La chambre des morts (2007)

Director:

Alfred Lot

Writers:

Alfred Lot
Franck Thilliez (novel)

Release Date:

14 November 2007 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Taxidermy | Doll | Person On Fire | Maniac | Burned Alive

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Mélanie Laurent	...	Lucie Hennebelle
Eric Caravaca	...	Moreno / Pierre Norman
Gilles Lellouche	...	Sylvain
Jonathan Zaccaï	...	Vigo
Céline Sallette	...	Annabelle
Laurence Côte	...	Alex
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Léon
Nathalie Richard	...	Valet
Stéphane Jobert	...	Raviez
Antoine Oppenheim	...	Colin
Alexandre Carrière	...	Stan
Fanny Cottençon	...	La mère de Lucie
Jean-Pierre Gos	...	Van Boost
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lola Créton
Édith Le Merdy

Directed by
Alfred Lot

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alfred Lot
Franck Thilliez		novel

Produced by
Charles Gassot	....	producer
Jacques Hinstin	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Nathaniel Méchaly

Cinematography by
Jérôme Alméras

Film Editing by
Maryline Monthieux

Production Design by
Jean-Pierre Fouillet

Set Decoration by
Stéphane Cressend

Costume Design by
Olivier Bériot

Makeup Department
Christophe Chabenet	....	special makeup effects artist
Ferouz Zaafour	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Gaël Deledicq	....	unit production manager
Benjamin Dewaele	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cécile Denis	....	second assistant director
Stephane Moreno-Carpio	....	first assistant director
Valerie Paillard	....	third assistant director
Celine Rossi	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Tom Danos	....	carpenter
Marie Dehaynin	....	assistant decorator
Antoine Dore	....	property master
Gilles Graziano	....	props buyer
Alexis Imbert	....	assistant property master
Daniel Parceaud	....	assistant set decorator
Delis Valerie	....	props maker

Sound Department
Damien Bera	....	sound re-recording mixer
Boris Chapelle	....	assistant sound editor
Edouard d'Heucqueville	....	sound mix technician
Nicolas Delcroix	....	boom operator
Geraldine Falieu	....	dialogue editor
Dominique Gaborieau	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist
Francis Wargnier	....	sound editor
Laurent Zeilig	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jérémy B. Caravita	....	special effects technician
Laurent Fenestre	....	design artist
Denis Gastou	....	special effects makeup
Jean-Christophe Spadaccini	....	special effects makeup

Visual Effects by
Alexandra Added	....	visual effects coordinator
Matthieu Chatelier	....	digital artist
Nicolas Daniel	....	data manager
Bertrand de Saint Seine	....	titles and credits
Thomas Duval	....	visual effects supervisor
Philippe Frère	....	digital compositor
Julien Lambert	....	3D supervisor
Jérome Lionard	....	digital compositor
Tim Mendler	....	movematcher
Thibault Petillon	....	digital compositor
Sebastien Rame	....	compositing supervisor
Mael Renaud	....	digital compositor
Guillaume Thimus	....	movematcher
Edouard Valton	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Sybille Blouin	....	stunt double
Sybille Blouin	....	utility stunts
Michel Carliez	....	stunt coordinator
Yves Girard	....	stunt double
Albert Goldberg	....	stunt performer
Christian Hening	....	stunt performer (as Christian Hening de Franceschi)
David Julienne	....	stunt double
Michel Julienne	....	stunt car coordinator
Emilie Jumeaux	....	stunt double
Frédéric Vallet	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Victor Abadia	....	electrician
Éric Alirol	....	gaffer
Quentin Améziane	....	additional electrician
Damien Auriol	....	grip
Simon Beaufils	....	second assistant camera
Julien Coquillet	....	grip
Jan Gagnaire	....	grip
Pierre Garnier	....	key grip
Catherine Georges	....	first assistant camera
Thibault Grabherr	....	poster photographer
Laurent Héritier	....	gaffer
Nicolas Labrousse	....	electrician
Guillaume Lemerle	....	assistant camera
Marc Sprimont	....	camera trainee

Casting Department
Agathe Hassenforder	....	casting: children

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Fabienne Josserand	....	assistant costume designer
Sylvie Néant	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Karen Cerutti	....	assistant editor
Fabien Pascal	....	colorist
Reginald Gallienne	....	dailies color grader (uncredited)

Music Department
Antonio Gambale	....	synthesizer programmer
Jan Holzner	....	orchestra recording engineer
Nathaniel Méchaly	....	orchestrator
Stéphane Prin	....	music mixer
Petr Pycha	....	orchestra contractor
Ludovick Tartavel	....	music mix assistant

Other crew
Frédéric Cauvy	....	weapons advisor
Anne-Marie Lefèvre	....	location scout
Etienne Lerbret	....	press attache
Claude Varis	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Produire à Paris
• Centre Régional des Ressources Audiovisuelles (CRRAV) (co-production)
• CiBy 2000 (co-production)
• Télégraphe (co-production)
• Poste Image (in association with)
• La Banque postale Image (in association with)
• Cinémage (in association with)
• Banque Populaire Images 7 (in association with)
• Banque Populaire Images 8 (in association with)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)

Distributors

• Bac Films (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Aventi (2008) (France) (DVD)
• Cinéart (2008) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Daisy Entertainment (2008) (Korea) (theatrical)
• Cinemax (2008) (Hungary) (TV)
• Mongrel Media (2008) (Canada) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Duboi (visual effects)

Other Companies

• CNSO Studios  recording studio

Also Known As:

"Chamber of Death" - Canada (English title) (DVD title)
"Melody's Smile" - Europe (English title) (festival title)
"Room of Death" - USA
"A halál kamrája" - Hungary
"Die Kammer der toten Kinder" - Germany (DVD title)
"El cuarto de los muertos" - Mexico

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France

Company:

Produire à Paris

Trivia:

Cunar, the man killed by accident by Vigo and Sylvain at the beginning of the movie was played by Jacques Hinstin, the movie's executive producer.

Very intense thriller

With a few situations similar to the Silence of the Lamb; LA CHAMBRE DES MORTS is able to become a complete different and original thriller. Two men hit with a car a person (and kill him) carrying a bag full of money. They take the money and dispose the body however that money was the ransom for a kidnapped girl who is murdered. Another girl, a diabetic one, is kidnapped so a police woman and her partner follow the case. The story follows different directions; the two men who stole the money, the kidnappers, the police and even the kidnapped girl in a brief escape attempt to cross paths near the end. The investigation in itself is realistically resolved; which somewhat drags the first half of the movie. During the second half, several very intense situations raise the tension towards a final act, somewhat similar (but far from equal) to the Jonathan Demme's film. Melanie Laurent, gives an interesting performance as the single mother of two babies' police woman; trying to take care of her siblings while trying to find the killers. While the rest of the cast keeps the level above average. It is important to note that while the gore and violence level are not high; some situations and images are very intense. The movie was rated OVER 12 YEARS OLD in France; which is something like an R here in USA.