poetic horror
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Eyes Without a Face
timmeh_90 — 19 years ago(January 20, 2007 12:51 AM)
hi there, i havent seen this film but i've read that its considered the best poetic horror film ever. can someone please define the term 'poetic horror'. i've asked this question on the horror and film general boards and got little or no replies sooooo your help would be great thanks.
-
jazzzbaby — 19 years ago(January 22, 2007 11:48 PM)
I saw this film on TCM last year. I believe that poetic horror means that it
is artistic or even romantic in it's screen delivery. Yet, it is really horrible what
is occurring in this film. It really is a fantastic film. I thought it was ahead of it's
time in many ways. You should definitely look into renting this film. -
ecjones1951 — 19 years ago(February 06, 2007 05:43 AM)
I'm not an expert on the horror genre; in fact I waited a long time to rent this movie because I am squeamish and have a low threshold for gore. But the real power in this film is not its graphic violence. Although there is some, it isn't gratuitous, it's brief, and would be considered tame in the era of the
Saw
movies.
This is what I perceive to be the poetic quality of this horrifying tale: Christiane is ethereal, innocent, and betrayed by her father, the man who should love and protect her the most. She floats through the movie like a benign apparition. It's hard to pity her because you don't know exactly what she has lost or what she once was. But the anger she feels towards her father is real, although much of the time it's hidden from him at least behind a mask. You're completely on her side from the beginning, not just because she's been disfigured through no fault of her own, but because it becomes clear very fast that she is not out solely for revenge. Underneath her "death mask," Christiane is a living, breathing character of far more dimension than her father or his assistant.
This is an old, old story: a "mad scientist" destroys the thing he loves and will go to any lengths to restore it, regardless of any moral and ethical considerations.
Les yeux sans visage
bears some similarities to the Frankenstein story. In both, the "creature" inspires fear and revulsion, but is actually the most human character, and the most gentle and purest of spirit. -
RolandOfGilead82 — 18 years ago(September 20, 2007 02:14 PM)
I think another film that could be categorized as "poetic horror" along with this one is Nobuo Nakagawa's 1960 film Jigoku. If you liked this film, you should check that one out too. They're both great.
-
PoppyTransfusion — 12 years ago(May 21, 2013 12:54 PM)
In a very brief interview with Franju on the region 2 dvd he remarks of the juxtaposition of the macabre with the lyrical and that the lyrical is more interesting. I think that these two elements - the macabre and the lyrical - equal 'poetic horror'. The soundtrack underlined these elements as well.
Keep silent unless what you are going to say is more important than silence.