Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol —known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Pigalle district of Paris. From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it specialised in naturalistic horror shows. Its name is often used as a general term for graphic, amoral horror entertainment, a genre popular from Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, to today's splatter films.
Promotional poster for a Grand Guignol performance
Oscar Méténier
A 1937 scene from Grand Guignol
Pigalle is an area in Paris, France, around the Place Pigalle, on the border between the 9th and the 18th arrondissements. It is named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714–1785).
Entrance to the Paris metro in Pigalle