Getting into October and the time to go to Spirit Halloween for a quick costume, Criterion has another full month of movies that all fit the bill for the upcoming time to enjoy the scary, the macabre, and the outright silliness of adults wearing ridiculous costumes. Two films get re-editions, while Canadian master David Cronenberg gets two films out in the same month. Another of Guillermo del Toro’s more recent films, plus work by the iconoclast Ken Russell and an introduction to a Mexican master not familiar to American audiences, adds to a full list this upcoming by Criterion.
Eyes Without A Face (1960)
The first re-edition is director Georges Franju’s brilliant, ghastly horror drama about a doctor (Pierre Brasseur) whose daughter Christiane (Edith Scob) has a badly disfigured face from an accident. He seeks a way to create a new face for her, but how he goes about it is repulsive, kidnapping girls with the help of his devoted assistant (Alida Valli) to give a facial transplant onto Christiane’s face. It’s both terrifying and beautiful at the same time, with Maurice Jarre’s score bringing in a haunting tone to this chilling story.
Altered States (1980)
Director Ken Russell made his first foray into the Hollywood system with this adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s acid trip, one of the most renowned writers, but it was a challenging ride to get the movie made. Chayefsky wrote the original novel, followed by the screenplay, but disowned the film after Russell made changes against Chayefsky’s will, crediting the screenplay to “Sidney Aaron,” Chayefsky’s real-life first and middle name. In his film debut, William Hurt plays a researcher who decides to test himself on his drugs while in a sensory deprivation tank and suddenly finds himself on a horror trip that deconstructs his entire body. Divisive at first, the film has gotten a proper reexamination that makes this sci-fi story a radically innovative tale that stands out.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
The second re-edition is David Lynch’s prequel to his acclaimed TV series, following Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), his murdered victim, going into the underworld and being followed by a shadowy figure. It’s these critical days that lead up to Laura’s death and the ultimate start to Dale Cooper’s (Kyle MacLachlan) investigation. It filled in the missing holes from the rushed second season and the show’s cancellation, but upon release, it was panned. In retrospect, however, it has been seen as one of Lynch’s most underrated works and part of a perfect picture of the entire Twin Peaks saga.
Deep Crimson (1996)
In a retelling of the real-life “Lonely Hearts Killers,” director Arturo Ripstein, the Godfather of Mexican independent cinema, brings in the twisted relationship of a con man and his new lover who go across 1949 Mexico to commit their dastardly crimes against innocent women. Like a traditional telenovela, Ripstein gives way to what love can do, even in the name of evil, and presents his usual macabre style. With a script written by his wife, Deep Crimson plunges into the dark side of passion with blood lust.
A History Of Violence (2005)
The first of two films by David Cronenberg is this stunning crime drama that pulls the rug out from under Middle America. After quiet family man Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) kills two robbers in his cafe, his past slowly creeps back to him when his former associate (Ed Harris) drives into town. Now, forced to protect his family, Tom must meet the crime boss (William Hurt) he once worked for to get any chance for permanent peace. It’s not a body horror or a sci-fi original that Cronenberg has been known for, but Violence still possessed the physical brutality that Cronenberg never looked away from.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
In remaking the classic noir, Guillermo del Toro went into the world of carnivals in pre-WWII America and a traveler (Bradley Cooper) who slips in and charades as a mentalist. Going after the big money that falls for his tricks, the traveller finds himself in a rabbit hole of soul selling that sends him to the bottom. Remaking the classic 1947 film, also available on Criterion, del Toro utilizes his aesthetic to bring color to a deeply dark world, featuring a cast including Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, and Rooney Mara.
The Shrouds (2024)
The second film by Cronenberg is also his most personal, as it is a reflection of his grief following the passing of his wife. Vincent Cassel plays a tech millionaire who develops the technology where loved ones can watch the slow decomposition of their beloved deceased. But when his work is threatened by a rival hacker, the truth of his wife’s recent death comes to haunt him. Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce also star in Cronenberg’s exploration of grief mixed in with his interest in the decaying body and the threat of what the future has for humankind.
