You know how, in slasher movies, people get knifed/cut down/etc and then get up and carry on fighting? Well, to get it out of the way, it's not really a spoiler to say there's a fair bit of that during the second half of 'Among the Living.'
That is the nearest I can come to any kind of criticism concerning a film that, from the pre-credits sequence until the final line, is terrific. Compelling. Weird. And violent! Three of the main players are 14 years of age, and their tender years gave me the feeling that things wouldn't get too grim. Happily I was wrong.
Victor (Theo Fernandez), Tom (Zacharie Chasseriaud) and 'nerdy' Dan (Damien Ferdel) are three scamps skiving school. They visit an abandoned film lot - an excellent location for horror, and one I'm surprised isn't featured more often. They are enjoyable company and very well played. They witness frightening brutality from Klarence (Fabien Jegoudez), who is a truly frightening individual.
No-one gets through this film without receiving some sort of bloody graphic punishment, and the audience is given no clue as to who will survive and who won't. I had a great time with this subtitled French film and recommend it fully. My score is 8 out of 10.