Somewhere on the outskirts of Paris, a woman, Louise, is driving alone at night. There’s a body in the back seat of her car. Its face is obscured, and it’s slumped over, lifeless. Because said body is a corpse, and Louise is soon dragging it into the Seine. Meanwhile, after giving a speech about the perils and pleasures of skin grafts, a doctor, Genessier, is called to the morgue to identify a body. It is that of his missing daughter? So he claims. On his way out, Gennessier is accosted by a man, Tessot, who asks if the body is that of his missing daughter, Simone. Gennessier tells him no, it’s his daughter, and that’s that. But back at the doctor’s home/clinic is indeed his daughter, Christiane, alive and well, but hiding behind a white mask that obscures a badly scarred face, the result of a recent car accident. The police, meanwhile, are suspicious – who is the body in the river, and why is IT missing its face? And why does it appear someone surgically removed said face with a scalpel? Louise, meanwhile, has located and lured a new facial donor / candidate / victim back to the clinic, a victim who’s soon undergoing a gruesome surgery that may or may not spell freedom, as it were, for poor faceless Christiane Genessier.
Intro, Math Club, Debate Society, Hot for Teacher (spoiler-free): 00:00-27:46
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 27:47-1:06:09
Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 1:06:10-1:26:50
Director Georges Franju
Dialogue by Pierre Gascar, adaptation by Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon, and Claude Sautet, based on the novel by Jean Redon
Featuring Béatrice Altariba, Pierre Brasseur, François Guérin, Juliette Mayniel, Alexandre Rignault, Edith Scob, Alida Valli
Liz DeGregorio is a poet, writer, and editor. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Lucky Jefferson, Anomaly, Catapult, Dread Central, BUST, Ghouls Magazine, OyeDrum Magazine, and many other publications. She’s also performed at Providence’s Dorry Award-winning storytelling series Stranger Stories.
Our theme music is by Sir Cubworth, with embellishments by Edward Elgar. Music from Eyes Without a Face by Maurice Jarre.
For more information on this film (including why the Professor chose it, on Our Blog), the pod, essays from your hosts, and other assorted bric-a-brac, visit our website, scareupod.com. Please subscribe to this podcast via Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating. Join our Facebook group. Follow us on Instagram.
