“It takes a family to raise this village.”

by Lindsay Costello

4. FAMILY MATTERS: It takes a family to raise this village.

Morgiana

Because I am nothing if not a fan of Gothic excess, I can never seem to shut up about Morgiana. Juraj Herz’s florid, Freudian masterpiece of ’70s Czech New Wave cinema blends notes of Picnic at Hanging Rock‘s eerie femininity and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders‘ surreal opulence. The plot is strangely simple: One sister, Viki, despises the other, Klara, because Klara is nice and kinda vapid but super pretty. Klara also cops a bigger inheritance than Viki after their father’s death. Viki, with the Siamese cat Morgiana slung over her shoulder, sets out to poison Klara. Iva Janžurová stars as not one but both hypnotic leading characters in the film fatale, and she somehow pulls all of this off while sporting enough makeup to make a clown blush.

The film is a haunted example of Czech New Wave cinema’s calling cards: It’s weird and psychedelic and witchy and watery, with wide-angle kitty POVs and stylistic extravagance. But Herz also accomplishes something rare here. Morgiana is Loie Fuller’s Serpentine Dance; it’s a floral tea laced with LSD. The film’s ultra-simple plot is propped up by frankly bonkers art noveau production design and costuming, enveloping the viewer in Grey Gardens-level feminine isolation and mystery. By keeping the story straightforward, it all becomes archetypal, a sort of dream state. Fantasy is possible here, and sometimes fantasy is dark and freaky. Just ask the Brothers Grimm.

The Stranger is participating in Scarecrow Video’s Psychotronic Challenge all month long! Every October, Scarecrow puts together a list of cinematic themes and invites folks to follow along and watch a horror, sci-fi, or fantasy flick that meets the criteria. This year, Stranger staffers are joining the fun and we’re going to share our daily recommendations here on Slog! Read more about Scarecrow’s 2024 challenge—and get the watch list—here. And you can track our daily recommendations here! 💀

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