House of Voices (2004)

A young woman named Anna (Virginie Ledoyen) begins her work as a cleaning lady at Saint Ange orphanage. She meets the strict headmistress Miss Frachard (Catriona MacColl) who informs her that the place is being shut down due to the death of one of the children. Anna is to clean the place before the new owners arrive. As strange, inexplicable things begin to happen, Anna begins to realize that something is very wrong at Saint Ange.

Surprisingly, this ethereal horror film comes from Pascal Laugier, the writer and director of the violent and harrowing Martyrs (2008). Effectively chilling and beautiful, Saint Ange requires some patience due to a thin storyline and trite dialogue. Characters are thinly written but the odd acting style makes up for it. It’s nice to see veteran Euro-horror queen Catriona MacColl giving a good (though slightly stiff) performance. The ending of this film is some cold, overly brightly lit craziness!

The trailer for House of Voices (AKA Saint Ange) caught my eye but it wasn’t until after reading the bad reviews and the scathing user comments on IMDB that I was convinced that I had to seek this one out. This film’s emphasis on a somber mood and lush gothic imagery at the expense of a cohesive plot doom it to this kind of reaction and will severely limit its appeal. However, fans of atmospheric French horror in the vein of Jean Rollin (like yours truly) will be richly rewarded by giving this little gem a chance.