The Inside (2010)

(Screener Copy)

Directed by Eion Macken

Written by Eion Macken

Stars: Tereza Sborva,Kellie Blaise, Siobhan Cullen, Vanessa Matias Fahy, Natalia Kostrzewa, Sean Stewart, Emmett Scanlan, Brian Fortune, Karl Argue and Eion Macken as 'The Man'

Release: DVD (UK) 25 March 2013, Courtesy of Monster Pictures.



Many thanks to Steve Hills of Monster Pictures for sending me a screener of upcoming found footage horror The Inside. The film releases on DVD in the UK on the 25 March and for the most part is a creepy and effective watch.

The plot involves a young man who lays his hands on a shocking video, depicting the events which occurred when a group of young girls, armed with video camera, break into an old building for a birthday party. The tape reveals that following the girls brutal assault by a gang of violent rapist vagrants, them and their attackers found themselves at the mercy of a far more frightening threat. Something unknown and deadly...with escape appearing very much futile. I don't want to give much away beyond this point except to some there are some insanely creepy things going on in this building, from the inexplicable noises and blood red symbols all over the walls. Half the fun is trying to figure out exactly what is after the core cast...and hoping that their male attackers get what they deserve!

The acting is pretty decent across the boar. All of the girls come across as likeable and display a genuine air of friends trying to have fun (before all hell breaks loose). It becomes a bit tricky to keep tabs on them all once the shit hits the fan but they all also all do a good job of expressing stark terror in their unfathomable predicament. Emmett Scanlan who you will likely recognise from hit C4 soap Hollyoaks is FAR more terrifying than Brendan Brady in this film- you may think that couldn't be possible...but I promise you it is.

My main complaint with The Inside is the sheer chaos it descends into when the girls are first attacked. Of course this is a very likely scenario should this actually happen in real life however I just found it way too jarring. The girls are screaming, the guys are screaming and it quite literally gave me a headache. I felt it made an extremely disturbing predicament slightly more ineffective as opposed to the actual intent behind it. However once you hear that ominous baby crying, something even the vicious attackers cannot explain, you know we are headed into far more terrifying territory. Following this I am glad to say the headache subsided and I found myself completely sucked into the film, eager to see what the conclusion would be.

I recommend this to horror fans in general but to found footage fans particularly. Fans of the sub genre should like what they see but if that's not your cup of tea, I can't see The Inside will do anything different to change your mind. However if you love all this kind of stuff, shaky camera, raw hysteria and all, grab a copy of the film - it has some solid scares, an ominous atmosphere of dread and a great and chilling little ending.