a distance at first, with loud noises from upstairs etc. Once it kicks off the gore is grotesque, but used sparingly, making it even more effective. Some of the visuals are of pure fantasy and even though they are at first horrifying, Maury and Bustillo soon use them poetically. A floating vampire girl in the sunlight, a wind-up corpse etc. All scary at first, become even more disturbing as they reach us on an emotional level. I felt the film tries to do too much in the third act. It tries to give us horror and fantasy, backstory in flashbacks, kills, and exposition, to the point it got a bit muddled. Kills were suddenly followed by long jumps into the past. The film does best when it shows its story visually, which thankfully, it chooses to do most of the time. Great performances, stunning visuals, a unique feel, and a mature handling of difficult themes makes this a worthwhile horror.