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

This documentary examines the history of the Grand Guignol, a Paris theater founded by Oscar Méténier in 1897. The film explores how the venue changed the artistic representation of death through the use of bloody melodramas and visceral performances that elicited screams from both the actors and the audience. It tracks the evolution of this theater of horrors from its opening during the year Bram Stoker published Dracula through the scandals and controversies its boundary-pushing productions caused until the 1960s.

The film was directed and produced by David Gregory, who also directed Till Death in 1992, Enter the Clones of Bruce in 2023, and Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic in 2024. The screenplay was written by Madeleine Le Despencer. This United States and France co-production from Severin Films features Barbara Steele as a voice performer. The finished project has a runtime of 87 minutes.