The Hands of Orlac Review

Review of The Hands of Orlac (1924) by screenqueeen: 👍 4/5

HOOPTOBER 9.0 1/32

Unquestionably eerie and haunting, mostly due to its score. From what I can guess the copy I saw was probably the 2008 restoration which includes the Paul Mercer score. Yes, the murder/mystery reveal at the end devalues the otherworldly haunting of Orlac during the film, where his inner torment rushes outwards until his perception of reality is shaken.

But even after the end of the film, he has still had his existence challenged and even though he feels exonerated in some way he does come back around to himself. He is able to start over with Yvonne anew, starting from what he promised her he would do in the letter he wrote before boarding that ill-fated train. While I enjoyed how the film played out I will probably think about how it might have differed if it went down a more spectral path.