It’s this poeticism and the touching yearning of Christiane that gives the film its power.ĭeborah Kerr plays a fiercely dedicated governess, Miss Giddens, who comes to believe that the house of the two children she cares for is haunted. There is poeticism to be found in the crisp black-and-white images of the film - Christiane’s too-perfect mask that hides the deformities underneath, the sterile surgery room, the fearful visages of young women Doctor Génessier kidnaps and kills. How far would you go to atone for the sin of ruining the life of someone you love? For Doctor Génessier (Pierre Brasseur), murder and intrigue are worth the risk to help his daughter, Christiane (Edith Scob), whose face has been badly scarred in a car accident he caused. Cat People is a slick, eerie film that prioritizes the audience’s imagination over any displays of violence - film history is all the better for its daring, psychologically layered nature. Her fiancé, Oliver (Kent Smith), finds this ridiculous, but whether he believes her or not, it’s obvious Irena is captive to her fear. Simone Simon stars as Irena, a Serbian-born designer afraid of the curse that snakes its way through her family line, in which any sexual contact will turn her into a bloodthirsty jaguar. Bubbling beneath the surface of this noir-inflected horror film, directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton, is a treatise on the fear and allure of unbridled female sexuality. Horror is at its best when speaking to the culture from which it’s born. Director Paul Leni and his collaborators create a film that’s sparkling with artistry and a pleasure to watch. Don’t let the fact that this is a silent film scare you away. To gain these riches, she must be deemed sane by a doctor, and of course things go awry. Twenty years later, his living descendants (a couple of nieces and nephews) come to the reading of his will, and it’s his niece Annabelle (a great Laura La Plante) who inherits the fortune. The film centers around the death of Cyrus West, who decides that his will should be read 20 years after his demise. They’re bold, complex, and most importantly, terrifying.Īn early entry in Universal’s canon of horror films, The Cat and the Canary is a spritely, engaging silent horror flick that has defined much of the genre since: blending expressionism with light humor, a darkened mansion where horror exists around every corner, and a woman who survives it all. These films were chosen because they pushed the genre in bold new directions, are artistically profound, and have layered arguments about womanhood. In honor of its release, here’s a list of 30 of the best horror films with female leads, in chronological order. The film has been at the center of heated discussions since its September 15 opening. With Mother!, director Darren Aronofsky returns to horror, this time placing Jennifer Lawrence at the center of a story that revolves around a creepy house, some uninvited guests, and the chaos that follows. Horror is an especially good genre for exploring the dark recesses and contradictions of the many different experiences of womanhood. Much has been written about the genre in recent years, particularly about how it is a powerful avenue for young actresses to cut their teeth and for filmmakers to delve into stories that center on women’s psyches. Tales from the Crypt, Hellraiser, and particularly gruesome episodes of The X-Files (“Home”) are singed into my childhood memory, the early days of what would turn into a lifelong obsession. My fondest moments as a girl were when my mother would braid my hair while we watched horror films and TV shows on her small TV screen. Photo-Illustration: Maya Robinson/Vulture
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