The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I mostly enjoyed this. The film taken as a whole seems pretty slight, not just in terms of plot (which is standard for the directors) but also in effect. The film is creepy and nasty. There's a horrifying "monster" in this played with great physicality by Fabien Jegoudez. There are scenes of absolute intensity, with beautiful haunting mise en scene. Yet the whole thing feels a bit undercooked. What starts as a dark side of the Spielbergian kids on a mission story turns into a home invasion thriller and then into something else. It's not enough of any but it's fun watching it try. There seems to be a sociological context to it all that was a bit lost on me. Maybe it's a French thing - this worry about toxic gases from the military affecting the children. But should we fear them or pity them? No matter.

Man, had I seen this as a boy, the same age as the boys in this movie, this would've simultaneously scarred me for life and would've been the number one gateway to horror I'd never forget.Boy, the French know horror...but not how to end a film. Granted, I only recall seeing their High Tension and now: Among the Living and both had great cinematography, graphic, original scares and brutality and a WTF ending. Not to spoil either film's ending, but to be positive, this one was far less disappointing, yet still made my head spin.The basic gist: after an incredible start with a wide open range, 3 terrible kids witness a ruthless kidnapping and spend about two seconds both reporting and being rejected by the police. Following, they spend even less time acting like it was a big deal. Well, until they're hunted by one of the savage fiends. The movie had great promise, looked beautiful and was wildly original and all at the same time had huge plot holes, subplots that literally went nowhere and a, again, "really?" finale. Not to mention there weren't many characters to root for with the exception of one innocent family.For the good portion, this is a recommended film and I was thoroughly pleased with seeing a fresh take horror film. And still, I wouldn't denounce it completely for the third act as it's still "eh." So, it's a very soft approval.***Final thoughts: As stated, High Tension had the worst and most unbelievable of the two climaxes, but I would recommend that film more as what led up to that twist reminded me more of why I love horror.

I saw this film at the Imagine (sf/horror/fantasy) filmfestival Amsterdam 2014. It was programmed as a "surprise" film, so I had no means to outguess what was in stock for us. But even given an opportunity to prepare, there was not much material to support any opinion, be it good or bad or ugly. There was only one user review on IMDb, which was overly positive. Having seen it beforehand, it only would have amplified my disappointment, given what I know now.For starters, it was based on a not very well constructed script, that took off very slowly. And what's worse for a movie advertised as "horror", it never became creepy in any way. Also, the final scenes contained undirected and confused violence, leaving us confused who was targeting who. Finally it left unneeded open ends: WTF was wrong with Klarence, who remained invisible in the prologue, but was apparently someone of importance to the father figure. (*** SPOILER AHEAD ***) When we eventually get to see him in display as a large, naked, bald human, only 6 years old (as we are told in the final scene), I'm completely lost on what it is all about and what caused this misfortune situation.Three boys are prominently present in the story, and perform very naturally. However, Klarence had the assignment (not so easy when really 6 years old) to kill the three boys. Obviously, he missed his assigned target for the greater part, because we see (*** SPOILER AHEAD ***) one of the boys still alive in the end. In a misguided attempt to compensate, he killed other members of their respective families in the process.This film ranked lowest for the audience award. There is justice after all, and I'm not alone in my negative feelings after the fact.

I watched "Among the living" at the Melbourne Film Festival the other day not knowing that it was directed by the team who made "Inside" which is a favorite of mine and a great example of a horror done right with brutal violence and palpable tension. If I had know I would have had even higher hopes for this film but after watching it can see their hand all over it."Among the Living" is about 3 boys who witness someone being abducted and what occurs afterwards. I won't spoil it for anyone here but would thoroughly recommend this film. There are some great scenes in this one and I was creeped out a number of times. 9 stars from me.