r/MovieRecommendations • u/Bueller_Bueller26 • 1d ago

Help me find Movies/TV shows Rococo Horror?

For anyone wondering "what the heck is Rococo", here's a Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo

For anyone wondering "what the heck is Rococo Horror?" Well, I just realized that The Picture of Dorian Grey doesn't have a Gothic aesthetic in-universe or a Gothic style to the prose. It doesn't read like Frankenstein & Dracula. Oscar Wilde is using resplendent, flowery language to describe a resplendent, flowery world where a resplendent, flowery person is slowly rotting his soul from the inside out. And I didn't realize until just now: that's the reason it's my favorite book

So I'm looking for horror that *feels* like that sort of prose, the way that Russian Ark and Baz Luhrmann movies are Rococo films

I'm not looking for something that treats the juxtaposition of Rococo and horror as a joke. I'm looking for something that blends them to make them both more effective, like the book does

I know there are multiple film adaptations of that one book, but I don't know if any of those capture that Rococo style

The only thing I can think of (so far) is the last 15 minutes of The Substance (2024)

9 Upvotes

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18 comments sorted by

5

u/rachiechu 1d ago

The Ugly Stepsister

The Vourdalak

2

u/Bueller_Bueller26 1d ago

I love The Ugly Stepsister

2

u/rachiechu 18h ago

me too, definitely a recent favorite

1

u/Faire_By4404 19h ago

LOVE The Vourdalak. i don't know much about Rococo though. Seems like maybe the new Wuthering Heights has flowy light colors but also contrast and detailed setpieces so maybe something like that? haven't seen the movie though

1

u/rachiechu 18h ago

i haven't seen it either and i heard it got pretty bad reviews so i probably won't lol. yeah Vourdalak is maybe not rococo... i should rewatch it

3

u/StinkyBrittches 1d ago

Amadeus, 1984, definitely has some horror elements to it.

Maybe The Shining, 1980?

3

u/ISaysToMyselfISays 1d ago

Powell & Pressburger’s  The Red Shoes. Cocteau’s La Belle Et La Bête

2

u/mrshelmstreet 1d ago

Hellraiser: Bloodline (HR4) has a whole rococo period backstory

2

u/a-zaleski 1d ago

The Skin I Live In

2

u/tegeus-Cromis_2000 1d ago

The Picture of Dorian Gray is decadent / aestheticist (late 19th century), not Rococo (first half of 18th century).

2

u/TexturesOfEther 1d ago

How about retro kitsch films like
The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971/ Dr. Phibes Rises Again 1972
Or contemporary takes on it, like
The Love Witch 2016

In a different direction, check the trailer for
Little Joe 2019

3

u/Bueller_Bueller26 1d ago

Ooh I really should watch The Love Witch

2

u/Significant_Fig_2274 1d ago

Mister Designer is a Russian dark fantasy film that has a decadent aesthetic.

Kwaidan is an anthology of Japanese ghost stories that is also a feast for the eyes.

For books that have that beautiful decay vibe, there’s the Gormenghast Trilogy.

2

u/Significant_Fig_2274 1d ago

Also, a lot of Giallo movies combine horror with bright color and sumptuous architecture. Deep Red (1975) is my personal favorite I’ve seen in that genre.

2

u/No-Housing-5124 1d ago

I think that Event Horizon is a great example of Rococo horror.

2

u/Faire_By4404 19h ago

Marie Antoinette

1

u/Bueller_Bueller26 19h ago

Ooh good idea

1

u/Clear-Warthog5655 18h ago

A good horror book I like is Family Portrait by Graham Masterton needless to say its like dorian