Brocéliande (2002)

Brocéliande is a French horror film first released in 2002, directed by Doug Headline.  The film stars Elsa Kikoïne, Cylia Malki, Alice Taglioni, Mathieu Simonet and Cédric Chevalme.  Our overall rating for this film is: very poor.


On the very day that archaeology student Chloé begins her university course on Celtic history she senses she is entering a strange and dangerous world.  After witnessing a brutal killing, she becomes convinced that supernatural powers are at work, emanating from the forest of Brocéliande, the site of ancient legends...

Initially, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this film is a cheeky parody of the kind of mystery slasher thriller that was all the rage in the late ‘70s, early ’80s.  It certainly has all the right ingredients – hapless Scooby Doo-style teenagers being tormented by a nameless grisly horror with a penchant for visceral murder.

Unfortunately, five minutes or so into the film you suddenly realise this isn’t the case.  It’s actually supposed to be a serious attempt at mystery slasher thriller – but made with an almost total lack of talent and imagination.  In fact, it’s all done so badly – so unimaginably badly that it looks like a high school drama project gone horribly wrong – that you just have to keep laughing (if only to quell that urge to rip out your own intestines). 

The juvenile plot and inept acting are bad enough, but these are minor faults compared with the unbelievably awful direction, which leaves absolutely no cliché unturned in an attempt to fashion the most painfully ridiculous display of histrionic absurdity you will ever see in your life (outside the Jerry Springer Show).   Does it help to know that the director is Doug Headline, son of the acclaimed French crime thriller writer Jean-Patrick Manchette?  No, not really. I think I’ve just lost the will to live.

© James Travers 2008

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