Fascination (1979) - Jean Rollin

Jean Rollin's Fascination is another intoxicating, dream-like film from the filmmaker that is centered about a thief, who after double-crossing his partners, comes across a mansion where he plans on holding out until nightfall. The mansion has only two occupants, beautiful woman of course, who act very strange, showing no desire for him to leave. This film is quite brilliant in how it gives the viewer absolutely nothing and uses that to it's advantage in creating a sense of impending doom as the clock approaches midnight. The atmosphere of Jean Rollin's films are always impressive, and with Fascination, Rollin has crafted another beautiful film full of imagery that meticulously blends eroticism and sexual violence, juxtaposing characters which inhabit these two ideals. I love how these two women routinely tease the thief pretty much warning him that something bad is going to happen, yet he doesn't concern himself with them, mainly due the fact that he views them as harmless woman, nothing more than a beautiful sight to behold.  The sequence with Eva and the Scythe stood out to me and per usual for Jean Rollin the ending leaves the viewer stunned.  While Jean Rollin could certainly be classified as a director I have trouble writing about, Rollin's infatuation with the relationship between sex and violence combined with his intoxicating visuals make Fascination another memorable film.  Fascination is probably Rollin's most accessible film, but prepare yourself, as this is not a filmmaker interested in spoon-feeding anything to the viewer.   

---