It was in 1816 that the science-fiction masterpieceFrankensteinwas conceived.
However, authorMary Shelleys fateful holiday wasntallghost stories and fruitful writing sessions.
Promising fright and seduction, who better than British directorKen Russellto helm the genre feature?
Their hasty seance accidently summonsan evil that surmises their darkest fears, leading to a night of hallucinatory terror.
Gabriel Byrne is the cruel and confident Lord Byron, the mysterious sadist with unabashed sexuality.
His character dips into such perversions as incest, marking him as corrupt and taboo.
Image via Virgin Films
Byrne is a natural villain, switching from alluring to revolting in a flash.
His foil is Mary, an intelligent and self-assured woman whose philosophies center on free love and compassion.
Her strength is seeing the line between pleasure and destruction.
Image via Virgin Films
Her husband, Percy Shelley, is a die-hard Romanticist.
The man lets his heart lead the way in most matters, exemplified byJulian Sands earnest and breathless interpretation.
It is her energetic performance that channelsthe movies sexual currentinto lunacy.
Whereas othergothic films likeThe Innocentsthrive with subtlety,Gothicis bravely expressive.
The characters sip laudanum, read ghost stories, and marvel at the temperamental weather keeping them indoors.
Fixating on their superstitions, they essentially scare themselves silly, triggering a battle for their sanity and salvation.
Image via Virgin Films
Gothics cinematography aids in selling this panicked landscape.
Repeated shots drive home a characters relentless agony.
Flashes of grotesque death disappear within seconds.
Lingering gazes grow more intense as the score crescendos.
Viewers arent sure whats real and whats imagined in the frightened, drug-riddled atmosphere.
Byrons estate is a vast stone labyrinth with many doorways leading to desire and disgust.
Lit candles and burning fires are weak compared to the darkness surging within the house.
‘Gothic’ Explores Gothic Terror The Meta Way
Stephen Volks screenplaywas self-aware and indulgent.
The narrative is built onclassic gothic themeslike grief, superstition, and the taboo.
Russell went one step further and recreated the painting, making itone ofGothic’s standout scenes.
Decadent and delirious,Gothicis transparent in its intentions.
Leave it to Ken Russell and Stephen Volk to create the kinkiestbased on a true story horror filmto date.
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