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6 Utterly Traumatizing French Horror Films To Watch On Halloween

The first time I sat down to watch a French horror movie, it was a film called Switchblade Romance (which would later get the name change High Tension for American Audiences), and it fucking floored me. It was, in a word, relentless. The movie pretty much gut-punched you in the first ten minutes, and never allowed you the chance to catch your breath again. While I have some definite issues with the ending of that movie (as most rational people do), there is no arguing that it opened the door for horror fans to sit up and take notice of the French.

[h2]In My Skin[/h2]

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Okay, good thing I brought up the puke bucket, because you will need it again for this movie. I can handle almost any kind of violence in a film. Whereas certain kills and injuries would affect me when I was younger (like when someone would get their Achilles cut), the older I get and the more I see, the less I feel. Yes, I can honestly say that long-term exposure to gore and violence can truly desensitize you to its impact. Regardless of that, In My Skin proved to me that certain violence in a movie can still make me cringe and need to close my eyes.

What kind of violence, you ask? Well, self-inflicted, of course.

Maybe it is because I used to have a crazy ex who would butcher herself, but seeing someone cut or slice themselves is that ONE THING that can still make me cringe. So guess what In My Skin is about? A woman who sustains a leg injury, and as a result, becomes intrigued with her body as a vessel, and just how much damage it can take. So yes, this is a film about a woman who hacks herself up, to more and more extremes. The movie actually holds back quite a bit, but even in those scenes, the sound design will stay with you forever. The sounds of the cuts and slashes are so nasty and visceral that you can almost feel the blade going over YOUR flesh as you hear it.

Man, I am getting a little queasy just thinking about it. Remarkable thing about the movie is, it was written and directed by its star, Marina De Van. It is like the Don Jon of cutting movies.

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