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Theatre of Horrors: The Sordid Story of Paris' Grand Guignol

Year of production
2025
Duration
90 min.
European premiere
Genres
Documentary

Trailer

Synopsis

In 1897, in an alleyway located in the sordid neighborhood of Pigalle (Paris), an old chapel converted into a performance space was transformed into a theater steeped in naturalism, controversy, and macabre spectacles. Over the next 65 years, the Grand Guignol would provoke both repulsion and celebration in equal measure. Narrated by Barbara Steele and featuring state-of-the-art visual effects, this documentary chronicles the sociocultural impact of France's most infamous creation.

Director

David Gregory

David Gregory

Founder and CEO of Severin Films, he has directed transgressive films including Plague Town (2008) and Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014).

Multimedia

Technical sheet

Theatre of Horrors: The Sordid Story of Paris' Grand Guignol
Section
Sitges Documenta
Director
David Gregory
Writer
Madeleine LeDespencer
Editor
David Gregory
With
Barbara Steele, Mel Gordon, Denise Dax
Production countries
United States of America (the)
France
Languages
English
French
Subtitle languages
Spanish, English

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