Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Malpertuis
Orson Welles stars in this labyrinthine mythological fantasy set in a baroque mansion, from the director of Daughters of Darkness.
Director: Harry Kümel
Overview
Adapted from a celebrated novel by ‘the Belgian Edgar Allen Poe’, Jean Ray, Harry Kümel’s film sees a young sailor return to his family home Malpertuis – a labyrinthine mansion of endless corridors and secret chambers – to find it rife with intrigue. Ailing uncle Cassavius (Orson Welles) has pledged to divide his estate among his heirs, but only if they promise to never again leave the house.
Jean Cocteau’s influence is evident in this labyrinthine mythological fantasy. Finance issues forced Kümel to make Daughters of Darkness (1971), a wintry, languorous vampire tale that made his reputation, before he could turn to the project that was close to his heart. Oppressively opulent and flamboyantly baroque, the film, like the mansion itself, is a beguilingly disorientating world in which to get endlessly lost.
strong gore, violence, sex, nudity, horror
Related
The Ice Tower The Ice Tower
Fantasy 2025 117 mins Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Marion Cotillard brings a thrilling magnetism to this snowbound tale of obsession and wish fulfilment between an actress and a young runaway.
Sorcery Sorcery
Fantasy 2023 101 mins Director: Christopher Murray
A richly rendered story of anticolonial score-settling in 19th century Chile that dabbles in magical realism, folk horror and fairytale iconography.
The Outcasts The Outcasts
Fantasy 1982 106 mins Director: Robert Wynne-Simmons
Haunting Irish folk-horror, from the writer of The Blood on Satan’s Claw, about an introverted farm girl suspected of witchcraft.
Hundreds of Beavers Hundreds of Beavers
Comedy 2024 109 mins Director: Mike Cheslik
Stranded in a surreal winter landscape, a drunken applejack salesman must become North America's greatest fur trapper in Mike Cheslik’s gloriously anarchic slapstick comedy.
The Balconettes The Balconettes
Comedy 2024 104 mins Director: Noémie Merlant
Co-written with Céline Sciamma, Noémie Merlant’s bold film follows three friends as they dispose of the body of an abuser they’ve accidentally killed.
The Machine that Kills Bad People The Machine that Kills Bad People
Comedy 1952 84 mins Director: Roberto Rossellini and Luciano Emmer
Roberto Rossellini's film about a photographer who is given the power to rid the Earth of 'evil-doers'.
20th Century Women 20th Century Women
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: Mike Mills
Annette Bening stars as a mum enlisting two friends (Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning) to help her son navigate adolescence in Mike Mills’s comedy-drama.
Urchin Urchin
Drama 2025 99 mins Director: Harris Dickinson
The debut feature from actor Harris Dickinson sees a homeless addict get a shot at recovery and redemption.
The Ice Tower The Ice Tower
Fantasy 2025 117 mins Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Marion Cotillard brings a thrilling magnetism to this snowbound tale of obsession and wish fulfilment between an actress and a young runaway.
The Exterminating Angel The Exterminating Angel
Drama 1962 93 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Buñuel’s surreal, darkly satirical masterpiece about a group of wealthy dinner guests finding themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room.
In My Skin In My Skin
Drama 2002 95 mins Director: Marina de Van
Marina de Van’s deeply personal debut about a young woman's addiction to self-mutilation stretches the body horror genre in new ways.
Simon of the Desert Simon of the Desert
Biopic 1965 45 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Silvia Pinal's Devil torments and tempts a holy man in Buñuel’s final Mexican film, which features the most thrillingly unexpected ending.
Citizen Kane Citizen Kane
Drama 1941 119 mins Director: Orson Welles
Given extraordinary freedom by Hollywood studio RKO for his debut film, boy wonder Orson Welles created this notoriously brilliant portrait of a media giant.
A Personal Journey… Part 3 A Personal Journey… Part 3
Documentary 1995 74 mins Director: Martin Scorsese and Michael Henry Wilson
The third part of Martin Scorsese's 'personal journey' through American Cinema
Daughters of Darkness Daughters of Darkness
Horror 1970 100 mins Director: Harry Kümel
A newlywed couple is entangled by the spellbinding aura of a vampire in Harry Kümel’s seductive horror.
The Exterminating Angel The Exterminating Angel
Drama 1962 93 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Buñuel’s surreal, darkly satirical masterpiece about a group of wealthy dinner guests finding themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room.
In My Skin In My Skin
Drama 2002 95 mins Director: Marina de Van
Marina de Van’s deeply personal debut about a young woman's addiction to self-mutilation stretches the body horror genre in new ways.
Viridiana Viridiana
Drama 1961 91 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Banned in Spain, condemned by the Vatican and celebrated at Cannes, Buñuel’s satire about an aspiring nun takes a stinging crack at society.
Simon of the Desert Simon of the Desert
Biopic 1965 45 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Silvia Pinal's Devil torments and tempts a holy man in Buñuel’s final Mexican film, which features the most thrillingly unexpected ending.
The Ice Tower The Ice Tower
Fantasy 2025 117 mins Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Marion Cotillard brings a thrilling magnetism to this snowbound tale of obsession and wish fulfilment between an actress and a young runaway.
Rhianna Dhillon's Fresh Starts Rhianna Dhillon's Fresh Starts
Short documentary 2026 11 mins Director: Henry Barnes and Maha Albadrawi
Critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon selects her pick of the films that will help you make a change for 2026.