Written By: Jacob deBlecourt

Often when viewing a horror movie more than, say, 30 years old, I feel compelled to lower my expectations. I pretend not to notice the blatant costume stitching or the mechanical hinges of the great tormenting beast du jure. It was my pleasure, then, when Georges Franjus’ Eyes Without a Face (French: Les Yeux Sans Visage), actually managed to push the envelope on what I considered scary.

 

Eyes Without a Face scares you in the best way it knows how, in the way Un Chien Andalou scares you: here’s a face, now watch it get stabbed a lot.

In Franjus’ 1960 medical horror tale, mad scientist Doctor Génessier and assistant Louise, played by Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli respectively, solicit and kill young women who look similar to the Doctor’s disfigured daughter, Christiane (Edith Scob). While this storyline may seem simple, what draws you in is the real-time portrayal of face surgery, shockingly realistic even for its age. Both the excessive gore and the portrayal of the “mad scientist” character brought the film under heavy review and censorship during its initial release.

Personally, I find the rawness of it very innovative for its time. Sensing that you might witness such sadistic suturing sends the storyline sideways. Will the doctor avoid the police? Will Christiane’s new face take properly? Who will the next victim be? With its compelling character motivations and sense for gore, Eyes Without a Face is a definite must-watch for the advanced horror enthusiast.