Faceless

I'm surprised that Faceless isn't more well-known, considering it's a strong entry in the Euro trash-horror sweepstakes. Before viewing, I thought it was a remake of the influential French film Eyes Without a Face, but it's actually an original screenplay with parts that bring to mind Franju's movie and director Jess Franco's The Awful Dr. Orloff. This 1987 release was unusual for Franco in that he finally has a decent budget to work with, courtesy of producer/writer Rene Chateau.

The story revolves around the "Clinique des Mimosas," a medical buiness run by the twisted Dr. Flamand (Helmut Berger) and his lover Nathalie. Nathalie is played by French ex-porn star Brigitte Lahaie, whose nearly emotionless performance brings a "creepy nurse" quality to her role. The clinic specializes in...well..let's say a rather unorthodox kind of plastic surgery. The doctor and Nathalie keep track of their patients voyeur-style by watching them on a bank of six video monitors. Add to this an Igor-like assistant named Gordon with shaved eyebrows, and you've got all the ingredients for a chilling story.

Telly Savalas plays a rich businessman whose daughter Barbara, a model with a penchant for cocaine, turns up missing. Barbara is played by Caroline Munro, veteran of many sci-fi and horror films such as Starcrash, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the gorehound clasic Maniac. She was even a "Bond girl" in The Spy Who Loved Me! Private investigator Sam Morgan (Chris Mitchum, Robert's son) is hired to search for Barbara and finds a trail that eventually leads him to the clinic.

The world of Faceless is filled with glossy, reflective surfaces and an atmosphere of rich decadence. There seems to be a subtle commentary on wealth, superficial beauty and the ugliness beneath the surface (and behind closed doors), but I may be overanalyzing a bit. At any rate, you do get a stylish, gory film with some weird erotic moments. The locations are effective: the doctor's luxurious, wood-paneled sitting room with expensive paintings on the walls, the neon-lit excess of Paris strip clubs at night, and the barren sterility of the real-life clinic building where most of the horrors take place. Franco fans will also appreciate Howard (Orloff) Vernon's appearance as a minor character named, of all things, Dr. Orloff!

I would have given Faceless 5 stars if it wasn't for the disappointing conclusion. In his interview, though, Chris Mitchum mentions some dialogue missing from the final version that would have changed the meaning of the ending completely. It's a minor drawback, however, considering how well the film delivers the goods throughout. The only other thing I disliked was the horrible George Michael-esque song that was repeated at least four times during the movie.

As usual, Shriek Show comes through with nice packaging and extras. The DVD cover is reversible, and the pamphlet inside has a lengthy interview with Caroline Munro complete with filmography. The disc's special features include interviews with Munro, Chris Mitchum and Jess Franco. The director also provides audio commentary along with Franco regular Lina Romay, who has a small part in Faceless as Dr. Orloff's wife. I would say this DVD is a worthwhile purchase for lovers of bizarre horror, and obviously a requirement for Franco fans.

Jesus "Jess" Franco is a director that's sort of a secret amongst serious horror film fans. If you're the type of casual fan of the genre who thinks that "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" are the best films the horror industry ever made, you have never heard of Jess Franco. If you think the "Leprechaun" franchise constitutes the apogee of the horror genre, you have never heard of Jess Franco. If you think collecting Wes Craven and John Carpenter films are as far as you need to go to balance out your DVD collection, you have never heard of Jess Franco. I don't mean to give the impression that Franco is the best directorial talent ever seen in the field, because he definitely isn't, but I have found that knowledge about some of this man's films is one of the best ways to distinguish the novices from the veterans. His highly regarded--at least in some quarters--film remains "Vampyros Lesbos," a fascinating take on the age-old vampire legend. If you don't feel up to a vampire film, give his 1988 Eurotrash epic "Faceless" a shot. Whatever you decide to do, Jess Franco might just surprise you.

Although it's not saying much, I would rank "Faceless" as one of the best Franco pictures I have yet seen. The story concerns one Dr. Flamand (Helmut Berger), a plastic surgeon of some repute who has a sister he loves deeply. One day, on the way to the car with this sibling and his depraved female associate Nathalie (Brigitte LaHaie), a disgruntled former patient with grotesque facial scarring caused by a botched surgery flings a vial of acid at the good doctor. Flamand, being a wily sort of fellow, manages to avoid the vitriol. His sister, however, catches the fluid full in the face and collapses in a steaming heap. Her disfigured mug inspires the doctor to embark on a radical new experiment in plastic surgery, one requiring him to peel a face off a healthy woman in order to graft the skin onto his sister's skull. Unfortunately, Flamand doesn't possess the necessary skills to perform such a delicate operation. With Nathalie at his side, the doctor approaches Professor Orloff (Howard Vernon) with the problem. Orloff can't help, either, but he knows someone who can: Dr. Carl Moser (Anton Diffring), a former plastic surgeon with links to the Third Reich knows how to do the surgery. He in fact performed one during the war. Flamand's problem seems to be solved.

Before Moser can work his magic, Flamand and Nathalie must find the right face for the transplant. Enter fashion model and party girl Barbara Hallen (Caroline Munro), who disappears into a holding cell in Flamand's clinic to await the arrival of Moser. Regrettably for Flamand, Barbara's father Terry (Telly Savalas) quickly learns his daughter is missing. Hallen uses his vast wealth to hire a private detective named Sam Morgan (Chris Mitchum) to go to Europe and track down his daughter. It doesn't take as long as you would think for Morgan to catch on to Flamand's trail, thanks in large part to Nathalie foolishly using Barbara's credit card in a village nearby. While Morgan formulates a plan to infiltrate Flamand's clinic and thus hopefully find Barbara, Moser turns up and attempts a surgery with another woman. Big mistake. Apparently, the procedure requires just the right conditions to work. The first operation ends in a big, bloody mess. While Flamand attempts to soothe his increasingly despondent sister, Moser plans another surgery. One thing about those European doctors: they never give up despite living in countries with socialized health care. It goes without saying, or it should, that Morgan eventually cracks the case wide open. The only thing I want to know is this: what the heck did Telly Savalas's character say on the phone at the end of the movie? And what was up with his voice?

"Faceless" is a lot of fun because it is trashy, depraved, and gory. In other words, it provides everything I look for in this type of film. Franco tries hard to present an "elegant" film, but it's obvious from the start we're watching pure Eurotrash schlock. The cheesiness of that opening "classy" song (which frequently reappears at critical moments throughout the film) had me rolling on the floor before a single character marches onscreen, and the actors' outfits and hairstyles are the height of '80s excess. There's also something special about adult film star and B-movie horror actress Brigitte LaHaie strutting around in fancy clothes while acting out her character's depraved cravings, cravings director Franco allows full and gratuitous vent in the film. Throw in plenty of gore--including the icky operations shown in gooey close-up and a huge drill bit passing through a body--and "Faceless" is sure to deliver the thrills. While it might surprise some to see Telly Savalas in the film, remember that he often made low budget European flicks. He played, for example, the ominous butler in Mario Bava's "Lisa and the Devil." As for the beautiful Caroline Munro, her presence always adds luster to a low budget film.

The DVD version of "Faceless" comes with a nice picture and audio transfer and a handful of extras. Trailers for "Faceless," "Virgin of Nuremberg," "Flesh for the Beast," and "Bronx Warriors" grace the disc. Also included for our viewing pleasure are stills, two commentary tracks, and interviews with Franco, Munro, and Chris Mitchum. Munro's comments about working with Franco, her modeling career, and her screen career are worth a watch. I recommend "Faceless" to anyone just embarking on a Franco viewing excursion. Watching this film before "Vampire Lesbos" wouldn't be a bad idea, either, since this one is more accessible. Enjoy!

This is a pretty wierd French horror flick from Jess Franco, arguably his only good movie. I was going to take off 1 star for the putrid music but the eyeball scene.......dude........the eyeball scene......that was sweet......

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