Ferris wheel obsessed engineer Vance Pierson (Barry Sullivan) moves with his wife and daughter to Spain to work on a hydroelectric dam. While house-hunting, Vance meets sexy blonde Laura Blanco (Martha Hyer) as she is about to torch her run-down property for the insurance money. Instead, Vance buys the place, and subsequently starts a steamy affair with the woman. When Vance's conscience eventually kicks in and he decides to end his relationship with Laura, she flips out and sets fire to Vance's home—with his wife and child still inside. Vance rushes to their rescue, but he is too late to save them, and suffers severe burns in the process. When Laura pays him a visit in hospital, the disfigured engineer swears to hunt down Laura and her daughter, no matter where they run to.Part Fatal Attraction style thriller, part twisted revenge horror, Pyro… The Thing Without a Face is nowhere near as cheesy as the title suggests. In fact, it is a surprisingly dark tale, dealing as it does with infidelity, betrayal, madness, murder, and even a hint of incest for good measure (Laura's comment that her daughter's father was her own father is quite the shocker). Vance, covered from head to foot in bandages, telling Laura to 'take her family and hide' is effectively chilling, as is watching him as he makes good on his word. I only wish that the ending had been as bold: rather than sparing Laura's daughter, I'd love to have seen Vance throw himself off the ferris wheel with the little girl in his arms. That would have made for an unforgettable and more fitting downbeat finale.

This is a strange story of infidelity, horror and revenge. I wouldn't say it was a great movie, it did hold my interest and there were some very scary moments in it. After a certain point when the revenge started...it was predictable. I'd compare it to 'House of Wax' in some ways. I rate it a 5 out of 10 for the acting by the leads and the off-beat story. Barry Sullivan was good and he delivered some very chilling lines, especially when he was telling his former mistress to run while she could. It's a film with the type of plot more often found in Spanish, Mexican or Italian made films of that time. It's not like the standard run of the mill USA/UK type horror films made back then.

A married man has a torrid affair with the previous owner of the house he has bought for his family. He tries to end the affair, but the woman will have none of that. She sets the house on fire killing his wife and child. Burned beyond recognition, the man vows revenge against his former lover.Overall, Pyro is a nice little horror/thriller. The plot, although predictable, is generally well paced and only gets bogged down by the love story on one or two brief occasions. It's the predictability that keeps me from rating Pyro much higher. There are a few chills to be had like the scene where the woman runs in fear down a deserted street at night, afraid that her disfigured lover is about the catch-up with her. The acting is a notch or two above what I have seen in other early Spanish horror films. Both Barry Sullivan and Martha Hyer give excellent performances in the lead roles. Hyer, in particular, is wonderful as the scheming, murderous ex-lover. Finally, the burn make-up is effectively creepy. It's the stuff of nightmares.A couple bits of trivia – first, apparently Pyro was the first horror/thriller movie to be filmed in Spain. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. I just thought it was interesting. Second, cult fans may be interested in catching Pyro to see a young, pre-Franco Soledad Miranda in a small role. She doesn't do much, but she has a presence about her that's unmistakable.

Low budget, odd little movie has some chills, and good performances by MARTHA HYER and BARRY SULLIVAN. Laura Blanco (HYER) is a divorcee with a young daughter who has a fling with family man Vince Pierson (SULLIVAN). When his wife finds out, Vince tries to break off from Laura. She, however, has other ideas and believes that if Vince's wife & daughter are out of the way, she'll have him all to herself. Seeing Vince leave his house with wife & daughter still inside upstairs, Laura slips in and splashes gasoline around and sets the house ablaze. She even goes so far as to cut the water off, and attach a container of gasoline to the plumbing. Vince comes back and runs into the burning house to save his family. I can't say anymore without giving away the ending, but the rest is a pretty good thriller. HYER is very good as pure evil Laura. SULLIVAN also does well as Vince. In some ways this movie might remind you of FATAL ATTRACTION 20 years earlier. A stern warning to married men seeking greener pastures. This was one of AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL pictures, low on production dollars, and yet with its creepy plot, still a worthwhile thriller!!!