Disturbing, disorienting, quietly terrifying, it's one of the least known of the world's great horror movies and, in its own dark way, a startlingly beautiful and artful piece of cinema as well.
100
The DissolveScott Tobias
The DissolveScott Tobias
There’s no other movie quite like it.
90
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
A masterpiece of poetic horror and tactful, tactile brutality.
As absurd and as beautiful as a fairy tale, this chilling, nocturnal black-and-white masterpiece was originally released in this country dubbed and under the title "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus," but it's much too elegant to warrant the usual "psychotronic" treatment.
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Franju constructs an elegant visual work; here is a horror movie in which the shrieks are not by the characters but by the images.
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Eyes Without a Face, outre as it is, never tires as hypnotic, touching, ghastly fun.
80
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
A blood-curdling picture directed by Georges Franju at an even, distant pace that builds tension to an almost unbearable level.
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Franju conjures images -- sometimes gory, sometimes poetic, sometimes fantastical -- that genuinely haunt: the essence of the cinema distilled.
60
Variety
Variety
Director Georges Franju has given this some suspense and not spared any shock details. But the stilted acting, asides to explain characters and motivations, and a repetition of effects lose the initial impact.