Malefique (2002 film) - Revision history

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2020-04-15T17:44:19Z

‎Reviews

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2017-10-23T21:04:55Z

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2017-10-23T20:59:51Z

Details, typo corrections, and clarifications.

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2017-06-21T05:32:01Z

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2016-11-19T13:35:51Z

Details, typo corrections, and clarifications.

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 * James Mudge at BeyondHollywooddotcom ([http://www.beyondhollywood.com/malefique-2002-movie-review/ link]) - "The film has a grimy, shadowy feel influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, which makes for a very creepy and unsettling atmosphere."
 * Eric Penumbra at Prisonmoviesdotnet (2.5/5 Stars) ([http://www.prisonmovies.net/malefique-2002-france link]) - "...there’s ... blood and gore quite properly associated with the horror genre, but the men’s characters – and not the special effects – remain at the heart of the film. Well crafted and well acted."
 * John Schatzer at Bloodtype Online (3/4 Stars) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20080513112410/http://www.bloodtypeonline.com/m69.htm link]) - "This is a different kind of horror movie.  It engages you with interesting characters and gets you to like them, or at least empathize with them.  Then it proceeds to do terrible things to them..."
 * Frank Showalter at Frank's Movie Log (3/5 Stars) ([https://www.franksmovielog.com/reviews/malefique-2002/ link]) - "What begins with echoes of Lovecraft ends like an episode of ''[[Tales from the Crypt (1972 franchise)|Tales from the Crypt]]''. Imagine a film that took these characters—one imprisoned in his body, one in his mind, one in his wealth—and explored their prisons and the lengths they would go for freedom. ''Maléfique'' is not that movie. It’s not a bad film, just a disappointing one."

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 <!-- Optional; Objective, unbiased, detailed synopsis of film's plot and themes -->
 {{spoiler|
-Four imprisoned convicts find a mysterious journal book hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner into the unknown.  Most of the film is spent in characterization and atmosphere; by the time the actual escape attempt finally occurs near the end of the film, the characters discover that the spells in the tome do nothing to help them escape, but rather merely allow unseen Dark Powers to deliver a twisted version of whatever the convicts most want.
+Four imprisoned convicts - a rich businessman imprisoned for corruption who wishes to see his son again, an aggressive and violent partial transsexual who wants to become a woman, a "nitwit" who wants to have his fingers severed and eat everything (including his infant sister), and a scholar who wants to know everything there is to know - find a mysterious journal book hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner into the unknown.  Most of the film is spent in characterization and atmosphere; by the time the actual escape attempt finally occurs near the end of the film, the characters discover that the spells in the tome do nothing to help them escape, but rather merely allow unseen Dark Powers to deliver a twisted version of whatever the convicts most want.
 }}

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 <!-- Short, Spoiler-Free Summary; tag-line or elevator pitch. -->
-"Will you escape alive?"  Four imprisoned convicts find a mysterious tome hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner into the unknown.
+"Will you escape alive?"  Four imprisoned convicts find a mysterious tome hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner out of their prison cell and into the unknown.
 ==Details==
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 * SS___ (Two Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian; could be a very loose adaptation)
-I've not seen this film, but a creepy tome and a gate into the "freedom" of another world, plus whatever is on the other side, sounds promising as "Lovecraftian" cinema.  (My instincts tell me this film promises to be one of those ambiguous art/experimental films full of weird imagery, flashbacks, hallucinations, [[Whammies]], and other such weirdness which fill the ranks of films I categorize under "Eldritch Locations"....)
+(Barely) two tentacles for a vaguely "Lovecraftian" premise and some "Yog-Sothotohry" name-dropping.
 ''Note:  This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.''
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * John Schatzer at Bloodtype Online (3/4 Stars) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20080513112410/http://www.bloodtypeonline.com/m69.htm link]) - "This is a different kind of horror movie.  It engages you with interesting characters and gets you to like them, or at least empathize with them.  Then it proceeds to do terrible things to them..."
 * Frank Showalter at Frank's Movie Log (3/5 Stars) ([https://www.franksmovielog.com/reviews/malefique-2002/ link]) - "What begins with echoes of Lovecraft ends like an episode of ''[[Tales from the Crypt (1972 franchise)|Tales from the Crypt]]''. Imagine a film that took these characters—one imprisoned in his body, one in his mind, one in his wealth—and explored their prisons and the lengths they would go for freedom. ''Maléfique'' is not that movie. It’s not a bad film, just a disappointing one."
 ==Synopsis==
 <!-- Optional; Objective, unbiased, detailed synopsis of film's plot and themes -->
 {{spoiler|
-Four imprisoned convicts find a mysterious tome hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner into the unknown.
+Four imprisoned convicts find a mysterious journal book hidden in the wall of their cell, and use it to conjure up an escape plan to follow its owner into the unknown.  Most of the film is spent in characterization and atmosphere; by the time the actual escape attempt finally occurs near the end of the film, the characters discover that the spells in the tome do nothing to help them escape, but rather merely allow unseen Dark Powers to deliver a twisted version of whatever the convicts most want.
 }}
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 ===Associated Mythos Elements===
 * TO DO
-* tome:  journal of black magic
+* tome:  Journal of [[Charles Danvers]], a tome of black magic written in the [[1920s]] in French, Latin, Greek, and unknown languages, theoretically focused on eternal youth, but also containing spells for opening gates to other worlds and for (perversely) fulfilling one's deepest desires
@@ Line 70: / Line 72: @@
 [[Category:Film:General]]
 [[Category:Film:Film]]
 [[Category:Film:SurrealHorror]]
 [[Category:Film:Tomes]]
 [[Category:Film:Portals]]
 [[Category:Film:Two-Tentacle Media]]
 __NOTOC__

@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 [[Category:Film:General]]
 [[Category:Film:Film]]
-[[Category:Film:EldritchLocation]]
+[[Category:Film:SurrealHorror]]
 [[Category:Film:Two-Tentacle Media]]
 __NOTOC__

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 Review Links:
 * Doomgenerationdotcom ([http://doom-generation.com/malefique-2002/ link]) - "This is a really unique film and it is a joy to watch with such a fascinating plot, but it leaves much to be desired with some unanswered questions. ... I want to know MORE. More about everything. Especially serial killer, Danver, and his sick story."
-* Derrick Carter at For The Love of Celluloid (C-) ([ link]) - "''Maléfique'' does a good job in setting up its characters and the one-room setting of the film.  ... The Lovecraftian angle is very intriguing... The ... problem with ''Maléfique'' is that it drags its feet at every turn. ...the unfocused pacing feels like there was a solid idea here for an excellent short film or an anthology segment, but there’s not enough material put into this premise to make a satisfying feature."
+* Derrick Carter at For The Love of Celluloid (C-) ([https://fortheloveofcelluloid.com/2014/10/23/malefique-2003/ link]) - "''Maléfique'' does a good job in setting up its characters and the one-room setting of the film.  ... The Lovecraftian angle is very intriguing... The ... problem with ''Maléfique'' is that it drags its feet at every turn. ...the unfocused pacing feels like there was a solid idea here for an excellent short film or an anthology segment, but there’s not enough material put into this premise to make a satisfying feature."
 * Michael Helms at Digital Retribution (3/5) ([http://www.digital-retribution.com/reviews/dvd/0152.php link]) - "From ''The Evil Dead'' and ''The Beyond'' to the more recent ''The Ninth Gate'', pieces of literature with supernatural powers have crept into horror cinema to form a subgenre in their own right. ''Malefique'' takes all that's gone before it and improves upon it ... to deliver one of the finest horror experiences..."
 * James Mudge at BeyondHollywooddotcom ([http://www.beyondhollywood.com/malefique-2002-movie-review/ link]) - "The film has a grimy, shadowy feel influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, which makes for a very creepy and unsettling atmosphere."

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 * Producer/Production Co:  Bee Movies, Fidélité Productions, Film Office
 * View Trailer: ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-cJS2O8cUI link])
-* IMDb page: ([www.imdb.com/title/tt0309832/?ref_=ttexrv_exrv_tt link])
+* IMDb page: ([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309832/?ref_=ttexrv_exrv_tt link])
 ==Ratings==

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:35, 19 November 2016
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	<!-- Optional. Notes to Keepers on using this for film for scenario ideas. Heresies and Controversies: this is also a good place to include non-canon and controversial aspects of the film's mythos. Suggested Alternative Theories include: Derleth's elemental scheme; pseudo-science interpretation; "fanon" interpretations; unofficial humorous or eccentric versions; identification with "Real Life" mythological, religious, folklore, natural, and historical phenomena; rumor and speculation contribute some flexibility and ambiguity to the mythos. * Alternative_theory. ([[source]]) -->		<!-- Optional. Notes to Keepers on using this for film for scenario ideas. Heresies and Controversies: this is also a good place to include non-canon and controversial aspects of the film's mythos. Suggested Alternative Theories include: Derleth's elemental scheme; pseudo-science interpretation; "fanon" interpretations; unofficial humorous or eccentric versions; identification with "Real Life" mythological, religious, folklore, natural, and historical phenomena; rumor and speculation contribute some flexibility and ambiguity to the mythos. * Alternative_theory. ([[source]]) -->

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−	~~===External links, See Also===~~
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