Else (2025) review – A bizarre french body horror experiment

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today, we are checking out Thibault Emin’s French body-horror movie Else. This did the festival circuit in 2024 but had its streaming release in May of 2025.

Now this one is extremely strange

When you were watching the pretty enjoyable Body-Horror movie Together earlier this year, did you just happen to think to yourself “Yeah, it’s good but I wish it was a lot weirder and a hell of a lot more French”? No, of course you didn’t. Literally nobody on earth ever thought that which is something of a shame, really because that’s exactly what Else is.

The story follows an introverted man who falls in love with an extroverted woman. Only for the pair to find themselves in a harrowing situation when a mysterious epidemic that causes people to merge with their surroundings strikes the city.

“It sounds like a pretty strange concept, right? Well, I am happy to tell you that it is even weirder than it sounds.”

It sounds like a pretty strange concept, right? Well, I am happy to tell you that it is even weirder than it sounds. This movie is incredibly bizarre or, should I say, abstract? In fact, it is so bizarre that I am hoping to God that nobody requests that I explain the ending to it because I have virtually no clue what is going on.

Slow, abstract, and very bizarre

Things start off simple enough. We are introduced to our lead couple who just met at a party and are sharing a one night fling together. Again, when I see a pair of titties and a man’s hairy arse in the first five minutes of a film I can be pretty sure it will be French. We don’t know much about either protagonist. One is a fan of children’s toys and seems a bit introverted. The other is a bit over-bearing and deliberately kooky.

We get the slightest hint of an impending epidemic and some incredibly vague references to how it impacts the sufferer. The next minute we are locked down and the couple are now sharing a house. Obviously, for the most part, you will be expecting a bit of an odd-couple style clashing of worlds. An outgoing woman who’s a kinda sex obsessed moves in with a repressed loner. It writes itself, right?

That’s the strange thing, though. That element only plays into the movie in a very insignificant way. The majority of the time we are just being exposed to the worsening situation with the epidemic itself. Our couple are trying to protect themselves, things get a little too close for comfort, and then, all of a sudden, everything gets really really strange.

An exercise in cinematic experimentation and arthouse filmmaking

The next hour or so is an exercise in cinematic experimentation. Each new segment is filmed in a slightly different way and feels a little more abstract than the last. Whether that is simply switching to close up camera angles, over saturated brightness, or something more bizarre depends on how far into the movie you make it.

“I came away from this film not really knowing whether I enjoyed it or not. The story is paper thin which leaves little to cling onto when looking for substance.”

I really don’t want to elaborate too much on some of the directorial choices because, in a way, they are the only thing that Else really has going for it. I came away from this film not really knowing whether I enjoyed it or not. The story is paper thin which leaves little to cling onto when looking for substance. The horror sequences aren’t particularly interesting and the acting performances are adequate but unremarkable.

With that being said, there is an almost cosmic nature to the film that I am sure some will enjoy. There is always a hint that there is something larger that the characters don’t quite understand. Something that is unmoved by their plight and unsympathetic to the situation they are in. To a degree, this allows the movie to go off into some pretty interesting explorations of body-horror as the scenario here is pretty hopeless.

Plenty of positives including some fantastic visuals

There are some nice visuals and some interesting concepts centred around how the characters meld with their surroundings. Some of the practical and special effects work is very good, as well. There are definitely a couple of moments that will have you wincing and I thought the idea, as a whole, was pretty original.

“I felt Kotoko director Shin’ya Tsukamoto’s influence all over this film… There’s a distinct J-Horror vibe that also comes through a lot.”

I could imagine some of the concepts here creeping a few viewers out who think about it too much. Despite that, I think that this is, at its core, a story about moving out of your comfort zone due to love and learning to adapt so that you can become one with the person. Whether people will actually get through the movie to take this message out of it is another thing.

I may be way off base here but I felt Kotoko director Shin’ya Tsukamoto’s influence all over this film. Particularly in some of the more chaotic moments. There’s a distinct J-Horror vibe that also comes through a lot, in parts. I quite enjoyed that but Tsukamoto is a divisive director as it is so your mileage may vary.

With that being said, this is very much an arthouse horror film. It is ultra experimental, extremely abstract, and not at all made for the masses. Some are going to get a tremendous kick out of that while others are going to reach for the stop button.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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