Horror with a Touch of Elegance
Eyes without a Face (1960) d: Georges Franju
Les Diaboliques (1955) d: Henri-Georges Clouzot
The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) d: Vincente Aranda
Blood and Black Lace (1964) d: Mario Bava
Kwaidan (1964) d: Masaki Kobayashi
The Others (2001) d: Alejandro Amenabar
Eyes Without a Face scandalized audiences when it was first released due to a certain infamous facial removal surgery, but over time it’s become a well-regarded classic that greatly influenced a wide array of other filmmakers (including John Carpenter and James Woo). Very poetic, very French. Also very French – Les Diaboliques, the Hitchockian story of two women setting out to murder a man. It’s particularly noteworthy for being one of the very early horror films to be (not so subtly) queer-coded.
In the 70s, we moved away from only hinting at queerness for a sec into the surprisingly prolific subgenre of Sapphic vampire movies. The Blood Spattered Bride is part of that proud tradition, and damn is it some stylish misandry. I don’t want to be too spoilerific, but this is the future conservatives are worried about – lesbian vampires shooting off dicks.
Blood and Black Lace is the chic giallo (and proto-slasher) from Mario Bava. Intrigue! Fashion! Bad dubbing! What else do you want?
Same year (‘64), wildly different tone, you get Kwaidan, which is the artsiest of these artsy films so far. An anthology based on Japanese folk tales, it tells four sweeping ghost stories. It feels very epic and surreal, taking a page from the measured pace of Noh. It was also an early harbinger of J-horror’s recurring fear of really long hair.
Finally, bring it back to modern times with The Others. Remember back in 2001 when that scene of the little girl under the sheet saying, “Are you mad? I am your daughter” was everywhere? I feel like we never talk about this movie anymore, but it is gorgeous and gothic and sad.