Eyes Without a Face 1960

Outside Paris, a woman dumps a corpse in the river. The body is identified by Dr. Génessier, Pierre Brasseur as his daughter Christiane, Édith Scob who was reported missing after an automobile crash disfigured her face. In reality, Christiane still lives in Dr. Génessier’s mansion next to his private clinic, guarded by German Shepherds and other large dogs. The body (which was disposed of by his assistant Louise, Alida Valli) belongs to a young woman whose face skin Dr. Génessier removed and grafted onto his daughter.

After her father leaves with promises to restore her face, Christiane, wearing a mask to cover her disfigurement, calls her fiancé Jacques Vernon, François Guérin, Dr. Génessier’s assistant, but hangs up without saying a word. Génessier’s next victim was Edna Grüber, Juliette Mayniel. He and Louise carry a sedated Edna to the lab to prepare her for surgery, secretly watched by Christiane. Later, he removes Edna’s face skin and grafts it onto Christiane’s face. The heavily bandaged and faceless Edna attempts to escape but falls to her death from an upstairs window. After disposing of Edna’s corpse, Génessier notices the new tissue is rejected within days and Christiane has to wear the mask again. She phones Jacques and says his name, but Louise interrupts the call.

Jacques informs the police, who have been investigating the disappearance of young women with similar facial characteristics. Jacques realizes one of the girls looks like Louise. Inspector Parot, Alexandre Rignault instructs Paulette Mérodon (recently arrested for shoplifting) to check herself into Génessier’s clinic. Soon after, Paulette is picked up by Louise and delivered to Dr. Génessier. Before he begins surgery on Paulette, the police arrive.

While the doctor talks with the police, Christiane, disenchanted with her father’s immoral experiments, while slowly losing her mind from guilt and isolation, decides to act. She frees Paulette and murders Louise by stabbing her in the neck. She also frees the dogs and doves that her father uses for experiments. Dr. Génessier dismisses the police (who readily accept his explanations) and returns to his lab. There, a newly acquired German Shepherd attacks him, inciting the other dogs to follow suit, mauling him to death. Christiane, unmoved by his death, strolls out into the woods outside with a dove in her hands.