Faceless (1988)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

René Chateau (writer)
Jesus Franco (writer)

Release Date:

22 June 1988 (France)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

If there is but one life, there are several ways to die

Plot:

A model named Barbara Hallen has disappeared and her father gets private detective Sam Morgan to go to Paris to find his daughter...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Lesbian Scene | Lesbianism | Female Nudity | Close Up Scene

Cast

Helmut Berger	...	Dr. Frank Flamand
Brigitte Lahaie	...	Nathalie
Telly Savalas	...	Terry Hallen
Christopher Mitchum	...	Sam Morgan
Stéphane Audran	...	Mrs. Sherman
Caroline Munro	...	Barbara Hallen
Christiane Jean	...	Ingrid Flamand
Anton Diffring	...	Dr. Karl Heinz Moser
Tilda Thamar	...	Mrs. Francois
Howard Vernon	...	Dr. Orloff
Florence Guérin	...	Florence Guérin
Gérard Zalcberg	...	Gordon
Henri Poirier	...	Insp. Legros
Laure Sabardin	...	The receptionist
Amelie Chevalier	...	Melissa

Also Known As:

Depredadores de la noche, Los (Spain)
Prédateurs de la nuit, Les (France)

Runtime:

98 min | Spain:90 min

Country:

France | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (edited for re-rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12

Company:

ATC 3000

Trivia:

The last film of Anton Diffring.

Movie Connections:

Features Déclic, Le (1985)

Soundtrack:

In the Heart of the City

A face to die for.

A wealthy father hires a private eye to go to France and track down his missing daughter. Her disappearance can be attributed to a plastic surgeon's secret set-up, in which he and his assistant kidnap young ladies and keep them in the clinic's basement. A year ago his sister was disfigured by acid and now he's doing his best to restore the beautiful face she once bestow with the help of an ex-Nazi surgeon. While, that's going on, the private eye is getting closer to finding the connection between the missing girls and the doctor's hard work.

When I hear the name Jess Franco, I think of sleazy euro-trash by reputation. Although some might classify it as art. Now I finally got around to watching one of his films and "Faceless" wasn't bad at all. Actually I found it quite intriguing, although at times rather bland to begin with, but it gets better in the latter half by rallying up tension and ghastly makeup effects with surprising results and an oddly unexpected conclusion. Mixed into the straightforward material is an inventively malevolent idea (taken from 'The Awful Dr. Orloff') covered with manipulative erotic overtones and cold sadism. It was hard to take it all rather seriously because of the nature of certain reactions, developments and questionably hokey FX. Despite this factor the far-fetch storyline and splatter element was quite fun and extremely out-there in providing some uncomfortable moments (like what was going on in the operation room). The script was okay, but that's where I thought it got bland and was reasonably stiff when it went for that melancholy vibe.

On hand Franco chips in with a very 80's soundtrack that has that silky touch that goes down well with the flick's upbeat tempo and overall style. He definitely has a fine eye for detail. The budget shows up immensely, especially with the make-up, but more so with the calibre of actors involved on the project. Telly Savalas is only in an effectively special guest appearance. It's the classy Helmut Berger and very enticing Brigitte Lahaie that stick in mind. Their chemistry and villainous nature just oozes off the screen. Caroline Munro also provides a valuable addition to the line-up. Anton Diffring, Florence Guerin, Howard Vernon and Christopher Mitchum (who likes his gum) are all reasonable too.

This Euro joint by well renown Franco is well worth a look and a good stepping stone into his long career