Second Sight, out now

After a daring robbery goes wrong, the would-be criminals flee to the countryside and encounter a clan of crazed Nazi cannibals who are attempting to create the new master race.

Writer/director Xavier Gens’ 2007 horror thriller (AKA Frontière(s)) is extreme to say the least and benefits from a new special edition by Second Sight Films.

Thematically, Frontier(s) has a lot in common with Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – a handful of youngsters visit a remote property and become prey to a family of monsters, including one brute who hangs them up on meathooks. Gens is not unaware of this, and instead of merely replicating or providing homage, he layers further. The family here are neo-Nazis, their leader is overseeing the procreation of in-bred children who are kept in the dark, and all against the backdrop of a dystopian, rioting France.

Gens also makes the brave move of rendering his victims as fairly unlikeable thugs, and it’s only Karina Testa’s Yasmine that we truly feel sorry for. And what degradation she goes through! At times this is on a par with the worst torture porn – Achilles tendons are severed with bolt croppers and one character is boiled alive – and the relentless misery of it all can be numbing.

Second Sight’s release includes an audio commentary with horror movie aficionados Zoë Rose Smith and Kelly Gredner, as well as interviews with director Xavier Gens, actors Karina Testa and Maud Forget, cinematographer Laurent Barès and composer Jean-Piere Taïeb. There’s also a half-hour ‘making of’ feature, trailers, behind-the-scenes photos and deleted scenes. Limited edition has rigid slipcase, book of new writing and six art cards.

Verdict: Extreme cinema for those who can stomach gore and misery – but so well made, and with a sharp political bite. 9/10

Nick Joy