There are some movies that completely take you by surprise. I know that might sound cliché by now, but MadS is a movie that simply refuses any classification. To say that this movie breaks the mold would be a disservice to how unbelievably bonkers David Moreau’s film really gets.
Shot in a single, unbroken take, this isn’t your average one-trick-gimmick flick. Instead, MadS weaponizes its seamless, real-time perspective to plunge viewers into a labyrinth of terror that amplifies the tension. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be as out of breath as the characters on the screen (the few that are left with a pulse by the end of the movie, that is.)
Just when you think you’ve pinned down its rhythm, MadS turns itself on its head. The movie begins as your average slasher flick, with young people partying and indulging in some “substances”. Then, all hell breaks loose – literally. Without giving too much of the plot away, MadS plays like a mix between 28 Days Later and REC (the original Spanish one). Yes, that means this is one of those “zombie apocalypse” kind of movies, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for MadS.
Director David Moreau is no stranger to horror. Horror fans might remember him as the writer of Them, one of the most intense European films ever produced. With MadS, Moreau solidifies his grip on the genre, proving that he understands perfectly how to create an unsettling narrative using every tool in the box.
The one-shot structure might sound like a death sentence at first: many horror films live or die by their gimmicks. Recently, movies like Presence have received mixed reviews from audiences precisely because their gimmicks failed to resonate with people who were expecting a horror film to be, you know, scary. MadS knows exactly what you came here to see, and it delivers in spades.
You might read between the lines and notice the “social commentary” Moreau introduces in the film, but honestly, it’s much more entertaining to just sit back and enjoy the chaotic energy coming out of every second of MadS. From insane prosthetics to dizzying camera tricks, there’s never a dull moment in this movie, even if some sequences can get truly disorienting (by design, of course).
Around the halfway mark, you’ll notice that watching MadS feels more like a dare than your average horror flick experience. A dare to keep up with its breakneck pace, to stomach its gory absurdity, and to forgive it for the whiplash it inflicts as it shifts from claustrophobic suspense to full-blown pandemonium. At some points, the movie might look messy in the same ways that movies like the original Evil Dead did. It’s the kind of mess that feels like a middle finger to the safe, algorithm-friendly horror churned out by studios today, and it’s honestly as refreshing as it is terrifying.
If you’re tired of jump scares you can set your watch to, or the usual “We’re the real monsters” kind of flicks, MadS is the antidote. See it in the dark. See it with the volume cranked so high your neighbors call the cops. Just see it. The first hour alone is one of the tensest first acts I’ve ever seen in a horror movie, and it’s all downhill from there.
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