Marketic
It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
Spidersecu
Don't Believe the Hype
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Witchfinder General 666
"La Rose Écorchée" aka. "The Blood Rose" (1970) has apparently been marketed as the 'First Sex-Horror Film ever made', which it isn't; however, it is still an interesting film that fans of European Horror cinema should not neglect. Some people seem to be bothered by the fact that "The Blood Rose" re-adapts the storyline of Georges Franju's 1960 masterpiece "Les Yeux Sans Visage"; however, they also seem to be forgetting that this particular Horror theme - a man murdering women in order to restore the beauty/health/life of a particular woman - was a very popular one in the classic Eurohorror era, and that several other brilliant European Horror films had a similar topic: Such as "I Vampiri" (directed by Riccardo Freda and the greatest horror director ever, the unmatched Mario Bava), which was released in 1956 and therefore predates Franju's film, Giorgio Ferroni's "Il Mulino Delle Donne Di Pietro" ("Mill of the Stone Women") which was released in the same year 1960, or Jess Franco's "Gritos en La Noche" ("The Awful Dr. Orloff") of 1962 (now there's an actual pioneering Sex-Horror title).While "La Rose Écrochée" may not be as fascinating a Eurohorror landmark as these aforementioned titles, it is a magnificently moody example for the eerily beautiful atmosphere that can be found only in European Gothic Horror gems. Though Claude Mulot's film may be lacking logic at times, it is a bizarre and compelling mixture of elegant sleaze and Gothic eeriness.The ingenious painter and womanizer Fédéric Lansac (Philppe Lemaire) has found his first true love in the beautiful Anne (Anny Duperey). Shortly after moving into Frédéric's remote Gothic Château (which includes two uncanny dwarf servants), their luck is shattered when the attack of a jealous former mistress leaves Anne horribly disfigured. Desperate, Frédéric blackmails an obsessed but brilliant scientist (played by the great Howard Vernon) into restoring his wife's beauty; by morbid measures...Similar story lines were mainly popular in European Horror films of the 60s, but, at least in my humble opinion, they always make magnificent Horror material. In this film, the story is clearly presented in a style-over-substance manner, but what a delightful style it is. The Gothic setting is beautiful yet supremely uncanny, and a magnificent photography even improves on this impression. The female cast members, among them Anny Duperey, Elizabeth Tiessier, Olivia Robin (who never appeared in another film) and Valérie Boisgel, are entirely ravishing, and they all show (very tasteful) nudity. Philippe Lemaire is good in the lead and the iconic Exploitation actor Howard Vernon is great as usual in another sinister role. Praise has to go to the two little people, Johnny Cacao and Roberto, who give the film some extra creepiness in their roles of the dwarfish servants Olav and Igor. The film comes along with a nice score that underlines the elegant and sensual atmosphere. Overall, "La Rose Écrochée" is a film that is highly recommended to my fellow Eurohorror fans, especially those who like their Horror sleazy and elegant at the same time.
HumanoidOfFlesh
Hyped as The First French Sex-Horror Film "The Blood Rose" certainly delivers the goods.Lemaire plays an aging painter whose wedded bliss to gorgeous Anne turns to tragedy,when she nearly gets in a catfight with his former lover and falls into a fire in a pretty hilarious scene.She is of course horribly scarred.The great Howard Vernon plays a surgeon who may be able to return her to her former beauty,but he'll need a live victim to do it.So women are brought to the artist's château in order to get a face.The dwarfs,who were the painter's longtime servants,are charged with capturing the girls.Clearly inspired by Franju "Eyes Without the Face" "The Blood Rose" features lovely Gothic setting of French medieval castle, great-looking women and a healthy dose of sleaze.Rollin-esquire atmosphere is well-captured and the climax is fantastic.7 out of 10.
pj75pj75
The first real film from a director who went on to do a lot of interesting work in the 1970's and 80's before his tragic death by drowning in 1986.An avowed homage to Eyes Without a Face, the film unquestionably creates its own atmosphere and goes in a very different direction from its more famous model. Mulot's film has great cinematography, an interesting script construction and a very melancholic mood that marks it out from most low budget shockers of the period. Although not a costume piece as such, it is probably closer to the classic Mill of the Stone Women than to Franju's film.The acting and direction are of a uniformly high standard. Anny Duperey and Philip Lemaire impart real depth to their characterizations and it's great to see Euro legend Howard Vernon once again. The film was sold as a mixture of sex and horror and the sex is provided by a bevy of stunning Euro babes including Valerie Boisgel and Michele Perello who went on to feature in Morgane et ses Nymphes before disappearing into the hinterlands of porn.Well worth more than a passing look for any fan of classy Euro horror, this one has probably improved with age and repays repeated viewings.
dbdumonteil
Georges Franju's remarkable horror film had a deep influence on that kind of cinema:even Amenabar's "abre los ojos" is a good example of what Franju brought to the fantasy and horror movies.The first sex-horror film!claimed the tagline.Well for that matter,Murnau's "Nosferatu" came first.Claude Mulot's script is thin,mean and lacks humor and substance.A poor man's "les yeux sans visage" indeed.But it manages to retain some -minor - interest.The castle where a lady who was disfigured in a fire (Duperrey) is waiting for a doctor who will give her back her beauty;but this man's methods -blackmailed by the lady's husband - are illegal to say the least for he needs warm young flesh,well you know the score.We never see the lady's horrible face ,only her eyes -like Rosemary's baby- ,and there's a lot of camera taking first-person point of view.Two sinisters dwarfs appear now and then .Claude Mulot sometimes manages to create a dreamlike atmosphere,but once again,his script is really half-backed.
