It’s spooky season so it’s time for Shudder to shine. In addition to all the awesome classic horror movies the genre-focused streamer is adding this month, it’s debuting a bunch of brand-new films too. There’s V/H/S Beyond, Daddy’s Head, Azrael, and—our favorite—the unforgettable Mads. What’s Mads? Well, io9 is exclusively debuting the trailer to show you.
Written and directed by David Moreau, Mads tells the story of the first day of a deadly outbreak through the illusion of one continuous shot. Things start with a young man, Romain (Milton Riche), who scores some drugs and thinks he’s just going out to party. But that changes when he runs into a bloody woman covered in bandages. From there, well, let’s just say it’s not going to be a good night for anyone. Here’s your io9 exclusive look at the first trailer for Mads.
“The fundamental choice to shoot this film in a single shot stems from the desire to make this hallucinatory journey as authentic as possible,” Moreau said in a press release. “By closely following Romain, Anaïs (Laurie Pavy), and Julia (Lucille Guillaume) without interruption, the camera becomes a direct witness to this descent into hell, capturing every moment without filter or escape.”
“This single shot thus becomes the common thread of a realistic, immersive sensory experience,” Moreau continues. “Through his seamless continuity, the viewer feels the characters’ progress through this psychosis in an almost physical way. Every scene, every emotion, is experienced in real-time, with no possibility of escape, creating an unparalleled plunge into this altered state of consciousness.”
“Mads thus seeks to capture this altered reality with intensity and fidelity, where the single shot becomes much more than a technical feat,” he continues. It becomes the indispensable tool for anchoring the spectator in this ghost-train, where the bad trip becomes palpable, real, and overwhelming.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Which is why we quoted it.
Mads recently played Fantastic Fest 2024 and io9 reviewed it there. It’s an awesome movie that keeps the tension and energy high while also unfurling mystery and horror as you watch a group of friends eat themselves up from the inside as they get influenced and infected by this outbreak. Is it a zombie outbreak? Something else even more sinister? We never quite know but it never ever matters.
You can see it all for yourself when Mads debuts on Shudder October 18.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
