Before seeing "Malpertuis" (1971), I was already a fan of Belgian director Harry Kümel for his mesmerizing Lesbian Vampire film "Les Lèvres Rouges" (Daughters of Darkness) from the same year. I had great expectations for "Malpertuis", because of my admiration of Kümel as a master of atmosphere, because I had heard the film was Kümel's greatest, and because of Orson Welles stared in it. Even so, it surpassed my hopes and totally blew me away. "Malpertuis" is a bizarre and hypnotic mixture of surreal Gothic Horror, macabre family drama, mad science and mythological fantasy, that no cult film lover should miss. Actually, I'd like to correct myself. The film cannot really be narrowed down by attributing it to a particular genre as such, as it is simply unique. In one sentence: The film has everything, and more than that. "Malpertuis" tells a fascinating tale and does so in a brilliantly moody manner. The film maintains a rich, eerie and foreboding atmosphere that becomes more intense with each passing minute. The sublime atmosphere comes along with breathtaking settings, brilliant cinematography, complex and demented characters and fantastic acting performances. The most fascinating thing about "Malpertuis", however, is the story, which is one of the most incomparable and gripping I ever saw in a film. "Malpertuis" is not a film that can properly compared to anything else. It is like a macabre, haunting yet incredibly beautiful Fever Dream.
The film is an adaptation of a novel by Jean Ray, which I haven't yet read, but the stroy certainly is a fascinating one. Jan (Mathieu Carrière), a young sailor, comes to his hometown and, without wanting to, visits the family mansion owned by his creepy and mysterious uncle Cassavius (Orson Welles). The mansion is named Malpertuis, its inhabitants are (equally creepy) relatives who hate Cassavius, but do everything to brown-nose him in desire of his inheritance. A mysterious palace of a mansion, bears fascinating and terrifying secrets... Though this is only a vague description of the film, I shall stop at this point. I do not want to give too much away, as the story is gripping and fascinating from the very beginning and should be experienced rather than read in a review. The set pieces are some of the greatest I've ever seen. The atmosphere is overwhelming, rich and uncanny throughout the film. Each character is fascinating, most of them creepy and demented, the performances are sublime. Orson Welles is, of course, great as always. The other performances are also magnificent. Particular praise has to go to the beautiful Susan Hampshire, who is wonderful in her triple role, playing three different female leads. The rich atmosphere profits from the Flemish /Dutch language and an ingenious score. The film was once reportedly cut to shreds, watching the uncut 126 minute director's cut is absolutely essential. "Malpertuis" is a brilliant film that should not be missed by anybody interested in cult cinema.
