Making Off Review from TetroVideo!
Making Off was released under the title, Devil’s Weekend, some years ago, and neither title does it justice, truth be known. Neither myself nor my Partner in Gore, Willow Brian, checked the synopsis of this one, thankfully. All we had been told was it’s a sick found footage kind of thing.
Opening to buckets of innards whilst a guy approaches the camera to speak to us, we were both excited instantly – this is a pure charnel house, there’s so much blood behind him. His name is Oliver (played by director and writer, Cédric Dupuis) and he wants so much to be a filmmaker. Thus, what we’re about to witness isn’t so much the film he has made, but a behind the scenes making of.
So, we go back to the beginning. Oliver has his camera, freshly purchased. He’s got it on credit, he’s thrown his PC out instead there’s a nice laptop. His girlfriend, Aline, isn’t that impressed, especially the fact he keeps filming her as a prelude to his grand creation. He dare not tell her that he’s quit his job. He shows us around, a few things like titles of books, are blurred out. Nice details, however, it gets really silly throughout the film when a cig and various other objects are blurred to the point of distraction!
Next his friends are introduced, the ones he’s convinced to help make the movie by acting in his rather basic horror film. He tells them, yes, he wants to put a great film together, but he also wants a wonderful making of. He’s sacrificed his job, they’re bewildered. Oliver interviews them all, then there’s an extract from the first shots. “A decayed 8MM film reel,” said Willow in description of the grainy look. I smiled, “Nice.”
“We are quite useless when sleeping.” Oliver says when deciding that he isn’t happy with the footage. He isn’t sleeping so is becoming a bit erratic. Next up he’s arguing with Aline over one of their mutual pals, Arnauld. Wow, Oliver fires full cylinders at the drop of a hat way too much, man is really losing it fast. He then explains the genesis of their relationship to the camera, then he discusses why they have to re-film again. Meanwhile, Oliver’s attitude to his friends is steadily getting worse, his frustrations and rage is seeping through constantly. There’s a whole sequence of outtakes, some are comical, the ‘cast’ laughing, one nervously “Walking like a zombie!” as it gets more insane we both collapsed laughing, it’s so brilliant.
Aline tells him some home truths when watching the so far filmed results, the dialogue sucks, the movie is bad. They owe money, they’re losing friends, then of course Oliver loses his shit again. The argument goes back to Arnuld. Camera cuts.
Camera back on – we’re in the horror now. Oliver is vomiting, his t-shirt bloody, his hands are crimson, and there’s no sign of Aline. He goes for a drink with a pal, then there’s a flashback as he’s filmed what he’s done. Aline is dead, in graphic detail, smashed by a mallet. Oliver removes her panties and begins fucking the corpse. “Why don’t you get wet????!!!” Then he rants and rages into the camera (accompanied by some awesome backdrop music).
“Why do I need to see the guy re-arrange his balls?” mused Willow thoughtfully as we endured a prolonged scene of him scratching his nuts through his boxers. Oliver hacks Aline up and disposes of the bits. The details are wonderfully real and using perfect camera cuts and angles, all POV and natural.
It’s not long before his erratic and violent nature leads him down the bloody path of more deaths in his fast-dwindling circle of friends.
There’s a good ol’ healthy dose of necrophilia humour throughout Making Off, plus the funniest moment we’ve witnessed in an extreme film for a long time – via sharp editing, he makes a dance beat from the footage of him mutilating a cadaver. We actually cried laughing. Job well done.
The effects are wet, gory, over-the-top, and marvellous. Jackass gets a mention, and one of the meatiest dismemberments happens in this one. Plus, for a funky bonus, Oliver eats the faeces from a corpse which had us chuckling – and a special mention to the deceased cat necrophilia scene as well (in fact the feline death reminded us of Hulk vs Loki in the first Avengers movie).
Making Off is a greatest hits and shits of bad taste done right. Balancing natural comedy with totally insane gore this has an underlying message about films which is driven home at the conclusion. Outwardly disgusting, painfully executed, (the Misery homage torture, oh my, no cut-away) Making Off perhaps could be the most fun you’ll have watching an extreme horror flick. Happy necrophilia… and shit eating of course.
AKA: Devil’s Weekend
Directed by: Cédric Dupuis
Written by: Cédric Dupuis
Produced by: Guillaume Baldy, Cedric Dupuis, Oliver Burgeau
Cinematography by: Cédric Dupuis
Editing by: Cédric Dupuis
Music by: Romain Palliot, Panick Rock and more
Special Effects by: Gwenaelle Bedouet, Julian Richard, Jessica Oberli
Cast: Cédric Dupuis, Nathalie Van Tongelan, Celine Berti, Jerome Thevenet, Mickael Collart
Year: 2012
Country: France
Language: French (English Subs)
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 18min
Studio: Burdigala Production
Distributor: TetroVideo
