FilmGothic Classic Monsters Psychological

The Hunchback of Notre Dame1982

Name: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Genre: Gothic, Classic Monsters, Psychological
Released: 1982-02-02
Rating: 6.3

Directed by Michael Tuchner

6.3

Crypt Score

Blended from 2 sources

IMDb 6.3TMDB 5.8

✍ Review

On the charts

#10·Top Horror Movies of 1982

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Year

1982

Runtime

102 min

Box Office

🏆 Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. 1 nomination total

The premise

Quasimodo, the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame's cathedral, meets a beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, and falls in love with her. So does Quasimodo's guardian, the archdeacon of the cathedral, and a poor street poet. But Esmeralda's in love with a handsome soldier. When a mob mistakes her for a witch, it's up to Quasimodo to rescue her and claim sanctuary for her in the cathedral.

Horror Vault's take

Set against the looming grandeur of medieval Paris, this lavish TV adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel follows Quasimodo — the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame — as his sheltered world is shattered by an encounter with the free-spirited gypsy dancer Esmeralda. Multiple men become dangerously consumed by desire for her, setting off a collision of jealousy, power, and desperation. Anthony Hopkins leads a remarkable ensemble in a tale where the truly monstrous may not be the man who rings the bells. Dark, emotionally charged, and steeped in Gothic atmosphere, this is literary horror at its most human.

Content: Depictions Of Mob Violence, Themes Of Persecution And Scapegoating, Dark Themes Around Obsession And Coercion