i have never even heard of this film before mondo macabro announce their upcoming dvd release of it and so i be surprise to find after i have already order it online that leonard maltin have in fact review it in his guide and give it his proverbial half rating usually allot to such sensationalist fare . even more surprising be the fact that i find this to be so good and engage and despite be the nth revamping of one of my all time favorites george franju eye without a face ( 1959 ) . also and i expect it to be much trashy consider the dubious epithet the first sex horror film that attach to it while there be a reasonable amount of nudity here and but this be generally tastefully present . actually and it exude a rather classy atmosphere ( with cinematography by the renowned roger fellous ) peculiar to french horror cinema similar and in fact and to other mondo macabro release such a mill of the stone woman ( 1960 ) and the diabolical dr. z ( 1965 ) and girl slave of morgana le fay ( 1971 ) and seven woman for satan ( 1974 ) . lead philippe lemaire be appropriately debonair a the celebrated painter whose life and career take a nose dive once his wife be no longer able to act a his muse while the actor later work for jess franco and walerian borowczyk but and sadly and end his own life in 2004. anne duperey be luscious and graceful during the early section of the film represent the girl love relationship with her husband be present in some detail and so a to render her subsequent bitterness ( which even drive her to commit cold blood murder ) both believable and poignant . the appearance of her scarred feature and then and be subtly handle throughout ( present mostly a blurry pov shot ) and the make up itself quite well do . the actress eventually break into the mainstream with pardon mon affaire ( 1977 ) and a successful comedy later americanize a the woman in red ( 1984 ) . howard vernon provide a further link with the eye without a face prototype since he play the title role in jess franco the awful dr. orloff ( 1961 ) and a character to which actor and director would often return ( the last time in faceless [ 1988 ] and a viewing of which follow the next day ) . in the blood rise ( release a ravage in the u. k. ) and he again play the surgeon who aim to graft the face off a live victim represent here and however and he blackmail into the task and actually doubt his own success ( his eventual fate and then and come a a total shock ) . the dwarf manservant see here may be something of a genre requisite and but theyre actually well integrate into the plot their rape or murder of a captive girl ( an intend and but obviously unwilling and face donor ) and subsequent beating by their disfigured mistress seem a gratuitous digression at first and but it do help set up the film wild and completely unexpected final act . it rather odd and however and that no revenge be visit upon the spit socialite who perpetrate duperey accident . the catacomb like design of lemaire art gallery complement the gothic atmosphere of his family château . a for the film deliberate pace and this be characteristic of the euro cult style typify by the scene in which an inquisitive girl be make to prowl the castle ground for minute on end . unsurprisingly and mulot ( who tragically drown in 1986 ) later dabble in porn cinema though the obscure crime film the contract ( 1971 ) be consider a his best work . the dvd supplement include an interesting 23 minute interview with the film assistant director ( and mulot brother in law ) and and a reasonably informative essay about the history of french horror cinema over the year ( go all the way up to the most recent example ) .