Le Jour de la bête

It’s not that great after all. Laughter occurs very rarely, most of the film feels only slightly funny and by the end the humour is totally lacking. They should have gone a lot further, because the way they wasted the idea is criminal. I just didn’t like it; this kind of comedy is not my thing. (10/07/2009)

The Day of the Beast lacks neither a strong idea, an original theme, or excellent moments. But wat it lacks is momentum in several scenes and, above all, better exploited potential. They could have got so much more from such a brilliant idea. Even so, turned out to be an excellent movie where it is glaringly obvious at almost every moment just how much better it could have been. (23/07/2007)

Iglesia is one of the most brutal and literal directors I've ever known. It's not that he particularly revels in these scenes or that they're unfruitful, but they just sort of take place casually and naturally in his films. I found myself laughing throughout the film at moments that weren't funny or bad, but were so unapologetic that it surprised even me. For example, in the finale he offs one of the main characters without any opening or closing shot. Even the side villains are treated better in the film than the protagonists of The Day of the Beast. Plus add fantastic lines like (about a metal record) "Could you play that backwards?" "Well, it sounds exactly the same, but it’ll mess up my record." Too bad there are a few lame spots towards the end, otherwise this could have been one of the purest guilty pleasures. (05/01/2012)