I’ve mentioned twice about 1960 being the year when Horror movies grew up when I covered the landmark films Psycho and Peeping Tom. Other countries were also putting out some of their most famous work this year. In Italy, Mario Bava unleashed Black Sunday. Japan took viewers to the Gates of Hell with Jigoku. Recently a gem from South Korea called The Housemaid was discovered. Remade five times to date, it’s in discussion for South Korea’s greatest film in any genre. United Kingdom not only had the urban decay of Peeping Tom, but the mysterious countryside where you will find the Village of the Damned.
In France, a visual stylist named Georges Franju released Eyes Without a Face, which struck a Horror cord different from all the others. Generally light on overt Horror elements, Franju chooses his moments and uses them to maintain a dread that hangs over the story like a darkness. The most noteworthy parts of the film are the placid mask worn by Christiane and the surgical centerpiece with a level of graphic detail you might think a film from 1960 wouldn’t be able to get away with. A gateway film for people who like atmospheric Horror and are curious about some of the bloodier films.
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