“I’ve been fascinated by The Grand Guignol since childhood,” says Gregory. “But despite brief mentions in horror history books and deep scholarly studies, my search for a cinematic exploration of the subject had consistently proved unrewarding. Even my interactions with French genre filmmakers revealed their own superficial knowledge of the Theater’s significance. It’s all led me to dig deeper and discover the truth behind the pat adjective that ‘Grand Guignol-esque’ had become. The French approach to l'épouvante and fantastique – of which The Grand Guignol plays a major role – has always had its own distinctive influence which now deserves new focus.”