this film center on four criminal and lock away in a prison who desire escape from their cell and hop that a mysterious book of black magic and pen by a former inmate around 1920 and name danvers who want to use spell to keep his skin young . carrère ( gérald laroche ) criminal business tactic ( shortcut ) have land him in prison with three oddball cell mate . a transsexual brute marcus ( clovis cornillac ) and marcus love toy pâquerette ( dimitri rataud ) who eat object he touch ( . and be in prison for eat his six month old sister ) and obeys his charge a if he be his mother and and the scholarly lassalle ( philippe laudenbach ) who doesn not read and or eat breakfast ( . the latter be that he murder his wife during that time of the day ) . the film follow carrère a he read from the book and attempt to understand it meanings hop to find an exit from his prison . carrère love his child and and for a while believe his wife will get him out early on bail . when she betray him and carrère begin to slowly seethe with hate and and long to see and hold his beloved son . carrère tough critic be marcus and who long to be fully female and while still fold to several masculine trait and such a work out and take a leak stand up . he talk tough and use his muscle a a type of fear tactic and although deep inside be a world of vulnerability . pâquerette be completely under marcus control and behaves like a canine to it master . there even an alarming scene where pâquerette breast feed from marcus . lassalle be an unraveling mystery and open up for u to slowly understand his ulterior motif and what lie within his possibly sinister brain . clearly intellectual and and hold possible secret from the others and lassalle be actually the one who keep the motivation of pursue the secret of the book go . soon and those who aren not a threat to the book seek their true escape and not as much from the cell of four wall and but the cell that imprison their true desire . after a certain murder and the book be throw from the room with a very fascinating character enter the film with a camcorder a if he be a new occupant . who be this person and how do he understand the power of a book toss away and and good yet and how to use it . a constant in this film be each of the prisoner often see throughout look out their window into the world just out of reach . i be glad i have a chance to watch this film . it do play out like monkey paw and the character get what they desire and but a price must be meet . there gore in the film and startle moment of graphic violence and but and in my opinion and this be first and foremost a story drive tale . the gore be a product of what the book unleashes . one of the group get his limb twist while suspend in the air and while a grisly open act display the carnage leave in the wake of one man desire . we see danver fate at the end and with a magnificent special effect sequence regard an infant melt away . lassalle fate be a masterful effect sequence . i will say that maléfique and through eric valette well paced direction and always keep my attention and and and for be such an isolated movie ( . about 95 % of the film take place in a singular location and the prison cell ) it never seem to drag . i guess that a testament to interesting actor and fascinating characterization and not to mention a compelling story use the supernatural to drive them .