‘The Face of Horror’ Review: Kristine Froseth Sparkles, but Anna Biller’s Medieval Tale Can’t Stop Getting in Its Own Way

In her 2016 film The Love Witch, writer and director Anna Biller told the story of a modern-day witch driven by her desire for the kind of classical romance that fairy tales are made of. The film is adorned with musical and aesthetic touches that allude to an idealized past of knights, princesses, kings and queens. And in one pivotal scene, the heroine takes her lover to a renaissance fair that gives her a stage to play out her medieval-inspired fantasies.

Now, a decade later, Biller has returned with a film that takes place entirely in medieval times, primarily shot in and around the old castles and churches of Prague. The Face of Horror transports the classic Japanese ghost story “Yotsuya Kaidan” to 14th-century England, with a vibrant color palette, all captured on stunning 35mm film.

The Face of Horror

The Bottom Line A lovely-looking letdown.

Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (Midnight Madness)
Cast: Jonah Hauer-King, Kristine Froseth, Ellie Bamber, Leo Suter, Ben Radcliffe, Bella Heathcote, Perdita Weeks, Clare Calbraith, Edward Franklin, John Sackville, Steven Blake
Director/Writer: Anna Biller
1 hour 59 minutes

The gorgeous, young Eleanor (Kristine Froseth) lives with her father, sister and brother-in-law on a comfortable farm estate. Up in her room, she spends her free hours looking into a golden mirror and pining for the knight she loves. She’s young and naive, vain yet good-hearted. Her sister Beatrice (Ellie Bamber) is just as beautiful, but more thoughtful and practical.

Their lives are radically altered when unemployed, duplicitous knight Edward (Jonah Hauer-King) kills their father after he refuses to give Eleanor’s hand in marriage. When his friend Richard (Leo Suter) slays Beatrice’s husband as well, the two come up with a scheme to marry the sisters and take over their property. Even though the sisters are warned their marriages are cursed, the fear of living without the protection of men convinces them its their only option. Still, they try to romanticize their sad compromise, deluding themselves into believing their spouses are noble and true.

A year into her marriage, Eleanor is an exhausted mother tending to her infant son while her husband leaves her alone in the day and ignores her emotions at night. Beatrice has consistently refused to share her marital bed with Richard, saying she will only sleep with him if he avenges the death of her father and late husband. Both Edward and Richard made this promise when they proposed, conveniently withholding the fact that there are no other killers to find.

Bored with his beautiful wife and the weight of his lies, Edward longs for a way out, even as Richard continues to pine for Beatrice. When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights. As it turns out, Isabel (Bella Heathcote) is bored of her marriage to a much older man and sees a way out when she falls for Edward. As they scheme to be together, the demise of their respective spouses is all but guaranteed. Eleanor, now sickly and desperate, clings to her husband completely unaware of his plans to leave her. What follows is an escalation of death and despair for all parties involved.

On paper, The Face of Horror sounds like an engaging melodrama throwback, giving its young talent the unique opportunity to take on classic material in a progressively modern cinematic landscape. But in practice, the movie often feels like a joke. Biller claims to be pulling from films like The Virgin Spring, Ugetsu, Kurosawa’s Ran and Visconti’s The Innocent while failing to match their emotional weight. Rather than simply presenting us with the unequal gender dynamics of the times, Biller’s dialogue can’t help but wink at the audience, underlining every moment of misogyny just in case viewers weren’t smart enough to get it themselves. It’s the kind of approach that works better for humor — canceled Comedy Central series Another Period and Hulu’s The Great both come to mind. The film’s feminist commentary feels dated and obvious, especially in regards to the obvious sexism of the Catholic church and its teachings on gender relations.

Between The Face of Horror and Her Private Hell, Froseth is emerging as one of this year’s most fun actresses to see onscreen. With her big smile, expressive eyes and animated delivery, she brightens every scene she appears in. Bamber is also a joy, and in a better film this would be a breakout role for her. The underused Heathcote could do this part in her sleep, but it’s a pleasure to see her as well.

Hauer-King and Suter fare much worse, delivering performances that feel sarcastic and artificial. If we must spend most of the runtime with these deplorable men, it would helpful if either one seemed properly dialed into the premise. They both come off like modern men playing dress-up, which becomes especially egregious in what should have been a deeply emotional third act. The film looks amazing, and the actresses are doing their best, but The Face of Horror unravels as you’re watching it.