The Blood Rose
A portraitist's quest to restore his wife's face leads to horror.
The Blood Rose (French: *La Rose écorchée*, meaning "The Flayed Rose") is a 1970 French horror film directed by Claude Mulot, who also co-wrote the script. The story follows Frédéric Lansac, a portraitist and botanist who also runs a beauty salon. After meeting Anne at a dress ball, the two marry. During one of Lansac’s portrait exhibitions, a jealous woman pushes Anne’s face into a bonfire, leaving her horribly scarred. Anne becomes reclusive and mentally unstable, experiencing erotic dreams about her nurse, Agnès. Lansac discovers that one of his clients, Dr. Rohmer, is a former plastic surgeon who now only operates on criminals. Lansac blackmails Rohmer into performing a face graft to restore Anne’s beauty. He lures two female clients to his home to serve as donors, but both die during the procedure. Barbara, sister of Anne’s former nurse, arrives at the chateau searching for her sibling; Anne demands Barbara’s face. Barbara escapes, and Rohmer commits suicide. Realizing his wife’s madness, Lansac has his servants kill her, then surrenders to the police.
The cast includes Anny Duperey as Anne, Philippe Lemaire as Frédéric Lansac, Howard Vernon as Röhmer, Élizabeth Teissier as Moïra, Olivia Robin as Barbara, Michèle Perello as Agnès, Valérie Boisgel as Catherine, Jean-Pierre Honoré as Paul, and Jacques Seiler as Inspector Dorsay.
Production took place from May 8 to June 2, 1969. The film is one of several unofficial remakes of *Eyes Without a Face*, alongside *The Awful Dr. Orloff* and *Corruption*. It opened in France on September 25, 1970, and was shown in Detroit, United States, on October 28, 1970. For its American theatrical release, scenes involving lesbianism were cut. Mondo Macabro released the film on DVD in 2007.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Claude Mulot
- Writer
- Claude Mulot / Jean Larriaga · fr / Edgar Oppenheimer
- Starring
- Anny Duperey / Philippe Lemaire / Howard Vernon
- Cinematography
- Roger Fellous
- Editing
- Monique Kirsanoff
- Studio
- Transatlantic Productions
- Released
- 25 September 1970 · France
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Country
- France
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Lansac learns that Dr. Rohmer, a former plastic surgeon, now only performs surgery on criminals. Lansac blackmails Rohmer into performing a grafting surgery on his wife. Lansac tricks two female clients to his home to become donors for his wife's new face, but both die in the process. Barbara, the sister of Anne's former nurse, comes to the chateau looking for her sibling but finds Anne, who demands to have her face. Barbara escapes, Rohmer commits suicide, and Lansac has his wife killed by his servants before giving himself up to the police.
Reader's Guide
The Blood Rose is a French horror film from 1970 that stands as one of several unofficial remakes of the classic Eyes Without a Face. Its production took place over less than a month in 1969, and it was released in France in September 1970, with a U.S. showing in Detroit the following month. The film's American release had scenes involving lesbianism cut. The cast includes Anny Duperey, Philippe Lemaire, and Howard Vernon. The film was released on DVD by Mondo Macabro in 2007. Its significance lies in its place within the cycle of unofficial remakes that reinterpret the themes of surgical horror and identity loss from the original 1960 film.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot between May 8, 1969, and June 2, 1969.
- It is one of many unofficial remakes of the film Eyes Without a Face.
- Scenes involving lesbianism were cut for its American theatrical release.
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