Saint Ange (2004 film)

Still from Saint Ange (2004 film)...

Saint Ange, AKA St. Ange, House of Voices (2004 film)

Summary

Anna is a cleaning woman who accepts a post at the St. Ange Orphanage. She arrives to confront an unsettling lack of orphans, save for one who acts far too childish for her age. Then the bizarre sights and sounds begin, which seem to elude detection by the only other servant or the gloomy institution's director. Is this all in Anna's mind? Or does something more sinister lurk in the heart of St. Ange?

Details

• Release Date: 2004
• Country/Language: France, English and French with subtitles
• Genres/Technical: Drama, Fantasy, Horror (psychological horror), Art/Experimental
• Runtime: 1 hr 38 min
• Starring: Virginie Ledoyen, Lou Doillon, Catriona MacColl
• Director: Pascal Laugier
• Writer: Pascal Laugier
• Producer/Production Co: Castel Film Romania, Eskwad, France 3 Cinéma
• View Trailer: (link)
• IMDb page: (link)

Ratings

MPAA Ratings

• Rated: R (Nudity, Violence, Adult Content, Profanity)

Tentacle Ratings

A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:

• S____ (One Tentacle: Debateably Lovecraftian; has almost no direct connection to Lovecraft's work)

Not exactly a "Lovecraftian" film in the sense of being based on any of Lovecraft's work or containing references to his creations, though some viewers may find the location and atmosphere suggestive of Lovecraft's work (an "Eldritch Location" film). There might, perhaps, be just a bit of "The Dunwich Horror (fiction)" or "Herbert West - Reanimator (fiction)" in the plot somewhere.

Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.

Reviews

Review Links:

• Spooky Pie at This Girl Loves Horror, (link) - "...When looking around the internet I saw that this movie was getting a very mixed reception, and after viewing it I understand why. It's not for everyone.... I can't say this is a movie I would recommend to the horror fan crowd in general. However, if you are someone who is interested in a sensitive, almost fairy-tale sort of ghost story, this meets that...."
• Richard Scheib at The Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review (2/5 Stars) (link) - "While Pascal Laugier develops the atmosphere well, Saint Ange remains a film that builds but ultimately fails to go anywhere. The ending reached is a dog’s breakfast of loose ends and vague and untied plot strands that leaves one scratching their head in puzzlement..."

Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)

Anna is a cleaning woman who accepts a post at the St. Ange Orphanage. She arrives to confront an unsettling lack of orphans, save for one who acts far too childish for her age. Then the bizarre sights and sounds begin, which seem to elude detection by the only other servant or the gloomy institution's director. Is this all in Anna's mind? Or does something more sinister lurk in the heart of St. Ange?

Notes

Associated Mythos Elements

• Fiction - compare to:
  • "The Dunwich Horror (fiction)"
  • "Herbert West - Reanimator (fiction)"
• TO DO