Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Most Assassinated Woman in the World’ on Netflix

We’re headed towards the month of October, the most horror-friendly of all the months, so it’s a great time to settle in with one of Netflix’s newest releases, a French-language murder mystery set at the famed Grand Guignol theater in the early 20th century, which was notorious for its bloody live horror shows. 

THE MOST ASSASSINATED WOMAN IN THE WORLD: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Paula Max (Anna Mouglalis) is the leading lady at the famed Grand Guignol theater in Paris. There she performs every night, murdered for show in a variety of gruesome ways. Her eye gouged out, her face burned, her throat slashed, her heart plucked from her chest. She is, as her voiceover tells the audience, the most assassinated woman in the world. And as if that macabre existence weren’t enough, there is a series of real-life murders happening around the theater, and she appears to be a target. A handsome reporter covering the murders (Niels Schnieder) takes particular interest in Paula.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Setting a fictional mystery around a real-life staple of horror cinema — the Grand Guignol was a huge influence on the horror cinema that came later — feels very much akin to the Peter Strickland film Berberian Sound Studio, which was set in the production houses of the Italian giallo films. The Most Assassinated Woman in the World is itself something of a giallo picture, so the connection feels strong. Also,the Grand Guignol as a setting for horrific events happening around the theater was a theme in the underrated Showtime series Penny Dreadful.

Performance Worth Watching: Anna Mouglalis is utterly captivating as Paula Max, at once otherworldly and strong and yet vulnerable too. She keeps the audience guessing at all times as to what’s the actress and what’s the woman.

Memorable Dialogue: A lot of the backstage shop talk surrounding the Grand Guignol is very funny. After an early show, the actresses complain about the taste of the fake blood. “Andre, you told us you were going to put more sugar in the blood,” one says. “Sugar is expensive these days, princess,” Andre replies, before later bragging, “It’s the best blood in the history of theater!”

Single Best Shot: One standout sequence later in the movie is a stage death that involves plucking out the leading lady’s heart with a bird-beak mask. The cut to the audience, roaring with approval at the disgusting visual, tracing the audience’s approval THROUGH the hole in the actress’s chest (uhhhhh how did they do that on a live stage??) is an act of directorial chutzpah.

Sex and Skin: You’d think that a movie that features this much violence would also pile on the sex, but you’d be mistaken. There is a sensual attraction between Paula and the reporter, but almost all the risqué material is reserved for violence.

Our Take: You’re pretty much guaranteed not to find ANY movie quite like this one on Netflix. As a murder mystery it’s not quite the taut thriller you might want, but it’s got style points to spare, and the thin line between performed death on stage and what’s real and threatening is thin enough that you’ll likely get wrapped up in the mystery of it all.

Our Call: Stream It

Stream The Most Assassinated Woman in the World on Netflix