ELSE (2024)

3 stars

Blue Finch Film Releasing. Digital. 2nd March

ELSE is a French/Belgian head scratchingly weird body horror presumably inspired partially by Covid.

Anx (Matthieu Sampeur) is something of an anxious introvert and is trying and failing to have sex with free spirited Cassandre (Edith Proust). Seeing the time she rushes off. Now awake he searches through pictures with him and Cassandre at a party. He watches an ASMR video to calm down.

Before long there is news of a strange illness that affects the skin and has people merging with their surroundings. Becoming rock like. He thinks it must be fake however when Cassandre turns up – he tells her he needs to check her over with a magnifying glass. Whilst examining her she demands cunnilingus. Because… why not.

They soon realise it is real, when they hear the homeless man, who is often outside the flat, screaming in pain as an ambulance crew arrives to try and peel him from the pavement.

There are now thousands of cases worldwide and the government instigates a lockdown, with the military in charge. Streets are empty. He seals up his flat with plastic sheets on the windows. Through the vents he can speak to the other tenants in the building.

Due to certain lies on the part of Cassandre, she ends up having to stay with Anx in his apartment. But will they be able to escape the bizarre infection…

This is one freaky movie which gets odder as the story moves along. As the film progresses the image turns to mono. Your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for arty horror. It veered too far into surreal territory for my liking. The practical effects are good and there is effective sound design and it is visually striking, as proceedings get more cosmic.