Humains

When I heard the first reports about Humains last summer, I immediately began to eagerly look forward to it. From my reviews it’s pretty clear that I have a weak spot for horror films that take place in natural or subterranean settings (better if both), humanoid monsters and backwards yokels, and good quality brutality, all of which is has been part of  the French horror new wave. In an ideal world, Humains would be the prototype of a film that delivers everything that I like in the genre, something like the perfect über-horror. The number of stars, however, make clear that this unfortunately wasn’t the case. It’s not a bad film, but it’s far from a gem and I have several problems with it. Firstly, it’s not smart at all. Secondly, it’s not bloody at all. Thirdly, it’s not tense at all. Fourthly, it’s not scary at all. And I ask, what is it actually? And the answer is that it’s some sort of fantastic adventure story (I don’t consider myself a person who minds a certain lack of realism in serious films, but – spoiler – a fully loaded van falling from a 100 metre cliff with almost all the passengers surviving and then they go for a walk in the woods is something that crosses the line of what I’m willing to accept – end of spoiler) with funny cavemen and a mildly WFT ending. This film has a lot to reproach and I’m sure many users will have no mercy, but I only want to point out that I would love to see the route the protagonists took after the accident. At one moment they go downhill, then uphill, then along a river, and then downhill again, it felt quite irrational. Anyway, if your expectations aren’t high, you may like it. 5/10 (15/10/2009)