Eyes Without a Face [re-release]

Lopert Pictures Corporation | Release Date: October 31, 2003

7.7	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 41 Ratings

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imthenoobJul 31, 2020

There are things that make me want to like the movie, like the premise and the acting, but it was so difficult to get into because of the slow-pace and heavy use of these needless filler scenes that should have been cut out. It's a 90-minuteThere are things that make me want to like the movie, like the premise and the acting, but it was so difficult to get into because of the slow-pace and heavy use of these needless filler scenes that should have been cut out. It's a 90-minute film that really should have been 60-70 minutes and it just failed to really capture my interest. Not to say that it is a terrible movie but I just couldn't get into it.… Expand

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SpangleOct 1, 2016

The age old question to who let the dogs out has been answered. It was Christiane (Edith Scob) the entire time. Somebody should let the Baha Men know that their answer came 40 years before the song.

This haunting French film from directorThe age old question to who let the dogs out has been answered. It was Christiane (Edith Scob) the entire time. Somebody should let the Baha Men know that their answer came 40 years before the song.

This haunting French film from director Georges Franju is a classic for good reason. It may be slow, but it feels relatively devoid of classic horror cliches. Rather, Eyes Without a Face is a film truly about guilt, emotional trauma, and depression. Like a black cloud, the atmosphere hangs over this film and it proves to be quite unsettling, even if it never downright scary. Rather, it is a thoroughly and subtly haunting experience that feels wholly unique and original.

With an odd score that often likes annoying carousel music, Eyes Without a Face is a film determined to buck expectations. By the end, the once annoying carousel music turns into a menacing sound due to the implication about what is set to begin when it is heard. The same can be said about the general plot. It honestly sneaks up on you. While I knew what the film is about, the true horror of this film is revealed in the details as you realize that Doctor Genessier (Pierre Brasseur) sincerely believes he must do this for Christiane. He is obviously a sick individual, but also one suffering greatly from grief and trauma over the situation he caused for his beloved daughter. Though one has to be sick to go to these lengths, the emotional trauma and helplessness he feels is intensely relatable.

That said, the scene in which he actually takes off a girl's face is pure horror. While much of the film can be more accurately described as psychological horror, this one sequence puts it over the edge. So calculated, so graphic, and so horrifying to think of the ramifications of this sequence, I am weak so I had to look away, but it was still traumatic. The sequence is that good. This same trauma is shown at the end when Christiane frees her father's last captive and the dogs he experimented upon. Given her great levels of depression, one must assume that Christiane has finally given up all hope and will kill herself at long last. The sheer hopelessness of this element of the film really underscores its balance between true horror and a film that explores the depths one can be driven to from grief.

A classic of the genre, Eyes Without a Face has had clear influence on later films (Halloween, Face/Off for example) and with good reason. It can be a bit slow a times, but is more than rewarding and proves to be a highly haunting experience when it is all said and done.… Expand

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EpicLadySpongeApr 7, 2016

A movie without a face. Eyes Without a Face represents the unimaginable pain of living without a face while they still have eyes to see and keep track in incoming people in the way.

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