Eyes Without a Face is in French and subtitled in English. It is also called Les Yeux Sans Visage or The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus.
Eyes Without a Face is an odd cult classic. The movie is eerie and distubring and at the same time, amusing to watch. There is great direction and some really good special effects for its time. This little known chiller is surely an eye opener.
The strange story may sound slightly cliche, but that is only now. It is about Christiane, a sweet girl whose face has been horribly disfigured in a car accident and is now forced to wear a creepy mask. Her father, the person responsible for the accident, has concocted a plan with a nurse to give her a new face. The only way to do this is to graft the skin of other women onto hers. The events that follow are not easy to watch.
As I have previously mentioned, the effects in the movie are quite good. The one time we do see Christiane's face without the mask is shocking because it does look quite real. Also, the scene where the doctor cuts off a girl's face looks realistic. It is creepy how often the film feels real.
Unfortunately, the film is not known by very many, but it is a member of the Criterion Collection, therefore it gets the treatment it deserves on DVD. The stark black and white imagery is surreal and beautiful. Many may be scared away from the film by its subject matter, but one shouldn't. It probably may come off as hokey, but to me it is a creepy, very real movie.
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