So, what would director Pascal Laugier do next after delivering the divisive and extreme "Martyrs" back in 2008? Well, you if thought he might try and top his last effort, or perhaps take on something with equal thematic weight, you might be mistaken, as he's taken a tentative step toward the mainstream with "The Tall Man" starring none other than Jessica Biel. A brand new international trailer and a couple of new posters have landed for the movie as it gears up to head into theaters.
The film is set in a small town where children have gone missing over the years, leaving superstitious locals to tell tales of the Tall Man, a legendary, dark figure who absconds with children, and that's all you need to know really. We caught the film at SXSW in the spring, and weren't too impressed, calling it confusing, muddled, and saying "while 'The Tall Man' feels like a more earnest attempt at popular horror filmmaking, it's too weird, soggy and unfocused to ever come across as anything more than something that could have been great." So yeah, insert a picture of us shrugging our shoulders, palms up, right here.
If you are curious, you can check out the film when it arrives on August 31st. Trailer below (in English, but intertitles are in French, not that it matters). [FirstShowing/Bloody Disgusting/RecentMoviePosters]
I'd say Laugier is the least worst (?) of this recent batch of terrible french horror directors. Martyr's first half was really good (plus you get to see Xavier Dolan shotgun-blasted) ! Too bad it took a turn for torture-porn mixed with sub-philosophy. As a matter of fact your SXSW comments could fit here (and to his previous feature too) so The secret sounds like a typical Laugier flick. Yet the trailer is kinda good… despite the funny "we haven't been that stunned since 6th sense". Also funny "this trailer is based on the first half of the movie to avoid spoilers".