Rating: Liked it
Director: Claude Mulot
Release Year: 1969
Genre: Horror
Starring: Philippe Lemaire, Anny Duperey, Howard Vernon
The time of suffering begins
If you've seen Eyes Without a Face (1960), Mill of the Stone Women (1960), The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962), or any of the dozens of other "love-crazed scientist/husband/surgeon goes nuts and kills/organ-robs/maims young women to cure his disfigured lover/daughter/wife" flicks, you know what to expect from director Claude Mulot's Blood Rose (1969), the latest euro-flick to be released by the good folks at Mondo Macabro.
Here, the crazed madman is artist/master-gardener Frédéric Lansac (Philippe Lemaire), who goes kill-happy after his lovely bride Anne (Anny Duperey) gets burned to a crisp during a costume party. Except not really. Lansac is remarkably passive about finding victims for his scheme. It takes him well over an hour until he even picks his first kill (though, to be fair, his wife and crazed dwarf man-servants all do a little killing during the first hour).
In fact, given Blood Rose's minimal dialogue, deliberate pacing, and expressive score, you'll swear you're watching a silent film. There's even a series of interstitial title cards describing "The Past," "The Present," and "The Future?" Depending on your point of view, the stylistic approach can be good or bad. If you're looking for long, lingering, "atmospheric" shots, you're in luck:
"Typical" euro-arty-cinematography
If, on the other hand, you're looking for an action-packed telling of the familiar story, you're better off looking elsewhere. (I've got a soft spot for Charles Band's version, Mansion of the Doomed (1976)). For my part, I ended up having my patience tested during several stretches of the film. And, although the acting and camera work are both top-notch, the lack of a logically-cohesive story hurts the overall package. For example, there's no explanation for why Lansac's dwarves wear caveman skins and corduroy pants, nor is there any discernable motivation behind the film's (relatively) action-packed final 10 minutes.
That being said, it's hard to completely dislike a movie where two battleaxe-wielding caveman dwarves chase a Eurobabe through a field:
Meet Lansac's corduroy-pants-and-caveman-skin-wearing dwarves, Igor and Olaf.
The film was billed in most markets as the "First Sex-Horror Film Ever Made!"...
The Press Telegram // Long Beach, California // December 9, 1970
... while other more conservative locations billed it as the "First ___-Horror Film Ever Made!"
San Antonio Express // San Antonio, Texas // October 2, 1970
As usual, Mondo Macabro tracked down a pristine print... making Blood Rose a welcome inclusion to their incredible catalog of boundary-expanding films. The DVD features plenty of extras, most notably an interview with Mulot's assistant (and fellow director) Didier Philippe-Gérard, about Mulot's career, the film's production, and French commercial cinema of the 70s and 80s. Sadly, there's no commentary track or trailer (but there is a Mondo Macabro promo reel).
Anne sees inside your soul
Bottom line is that the film is at least worth a rental, if only to see bug-eyed Howard Vernon's solid performance as a morally-conflicted surgeon-turned-convict. And, if you've got a taste for the slower pacing of euro-films, you may want to add the disc to your library.
Blood Rose came out on DVD last Tuesday, so you should be able to pick up a copy of the film from Mondo Macabro's website (NSFW). But - as of the time of this review - the site still bills the movie as "Coming Soon." Luckily, their myspace page has a list of locations where you can order a copy. |
