--- title: "Eyes Without a Face: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Eyes Without a Face (1960): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 11 reviews: 8 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 April 2014. Parkinson calls the film a weird masterwork and praises its intelligence. He singles out its brooding lyricism, which transforms a familiar pulp plot into something poetic. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/eyes-without-face-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2013. Linden finds the film a disturbing, artful classic whose lyrical beauty and horror are seamlessly entwined. She singles out its austere imagery and restrained approach, which make its unsettling surgical scenes linger. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-ca-without-second-look-20131020-story.html) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2004. The critic finds the film an enduring, gorgeous fusion of opposing sensibilities. He singles out Franju’s ability to blend horror with tragedy as its special allure. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/eyes-without-a-face-1798200093) ## Slant Magazine — Jordan Cronk Rating 4/5. 12 October 2025. Cronk regards Franju’s film as a singular, unsettling horror classic whose stature has only grown over time. He praises its gripping atmosphere and austere compositions, while also commending the Criterion restoration’s even grain and detail. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/eyes-without-a-face-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-georges-franju/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2009. Brody presents the film as a striking, hallucinatory thriller. He praises Franju’s understated juxtapositions and patient observation, which make its horrifying events more disturbing. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/eyes-without-a-face) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The review presents the film as an incredible blend of horror and fairytale. It singles out the contrast between visceral surgical horror and the heroine’s solitude. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/eyes-without-a-face-1) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2008. The review finds the film chilling and macabre, praising how it pushes horror into queasier territory. It singles out the masked daughter and the disturbing facial surgery, alongside the eerie contrast of jaunty music and expressionist camerawork. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/may/09/dvdreviews.horror) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 1995. The URL indicates a review of the 1960 film, but the article text is inaccessible. Its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/17/movies/film-review-taking-face-lifts-literally.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page provides no accessible review text, so the critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be established. It displays only a browser-verification notice. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/eyes-without-a-face-2003) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1958. The review finds the horror film queasy and occasionally suspenseful, but ultimately old-fashioned and plodding. It praises the cinematography while criticizing the stilted acting, repetitive effects, and leisurely editing. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/les-yeux-sans-visage-1200419375/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2008. Bitel finds the film haunting and remarkably prescient, blending horror and thriller conventions into something poetic. He singles out Edith Scob’s masked, ethereal Christiane and the film’s striking monochrome imagery. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/eyes-without-a-face-film-review-by-anton-bitel) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md