Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Link: Eyes Without a Face

Summary: A surgeon kidnaps women and cuts off their faces, grafting them onto his disfigured daughter, hoping for successful face transplant.

Thoughts: Although the summary sounds disturbing, this film was made in the 1960’s.  The make-up is super-cheesy by modern standards.  How do you make it look like a young woman has no face?  Apparently by squiggling dark crayon all over it.  But maybe the cheesy effects can be forgiven by a compelling story?  Nope.  There’s really not much more to the story than the summary suggests.  There is no subtext, there are no deeper meanings.  The dialog is bland.  The characters are bland.  The whole thing is just dull.  Not sure why this is considered a classic or why the Criterion Collection thought this would be a good film to put on blu-ray.  The blu-ray’s bonus features include the director’s first film, the classic 1949 documentary Blood of the Beasts, giving us a charming little glimpse into the workings of a slaughterhouse.  It’s fun for the whole family!  Just don’t eat anything for a few hours before watching.