Faceless

Faceless

Year: 1988

Runtime: 98 mins

Language: English

Director: Jesús Franco

HorrorIntense violence and sexual transgressionGraphic violence and brutal revengeChallenging or sexual themes & twistsExtreme gory horror and cannibalism

When a Parisian detective is called to locate a vanished supermodel, his search leads him into a nightmarish world of a rogue plastic surgeon who kidnaps women to harvest their blood and organs for twisted experiments. The investigation forces him to confront a chilling, hidden evil.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Faceless (1988)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Faceless (1988). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Paris, New York City, Saint-Cloud

The action centers on a high end Paris clinic and its basement lab. Paris provides the backdrop for a manipulative medical scheme and a tense photoshoot. New York City serves as the initial link through Barbara's family, while Saint-Cloud—a suburb of Paris—hosts the clinic and the planned transplant operation.

🗼 Paris setting 🗽 New York City involvement 🏙️ Saint-Cloud suburb

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

Main Characters – Faceless (1988)

Meet the key characters of Faceless (1988), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Barbara Hallen (Caroline Munro)

The American model Barbara Hallen is abducted during a Paris photoshoot and kept in Flamand's basement. She becomes the donor for a face transplant scheme orchestrated by Flamand and his team. Her fate anchors the investigation as Sam Morgan races to locate her and stop the operation.

🎭 Victim 🧬 Transplant subject 🧭 Abduction target

Sam Morgan (Christopher Mitchum)

Sam Morgan is Barbara's ex boyfriend and a private detective hired by her father to find her. He travels to Paris to investigate and uncovers clues through security footage and bank records. He confronts danger in the clinic’s basement while fighting to rescue Barbara and shut down the operation.

🕵️ Detective 🧭 Investigator

Dr. Frank Flamand (Helmut Berger)

A famed plastic surgeon who masterminds the kidnapping and the bizarre miracle treatments. He pursues the grotesque goal of grafting Barbara's face onto his own daughters. His cold ambition drives the cruelty and manipulation at the heart of the plot.

🧪 Surgeon 🧬 Obsessed

Nathalie (Brigitte Lahaie)

Nathalie is Flamand's assistant and lover who actively participates in the kidnapping and the transplant scheme. She enacts the plan with cool detachment, aiding in the manipulation and execution of the surgeons' designs.

💃 Accomplice 🗝️ Manipulator

Dr. Karl Heinz Moser (Anton Diffring)

Dr. Karl Heinz Moser agrees to assist Flamand with the transplant operation. He arrives to perform or facilitate the complex procedure, aligning with Flamand's dangerous ambitions.

👨‍⚕️ Surgeon 🧪 Collaborator

Ingrid Flamand (Christiane Jean)

Ingrid is Flamand's daughter and a key participant in the plan. She becomes the recipient in the graft when Barbara's face is transplanted onto her skin, illustrating the moral decay behind the surgery.

👩‍⚕️ Patient 🩹 Recipient

Gordon (Jacques Couderc)

Gordon is Flamand's mute assistant who enforces the brutal side of the operation. He aids in securing victims and dramatically escalates the violence, including the destruction of a donor's face.

🗝️ Enforcer 🧊 Cold-blooded

Dr. Orloff (Howard Vernon)

Dr. Orloff is the senior surgeon who directs and facilitates the transplant scheme. He provides the medical guidance that enables Flamand and Moser to pursue the grafts and the risks involved.

👨‍⚕️ Doctor 🧭 Mentor

Terry Hallen (Telly Savalas)

Barbara's father and the client who hires Sam to locate his daughter. He remains focused on her safety and demonstrates parental urgency as the situation escalates toward a dangerous confrontation abroad.

👨 Father 💼 Client

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

Major Themes – Faceless (1988)

Explore the central themes of Faceless (1988), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🩸 Revenge

A botched operation triggers a vendetta that drives the plot. The killer instinct behind the revenge targets the surgeon and those around him, not just the victim. The pursuit of vengeance propels the characters through Paris and into the clinic's shadowy world. The story uses the cycle of harm to question the price of retribution.

🧬 Body Horror

The film centers on a grotesque face transplant scheme and the physical tampering of living bodies. Disfigurement, grafts, and blood underscore the obsession with cosmetic miracle cures. The medical setting becomes a stage for ethical decay and perilous experimentation. The horror emerges from how far characters go to alter appearance in pursuit of power.

🕵️ Investigation

Sam Morgan investigates Barbara's disappearance by tracing a credit card and reviewing security footage. The search takes him from New York to Paris, where he uncovers the clinic's secrets. Tension builds as he escapes danger and closes in on Flamand and his accomplices. The detective work drives the narrative toward a confrontational climax.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:28

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Faceless Summary

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Faceless Summary

Faceless Timeline

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Faceless Timeline

More About Faceless

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