It holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ahead of Halloween, we are urging fans of horrors and thrillers to check out MadS – a 2024 hidden gem that has just been released.
Available to stream on the service Shudder, the French film begins with a young man buying drugs ahead of a big house party.
Driving home stoned, a chance encounter with a stranger plunges his and his friends’ night into chaos.
We won’t reveal anymore about MadS except to say it puts an extremely cool spin on a particular, very popular sub-genre – one which will become clear as you watch the movie.
And part of what makes MadS so unique is the way it was made by writer-director David Moreau (cult 2006 flick Them).
All 89 minutes of the film take place in an unbroken shot, which is some feat given the levels of action in the movie.
The stylistic choice means that the story takes place entirely in real time, adding to the immediacy of the events that occur.
MadS is not just a gimmicky horror thriller, however. It also boasts one of the best performances of the year by young actress Laurie Pavy and is a haunting portrait of teenagers caught up in a crisis.
It is also about the terrifying idea that in crisis situations, the processes in place to protect the public can be turned against people.
Holding a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, you can read some raves for MadS below:
The Guardian: “The film has so much energy that its overall tone is fundamentally invigorating; this is the cinema of euphoric nihilism.”
Horrorverse: “The one-shot approach brings a frantic, visceral quality to the story, as though the audience is experiencing it right along with the characters. From practical effects to the performances, the film takes no prisoners.”
Mashable: “MadS is a viciously enthralling thriller you don’t want to miss.”
MovieWeb: “It plays off our modern-day fears of helplessness in the face of inescapable, often invisible, threats and every teenager’s eventual realisation that today’s world is not one big rave.”
RogerEbert.com: “We’ve seen so many tales about the end of the world. We’ve never seen one quite like this.”
Slant Magazine: “If the unbroken take feels gimmicky at first, it soon begins to contribute to the film’s increasingly oppressive atmosphere.”
MadS is streaming on Shudder right now.
Read more:
- A terrifically twisty and twisted legal thriller movie is on TV tonight
- The JOE Film Club Quiz: Week 17
- A new mind-bending mystery thriller movie is available to stream at home