US indie filmmaker Anna Biller, known for her previous film 'The Love Witch', has premiered her new work, 'The Face of Horror', at the London Film Festival. The film is described as a deadpan homage to the Technicolor horror pictures produced by Britain's Hammer Films in the 1960s.
Set in a cod-medieval England, the film draws inspiration from the classic Japanese ghost story 'Yotsuya Kaidan'. It features Edward (Jonah Hauer-King), an unscrupulous knight, and his squire Richard (Leo Suter), who murder Eleanor (Kristine Froseth) and Beatrice's (Ellie Bamber) father and brother before marrying the sisters.
The plot develops as Edward seeks another noblewoman, Lady Isabel (Bella Heathcote), leading to a murderous plot against Eleanor. The film includes a 'memento mori Danse Macabre' scene at Lady Isabel's court, and is noted for its consistent tone, which may lead to it becoming a future cult midnight movie.