It is captivating to see how other countries view the conventions of horror. As a class, you’d think the fright flick would be universal - and it is, up to a point. But since terror is also linked almost inescapably to the gentry in which it’s created, disparate regions of the world have different ideas when it comes to macabre. Italy loves it hot and thrilling, the more body parts and visceral chunks the better. The Asians are obsessed with demons and ghosts, unable to get around the notion of the afterlife and the spirits that seem to around every effectively in their nations. South American mires the whole kit in rampant Catholicism while Germans elucidate their biting-cold and clinical personalities into equally icy and divided venerate fare.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the Belgians, the scary movie motives are a little fuzzier. There are a few examples of the nation’s creature feature ideals, but they really don’t provide much insight. Man Bites Dog is just serial killer sameness tossed into the mock-doc format, while 2004’s Calvaire is the rock and roll equivalent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, sort of. Belgium has explored the world of zombies (who hasn’t, frankly) and married sex to the supernatural for their supposed shivers. Troma now treats us to Parts of the Family, and even with this combination crime thriller and living dead chiller, we still don’t know exactly what petrifies the Western European. This muddled mess of a movie isn’t offering any answers - or frights, for that matter.