Everyone has their staples for Halloween watching, like John Carpenter’s “Halloween” and “Nightmare Before Christmas.” But be forewarned, gentle reader, because your master of Scarimonies (God, I sound like the Crypt Keeper), Dukey Flyswatter, will suggest some gems and themes that may have flown drastically under your radar, like a schizophrenic Vampire Bat.
This week’s theme is Horror Obscura: The foreign market. Most scream fanatic fiends will know these flickers from across the pond and beyond, but I’m always surprised at how many of these get the short shrift on the Devil’s A-List.
Sunday Oct.9th Eyes Without A Face (1960).
Director: Georges Franju. Stars: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli
This popular French cult film is known among the more intellectual horror societies, but the average Joe seems to associate the title solely with the Billy Idol song of the same name. This arty French foray into reinventing the Mad Scientist genre is rife with themes of modern guilt juxtaposed with beautiful imagery. A surgeon who accidentally scars his daughter’s face will stop at nothing to get her the right living transplant. If your cable/satellite package includes TCM you are in luck, because this classic graces the small screen on Oct. 21st. It is also available on Amazon. Tres Magnifique!
