By John Corrado
In following up her modern cult favourite The Love Witch, director Anna Biller delivers another idiosyncratic and meticulously crafted homage to a bygone era of filmmaking. The sumptuous visuals define Biller’s latest, which serves as a Technicolor tribute to Japanese ghost stories by way of Medieval England, by way of visually striking tribute to the films of Powell & Pressburger.
The story is inspired by Tsuruya Nanboku IV’s Yotsuya Kaidan, a classic Japanese ghost story about murder and marital infidelity which Biller updates to England in the 14th century, while highlighting the inherently feminist themes. We follow Edward (Jonah Hauer-King), an arrogant knight who marries farmer’s daughter Eleanor (Kristine Froseth) to take over her estate, but has wandering eyes for young countess Isabel (Bella Heathcote).
It’s a daring gambit to make something like this, and The Face of Horror is impressive for Biller’s full commitment to the bit in terms of her cinematic style. This includes the theatrical performances of her cast, who are operating in the key of 1950s melodrama and understand the assignment perfectly.
There’s an inherit campiness that comes through in the presentation, but Biller crucially isn’t winking at the camera as she does this. This is a sincere tribute to the films of this era that she so painstakingly emulates through her aesthetic. Shot on 35mm film by cinematographer M. David Mullen, The Face of Horror looks gorgeous, with its widescreen images and rich use of colour. This is where the influences of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger shine through the most. Mullen’s images highlight the practical sets and Biller’s own colourful costume design.
The film is further defined by its soundscape, featuring music by composer Gabriel Andrés Gallegos, including a captivating Danse Macabre sequence partway through. It runs long at two hours, but there is an appeal to spending as much time as possible in this world. It’s a film that requires you to be on the same wavelength as Biller’s vision, but if you are, it’s a treat to experience onscreen.
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