When it comes to nightmarish, grounded horror stories, less is always more. Pascal Plante's psychological thriller Red Roomsfollows Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), a true-crime-obsessed model who is closely following and attending the trial of accused serial killer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos). This is a particularly disturbing case, as the killer broadcast his three teenage victims' brutal torture and murder onto the dark web. However, only two of the three videos were recovered by the police. As Kelly-Anne searches for the missing snuff film, her obsession spirals into a psychological nightmare. What is most fascinating about this film is how little of the tapes are shown. By only presenting the audience with sound bytes and character reactions, Pascal creates an audiovisual terror where ambiguity is clearly more effective than blatant visuals, both in its scares and in commentary on the exploitative nature of true crime.
True Crime's Exploitative Nature, and the Deeper Subtexts of 'Red Rooms'
Red Rooms is a movie with endless layers. It is all at once a serial killer story, a character study, and, most importantly, a commentary on the toxic subculture of true crime fandom, and how it exploits real-life victims and their families. Kelly-Anne is a very disturbed protagonist. She spends her time on the dark web, making money in sketchy ways and viewing horrific content with an eerie lack of empathy. Kelly-Anne makes a friend at the trial who comes across as possibly worse. Clementine (Laurie Babin) seems in love with Chevalier, a hyper-obsessive of the case who truly believes he is not responsible for the murders. These characters are so far removed from any actual pain, yet make this story their entire lives. People now, due to the news and the internet, are much more desensitized to violence, and true crime serves as a morbid comfort content for some. Red Rooms serves to comment on, satirize, and explore the moral gray area that is consuming true crime content.
This horror film guides its audience on a journey of unrelenting dread while it explores the perils hidden in the internet.
Anonymity is the central theme of the film, which fits into the commentary. Kelly-Anne anonymously watches the case, anonymously investigates online, and anonymously involves herself in the trial without ever fully being a known player in it. This plays into the movie's conversation on the toxicity of true crime. People can watch and read and consume the most horrifying real-life media and stories, without ever having to involve themselves or feel the pain of the victims' families. Clementine also does not seem to care about the victims until she sees the videos for herself. Anonymity allows some fans of true crime to disassociate from empathy, and treat the truth as fiction. The public reaction is also disturbing. A talk show makes jokes about it, Chevalier has an entire fan base, and a man on the news who lives where one of the victims' bodies was found does not have any issue with continuing to live there.
Kelly-Anne has no true friends, her family is never seen, and she does not have a partner. She is wholly an anonymous human being, and because of this, she can safely invest time in the Chevalier case without ever having to be held responsible for her obsessions. Exaggerated, yes, but it does serve to comment on the anonymous, problematic nature of exploring true crime.
Not Seeing Is Believing in 'Red Rooms'
Image via Nemesis Films
The nightmare-inducing horror functions uniquely in Red Rooms. The cinematography, mise-en-scène, and audio work to create a chilling, slow-burn experience. The shots maintain a stark stillness, usually having extended shots of one main subject. This grounds the movie in a sense of reality, further exemplified by minimalist set decorations, muted color palettes, and lighting. Normally, if a thriller is shot like this at the beginning, the cinematography grows more chaotic during its most intense moments, like kill sequences. However, Red Rooms refuses to stray from this method. When Kelly-Anne shows Clementine the video of the first murder, the audience sits through an extended shot of them sitting in front of the screen, from the screen's perspective. There is no glimpse into the actual video, and all there is to go off of is Cleméntine's sobbing and visceral reactions of terror, as well as an ominous red glow. They repeat this shot towards the end of the film, when Kelly-Anne is watching something. It is a horrifying way to let the audience member's imagination run wild with sadistic possibilities.
Aside from these two minimalist aspects, the sound might be the scariest part of the movie. During each scene in which the characters view the tapes, there is always just a small bit of sound left in the film. The whirring of mechanical tools, the screeching of chainsaws, and bloodcurdling screams are all just barely audible, and add to this veiled terror. Plante plays with viewers' senses in a way that is not commonly seen in horror or thriller cinema as much anymore, and in doing so, not only creates a very real sense of fear but also comments on society's relationship with violence and true crime.
Image Via Entract Films
Image via Nemesis Films
English (US) ·