Frontier(s) is a very hard film to watch and an even harder film to recommend. It’s tasteless and has an almost revolting amount of gore, yet I’m recommending the film. My recommendation comes with a word of caution though. If you are at all squeamish and the thought of seeing gruesome gore and torture bother you in the least, Frontier(s) is not the film for you. I do think that SAW and Hostel fans are going to enjoy it, but it also has a brain and a bit more to offer than just stylish torture porn. It reminded me of Haute Tension and The Hills Have Eyes with a healthy dash of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tossed into the stew and blended to bloody red.
Frontier(s) takes place in Paris that is plagued by protest riots after the election of an extreme right wing government. A pregnant woman and her ex-boyfriend try to leave the city along with two of his friends after a nasty heist. They decide to go to the border and hide out at a seemingly quiet little inn. The innkeeper is hiding a secret and suddenly the young people are in a race for survival as they discover that the inn is really run by a twisted family of Nazis looking to continue their pure bloodline. Much violence and carnage ensue and director Xavier Gens creates a tense and pulse-pounding atmosphere. The film has the distinct honor of containing the goriest death I’ve seen onscreen in many years and unlike Eli Roth and his overrated Hostel flick, this one goes all out with the exploitation. The political overtones are clever but underused and the film is well-paced and extremely well-made by director Gens. The DVD is barebones and that is my one major complaint. The DVD has a sharp and clear transfer and it is presented in French with English subtitles.Â
Frontier(s) is not a film for everyone. It’s for hardcore horror movie fans only. It’s tasteless and features much repulsive violence, yet I am recommending it for being exciting and stylish. The performances are good and the death scenes are bloody and unrelenting. Frontier(s) is not perfect, it goes too far in some of its nastier imagery and it runs about 10-15 minutes too long, but for horror fans, it’s the real deal. The overrated Eli Roth should be taking notes.
Film Grade: B+
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