Get MadS (FANTASTIC) Over the Worst Trip of Your Life

Title: MadS

First Non-Festival Release: October 18, 2024 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)

Director: David Moreau

Writer: David Moreau

Runtime: 89 Minutes

Starring: Lucille Guillaume, Laurie Pavy, Milton Riche

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2024.

Who amongst us hasn’t fallen victim to a bad trip during their party days? When you aren’t with your substance of choice from beginning to end, it’s very possible something could have slipped in there that makes the resulting trip less than enjoyable.

This may or may not be what Romain (Milton Riche) is experiencing after scoring a new strain of his usual stuff from his dealer. On his way home from the transaction, he runs into a woman (Sasha Rudakova) on the road who coaxes him into a panic-ridden drive home. The terrifying ordeal doesn’t stop there. Romain witnesses exactly what this woman is running away from, or better yet, who.

A pulse pounding ride through a sweaty, apocalyptic suburban night, MadS is a fever dream worth the buzz.

More than a gimmick, the seemingly continuous shot of MadS ensures that viewers are placed firmly into the action without getting a moment of respite. Much like the unfortunate victims that find themselves in the crosshairs of the drug-fueled madness, the audience must learn everything on the fly with the characters to make it out alive. Unlike other films with a similar concept, MadS doesn’t get clearer as it reaches its finale, in fact, the lines between reality and hallucination gets blurrier making the terror even more unpredictable. Without cutaways, exposition dumps, or other easy ways out to explain away the situation or provide clarity on what’s happening, MadS leaves the threading up to the viewers.

From a technical standpoint, MadS is a marvel for how it is seemingly able to pull everything off in one go. While it has been confirmed that the movie has been expertly stitched together a few times to give its illusion of continuity, the fact that it takes a keen eye to discern makes it a revelation. Each set piece progressively gets bigger and more chaotic, making the making of MadS even more impressive as the team still presumably needed to film most of it in huge chunks to get the desired effect. Pulling off the carnage in an effective and visceral way, MadS cements itself as a top tier horror actioner.

Because the film plays out in real time, only information that can reasonably intersect with characters is shared, making for a compelling mystery. With each person the audience follows, more clues are uncovered about the origin and intensity of the virus that is spreading in their quaint small town. Bits of information about the spiraling events play out in mysterious recording devices and in frantic phone calls with friends while characters convince themselves the drugs are hitting them harder than expected. This also compounds with the film’s coy take on whether the events are real or figments of the teenagers’ drug-riddled imaginations.

The only true downfall of the film is how little we truly get to know about Julia, Romain, and Ana. Much of what we know from these characters come from their reactions to their experience with the drug or to those falling victim to the virus spreading around them. Sure, there are some petty relationship problems and a few hints at their family lives, but these people are mostly blank canvases that never get shaded in appropriately. The actors do a great job of playing the terrified teenagers, making each of their respective meltdowns feel real despite the audience knowing so little about them.

Innovative, tightly executed, and altogether exhilarating, MadS is the shot of adrenaline you need after a long rut of mediocre horror films. Its story might be familiar, but its execution is excellent enough to draw your attention. Chock full of great scares and slick camerawork, this French Shudder original is sure to satisfy the horror sensibilities of any committed genre cinephile. Just maybe avoid imbibing in any substance that’s too strong beforehand.

Overall Score? 8/10