A young couple meets at a wedding and ventures into an immense, isolated cemetery for a romantic outing. Trapped overnight, their idyllic date descends into a dreamlike trap, triggering a haunting exploration of dread and psychological unraveling.
Jean Rollin’s 1973 film The Iron Rose (La rose de fer) – marketed in English at one point as The Crystal Rose — marks a fascinating pivot within the director’s distinctive filmography. Known predominantly for his ethereal vampire tales, Rollin here trades fangs for a more grounded, yet profoundly unsettling, exploration of existential dread and psychological unraveling, all while retaining his signature dreamlike, poetic visual style. The result is a unique and haunting entry in European horror.
An Innocent Beginning
The premise is deceptively simple. A young man and woman (Françoise Pascal and Hugues Quester), connecting briefly at a wedding, arrange a romantic rendezvous. Their idyllic date—a picnic followed by a bicycle ride through the French countryside—takes a fateful turn when curiosity draws them into the vast, silent expanse of an ancient, isolated cemetery. What begins as a youthful adventure soon shifts tone irrevocably.
The Cemetery as Character
The graveyard itself emerges as the film’s central, oppressive force. Rollin masterfully utilizes the location’s decaying grandeur: imposing mausoleums, overgrown pathways, and rows of weathered headstones create an overwhelming sense of isolation and timelessness. The transition from daylight to encroaching nightfall within these walls is pivotal, transforming the setting from merely eerie to actively menacing. The sense of scale and labyrinthine confusion becomes palpable, trapping both the characters and the viewer.
Shifting Psyches
Françoise Pascal delivers a compelling and increasingly intense performance as the young woman. Her journey from playful companion to a figure deeply affected by the cemetery’s oppressive atmosphere forms the film’s unsettling core. Hugues Quester provides a grounded, increasingly desperate counterpoint as her companion, his rationality slowly fracturing under the relentless pressure of their predicament. Their dynamic undergoes a profound transformation.
Rollin’s Signature Mood
While absent his usual vampires, The Iron Rose is unmistakably a Rollin film. It luxuriates in slow, deliberate pacing, emphasizing mood and symbolism over conventional narrative propulsion or explicit shocks. The visuals remain painterly and melancholic, filled with evocative imagery – crumbling stone angels, skeletal trees against grey skies, the stark geometry of tombs. The soundtrack, often sparse or utilizing unsettling natural sounds, further deepens the pervasive sense of unease and otherworldliness.
A Haunting Legacy
The Iron Rose is less a traditional horror film and more a suffocating, poetic nightmare. Its power lies in the inexorable build of dread and the profound sense of dislocation it creates. Rollin crafts a mesmerizing, deeply atmospheric experience where the boundary between reality and psychological breakdown blurs within the stone walls of the necropolis. It stands as a testament to his unique vision, proving his ability to evoke profound unease without relying on supernatural creatures, leaving viewers with a lingering, melancholic chill.
Françoise Pascal and Hugues Quester in The Iron Rose (1973)
Françoise Pascal in The Iron Rose (1973)
Françoise Pascal in The Iron Rose (1973)
Françoise Pascal in The Iron Rose (1973)
The Iron Rose [Limited Edition] (Indicator)
The Video
The Iron Rose was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Renasci Films, using the original 35mm negative. The Yellow Loves was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Filmfinity, using the original 35mm negative. Many thousands of instances of dirt were removed, scratches, stains and other imperfections eliminated, and a number of damaged frames repaired. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image of either film in any way.
The main feature, The Iron Rose, is presented in 1.66:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision. The Yellow Loves gets a 1.33:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. The Iron Rose looks beautiful from the opening scenes. People who do not like grain will probably not like this restoration and transfer (or many of Indicator’s transfers) because, as they point out, they do not employ grain management. The grain looks very natural and resolves as it should in the various light levels and environments. The Dolby Vision grading grants lots of pop to the colors, such as Françoise Pascal’s mustard yellow blouse and Hugues Quester’s red sweater. The Yellow Loves, a black and white student short from Rollin, also looks natural and has stark black and white contrast.
The Audio
The mono mix for The Iron Rose is provided in French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 and an English dub also in DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. They both sound as good as they can for monaural mixes, with decent clarity and little clipping.
The Supplements
Indicator packs this limited edition with their usual dose of audio commentaries, visual essays and interviews, plus a limited edition 80-page booklet.
Limited Edition Contents:
Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Nick Pinkerton, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, an English translation of ‘La Nuit du cimetière’, an archival interview with Françoise Pascal, Jean Rollin on The Yellow Loves, an introduction to the poetry of Tristan Corbière, and full film credits
Bonus Features:
Audio Commentary with Tim Lucas
Jean Rollin Introduces The Iron Rose (1080p; 00:01:14)
Jean Rollin: Cemetery Gates (1080p; 00:03:39)
Les Nuits du cimetière (1080p; 00:15:51)
Archival Interview with Françoise Pascal (1080p; 00:22:03)
Françoise Pascal: Woman is Free (1080p; 00:23:49)
Françoise Pascal: Kiss from a Rose (1080p; 00:02:31)
Stephen Thrower: Children of the Grave (1080p; 00:30:42)
Trailers:
French Theatrical Trailer #1 (4K; 00:03:42)
French Theatrical Trailer #2 (4K; 00:03:42)
International Theatrical Trailer #1 (4K; 00:03:42)
International Theatrical Trailer #2 (4K; 00:03:42)
Image Galleries (1080p):
Original Promotional Material
Behind the Scenes
Dialogue Continuity Script
‘La Nuit de cimetière’ Prose Treatment
The Yellow Loves (1958) w/ optional audio commentary by Tim Lucas (4K; 00:10:38)
The Final Assessment
The Iron Rose is a challenging, visually arresting, and ultimately haunting piece of Euro-horror cinema. Rollin veers away from his vampiric fascination for a necropolis of horror and surreal dread. Indicator restored the film with care, as always, and presents it on 4K in a beautiful 4K HDR/Dolby Vision transfer, continuing their excellent travels through the Rollin catalogue.
The Iron Rose [Limited Edition] is out on 4K Ultra HD May 20, 2025 from Indicator
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A young couple meets at a wedding and ventures into an immense, isolated cemetery for a romantic outing. Trapped overnight, their idyllic date descends into a dreamlike trap, triggering a haunting exploration of dread and psychological unraveling. The Iron Rose (Limited Edition) 4K Ultra HD Review
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