The Reflecting Skin Movie Review 1991

In a 1950s prairie town a small boy sees insanity, child-murder, and radiation sickness, leading him to fantasize that the tormented young widow next door is a vampire. The pretentious drama/freak show rationalizes its ghastly events as symbolizing the hero's loss of youthful innocence. But the Hound knows the score; this is "Faces of Death" for the arts crowd, a grotesque menagerie that dares you to watch. The exploding-frog opener is already notorious. Beautiful photography, with vistas inspired by the painting of Andrew Wyeth.

Distribution

Available on VHS
Running time 116 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Vampires, World War II, Meltdown, Childhood Visions, Period Piece: 1950s

Screenplay

Philip Ridley

Cast

Viggo Mortensen, Lindsay Duncan, Jeremy Cooper, Duncan Fraser, Shiela Moore, David Longworth, Robert Koons, David Bloom, Evan Hall

Cinematography

Dick Pope

Director

Philip Ridley

Music

Nick Bicat