Few things can get me more excited for a Fantastic Fest film than hearing it’s a French horror film and that it’s a single-take film. That film is MadS, directed by David Moreau (Them, The Eye). MadS begins by introducing a teen trying out a new drug from his dealer before heading off to party with his friends. On his drive home, he encounters a strange injured woman. This chance encounter leads to a surreal nightmare for the teen and his friends.

I will do my best to be as vague as possible while reviewing this film, because MadS is definitely a film you should go into as blind as possible. Suffice to say there is some kind of outbreak that occurs after the teen helps the injured woman with horrific and bizarre symptoms. The plot of MadS is fairly straight forward, although the injured woman and the nature of the illness is shrouded in mystery. The audience knows as much as the protagonists know, which can be a risk, but it works well in the case of this film. The origin isn’t important to the story, and we learn just enough about the virus throughout the film to understand what it does to those who are infected. Of course, there is also plenty of interpersonal drama thrown into the mix, adding to the characters and exacerbating the dire circumstances at the same time. To keep things exciting and interesting, the film does shift focus from one character to the next as the plot progresses. It’s a great way to show how different people are effected by the illness and, with the film being a one-take film, it gives the characters breaks so they aren’t on screen in non-stop action for the full 86 minutes.

A vital piece to the success of MadS is the visual elements. Doing a one-take film is no easy feat, especially in a film like this that follows the characters all across the city, often while they’re driving cars or riding bikes. It’s not only quite an achievement just from a timing and blocking standpoint, but also in terms of keeping the tension going. There are scenes that mostly show a single character simply traveling from one place to the next, which could easily get boring. Yet Moreau took great care in incorporating little moments during those scenes that either add to the character development or to the plot itself, holding the audience’s interest and maintaining the suspense.

Horror fans will be delighted and surprised by the violence and gore once things go from bad to worse, leading to copious amounts of bloodshed. The look for the infected is also phenomenal. While a lot of what makes them so frightening is the physical performances, the infected also have unique eyes. Similar to when you shine a light on a lion’s eyes in the dark, the infected of MadS have eyes that practically glow in the darkness. It’s beautiful and horrifying at the same time, especially in a scene when an infected boy is in the middle of the dance floor at a party, loud music bumping, with his eyes hauntingly illuminated by the strobe lights as he stands mesmerized and motionless in the crowd. With a great soundtrack and score that makes audiences want to dance in their seat, there’s no shortage of excitement in MadS.

There are three truly remarkable performances in MadS. Milton Riche makes his debut playing Romain, the birthday boy who finds the injured woman. While Romain at first seems like a typical spoiled kid, he has moments of kindest before the illness takes hold, including when he helps the injured woman. Riche gives a great performance, especially in the small physical hints that let the audience know the infection has spread. Laurie Pavy also makes her feature film debut as Romain’s girlfriend, Anais. The emotion and the physicality behind Pavy’s performance is breathtaking. Her portrayal of Anais, especially in a scene when she’s riding her bike across town, is the best physicality of the film while also delivering a performance that sways between unhinged and heartbreaking. Lucille Guillaume (AKA, Heartbeast) plays Julia. The most grounded performance of the film, Julia seems to have the most to lose out of everyone, which makes Guillaume’s performance that much more emotionally driven. Whether together or on their own, all three of these young actors set the screen on fire.

MadS is a high-octane, surreal descent into madness that grabs audiences by the throat and doesn’t let go. Moreau has given a master class on how to do a single-take feature film that maintains the tension and thrills from start to finish. It’s clear a lot of care went into the behind the scenes logistics of filming a single-take horror movie, allowing the camera to follow each character whether they’re in a car, on a bike, or on the dance floor. With terrifying visuals and killer beats to keep the plot moving, audiences will not be disappointed. You can watch MadS exclusively on Shudder beginning October 18th.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10