[Film Review] Making Off (2012)

The beauty of extreme films can often be found in their ability to blur the realms of fiction and reality, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in a world so corrupt, so heinous it can provoke a physical reaction. Found footage has often been at the helm of these snuff-esque films, with the likes of Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood (1985) and August Underground (2001) setting the precedent for just how disturbing the use of a handheld camera can truly be. The style also provides independent filmmakers with the opportunity to make the viewer’s skin crawl, without the need for expensive theatrics. 

Cedric Dupuis’ 2012 extreme found footage film, Making Off, sources inspiration from its predecessors and incorporates all of the elements that a nasty film should possess. Also known as Devil’s Weekend in its French to English translation, the film takes a mockumentary style with the director providing a barely edited behind-the-scenes reel from the set of his film. Cedric (Olivier Bureau) quits his job, takes out a loan and decides to pursue his dream – producing the world’s greatest horror film, plus a bonus ‘making of’ feature. He casts his close friends and colleagues as the stars of the film, all of whom question his radical decision but support him nonetheless in making the movie. Stress, sleepless nights, and ridicule from his girlfriend add to the mounting self-pressure to make the greatest horror film and as Cedric’s state of mind declines, so do his morals.

Boundaries are there to be pushed, and Making Off does not tread lightly around the topic of extreme. Instead it plunges the viewer headfirst into a series of acts so depraved that even the most iron-clad stomachs will find this disturbing. Every kill is more vicious than the previous, with detailed shots of the brutal violence against the human body. Some CGI is featured, however, through camera trickery and filters, the grittiness of faux snuff is still captured. Blunt force trauma, decapitations, torture, sanding (yes, sanding…) and a whole plethora of intense visceral acts are displayed as horrific methods of murder. 

The film also depicts necrophilia, with no body spared from the degradation and defilement of their carcass. There is one particular scene that peaked my morbid curiosity of post-death coitus but equally made me horrified, and so repulsed that my gag reflex instantly kicked in. If you manage to get this far into the film, you will be rewarded with an animal cruelty scene at which point those not seasoned with extreme cinema might prefer to turn the film off.

Whilst there might not be anything exceptionally different to similar films of this nature, found footage and extreme horror fans will revel in this nasty indie gem. Making Off is only for those who are prepared to lose a little of their soul and feel unclean even after a skin scrubbing shower. For a truly mind-destroying triple bill, this one would be perfectly paired with Adrian Tofei’s Be My Cat: A Film For Anne and Rafaël Cherkaski’s Sorgoi Prakov: Descent Into Darkness.

Making Off is available now from extreme horror film label, TetroVideo Films! Grab yourself a copy and get down and dirty with some nastiness…

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