It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

2007's "Inside" was a taut, powerful horror/thriller , which tested the audience's endurance level for violence and shocks, particularly toward the usually out-of-bounds target of pregnant women.Nothing in that movie would have made you anticipate that the filmmakers would follow it up with something as uninspired as this.It's also surprisingly light on the violence, with nothing to really shock or surprise you.The story is actually pretty simple, but is told in a confusing way, robbing it of all tension. It's something about three kids who skip school and stumble onto an abandoned movie set where they see someone disposing of a body. No one will believe them, of course, so they go home and find themselves under attack.None of this elevated my pulse-rate. It certainly felt like it was supposed to, but the movie was too confusing and uninvolving to ever connect with me.I said it was surprisingly light on violence and shock tactics. It's depressing that about the only such tactic this movie pulls out will not be shocking at all to anyone who has seen "Inside": a pregnant Beatrice Dalle (you guessed it) getting stabbed in the stomach.It's the kind of movie that makes the previous movie by the same filmmakers seem like a fluke, like all the ideas they really have were covered completely in the first one.I also think they had no idea how to handle a bigger budget; the cheaper cost of the first one kept things taut and effective and claustrophobic. Now, there's too many locations, too many characters, too little interest.

Man, had I seen this as a boy, the same age as the boys in this movie, this would've simultaneously scarred me for life and would've been the number one gateway to horror I'd never forget.Boy, the French know horror...but not how to end a film. Granted, I only recall seeing their High Tension and now: Among the Living and both had great cinematography, graphic, original scares and brutality and a WTF ending. Not to spoil either film's ending, but to be positive, this one was far less disappointing, yet still made my head spin.The basic gist: after an incredible start with a wide open range, 3 terrible kids witness a ruthless kidnapping and spend about two seconds both reporting and being rejected by the police. Following, they spend even less time acting like it was a big deal. Well, until they're hunted by one of the savage fiends. The movie had great promise, looked beautiful and was wildly original and all at the same time had huge plot holes, subplots that literally went nowhere and a, again, "really?" finale. Not to mention there weren't many characters to root for with the exception of one innocent family.For the good portion, this is a recommended film and I was thoroughly pleased with seeing a fresh take horror film. And still, I wouldn't denounce it completely for the third act as it's still "eh." So, it's a very soft approval.***Final thoughts: As stated, High Tension had the worst and most unbelievable of the two climaxes, but I would recommend that film more as what led up to that twist reminded me more of why I love horror.

After watching Bustillo n Maury's Inside n Livid, i was very impatient to watch their Among the Living. This movie was on my radar for a very long time. Finally saw this on a pirated DVD. The movie starts with an intense and gruesome opening. Thru news on TV v come to know the adverse effects of radiation n other war effects. Fast forward n v r introduced to three adolescents who bunk their skool on the last day before summer vacation to avoid detention. So obviously these r your mischievous n trouble causing kids. The early sequences are brightly shot and filled with warmth with some beautiful cinematography. The greenery, the lake, meadows, barn n the abandoned studio r all captured very well. The kids wander about n land up in an isolated n abandoned studio. From this moment the movie takes us into the dark and frightening journey when the three kids happen to witness something they never should have seen.... The kids acted well. The movie works effectively because of its pacing and build up of suspense and frights. I found it to b refreshingly unpredictable on the whole. Kudos to the makers for not showing any harm towards the kids. Most of the kills r offscreen but the tension is throughout. Viewers may find shades of Hills have eyes, Stand by me, Insidious, Halloween.

AMONG THE LIVING (2014) *** Zacharie Chasseriaud, Damien Ferdel, Fabien Jegoudez, Francis Renaud, Theo Fernandez, Anne Marivin, Beatrice Dalle, Chloe Coulloud, Dominique Frot. French filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury create a knife-edge old-school horror film that echoes Carpenter's HALLOWEEN & early Cronenberg with a touch of Craven about a trio of tweens who on the last day of school come across an abandoned film studio open lot that has more in store for what they bargain for: namely a deformed, deranged murderous young man and his equally homicidal brute father who, once discovered of their existence, enact a vengeance of payback. Graphically violent and peppered with intense suspense and outrageous kills. Nifty homage to contemporary classic horror.