Grand Guignol was a Parisian theater that between 1897 and 1962 staged macabre plays known for their cartoon horror and violence. Since then, the term Grand Guignol has been used more broadly to refer to any dramatic entertainment in that vein. My pal Mark Pilkington of Strange Attractor Journal found a fantastic clearinghouse of Grand Guignol information on the Web, including a bunch of gorgeous vintage posters. The Grand Guignol Online site is maintained by Thrillpeddlers, a contemporary San Francisco theater group that's translating oroginal Grand Guignol plays and bringing them back to the stage! From Grand Guignol Online:
The (Grand Guignol) theatre was founded in 1897 by Oscar Metenier as an extension of the naturalist movement, which had been popularized by André Antoine's Theatre Libre. A typical evening at the Grand Guignol Theatre might consist of five or six short plays, ranging from suspenseful crime dramas to bawdy sex farces. Grand Guignol PosterBut the staple of the Grand Guignol repertoire was the horror play, which inevitably featured eye-gouging, throat-slashing, acid-throwing, or some other equally grisly climax. Over the years, and under the direction of several different managers, the Grand Guignol theatre flourished, becoming one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris. By the early 1960’s, however, the Grand Guignol’s formula no longer had the same impact with audiences, and in 1962, it closed its doors. Despite the fact that the Grand Guignol has fallen into relative obscurity, it has had a profound influence on the art of horror performance and special effects.
Link (via Further)
