31 JESS FRANCO HALLOWEEN HORRORS: THE PERVERSE COUNTESS (1973)

Vintage Video

TENDER FLESH

Rador Zaroff (Howard Vernon) and his wife (Alice Arno) are cannibals who hunt down females on their tropical island and eat them for dinner. Lina Romay is the next meal. Franco's version of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and one of his best. Remade as TENDER FLESH. 

Jess Franco Halloween Horrors

NECRONOMICON/SUCCUBUS (1967): Jess Franco's supernatural/metaphysical thriller. An S&M performer (Janine Reynaud) is controlled by a Demon (Michel Lemoine) who orders her to kill jet-setters in Lisbon and Berlin. Fritz Lang admired this film.

Here is one of numerous movie references in SUCCUBUS. I have counted over 100. How many movies can you ID that are referenced in the visuals, plot and dialogue? If anyone comes up with 100 movies referenced in SUCCUBUS I'll send them a Jess Franco DVD.

Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: LORNA, THE EXORCIST aka LORNA, l'EXORCISTE: LES POSSEDEES DU DIABLE (1974)

The Devil is a woman and the woman is Lorna Green (Monique Delaunay). Patrick (Guy Delmore) makes the mistake of making a bargain with this female demon. Franco's potent, iconoclastic version of FAUST. The supernatural horror involves numerous revolting, indelible, transgressive, disturbing images laced with toxic eroticism in an seedy, oneiric environment (upscale Paris and the casino scene at La Grande Motte).  Monique Delaunay, Lina Romay and Guy Delmore are superb. The obsessive, repetitive, unnerving  guitar score by Andre Benichou and Robert De Nesle will really have you screaming for release just like the inmates of Lorna's spiritual dungeon. 

More frightening than THE EXORCIST (1973). A must see.

Those who have ordered the upcoming DVD will be very pleasantly surprised. Go to my www.cinemadrome.yuku.com website for more images (which can't be presented on FACEBOOK) and the latest DVD information. 

The eyes of Lorna

Lorna's slave

Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: PLAISIR A TROIS (1973)

Martine (Alice Arno) is released from the mental home

Martine introduces her next "victim" to the gardener

An insane sculptress, is released from an institution by her psychiatrist after mutilating a man with a straight razor. She returns to her villa's basement of horrors, featuring the tortured victims of her seductions and sadistic murders. Who will be her next victim?

Alain Petit wrote the adaptation of Sade's PHILOSOPHY IN THE BEDROOM for Franco which includes mannequins, stripteases, voyeurism, whippings, hardcore footage and much more. With Lina Romay and Robert Woods. 

I have a weakness for horror movies featuring mad artists (cf Corman's BUCKET OF BLOOD), and Franco has made a lot of movies about that subject. Franco would revisit the same Sade story with GEMIDOS DE PLACER.

Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: THE DEMONS/LES DEMONS (1972)

Burn, Witch, Burn!

Jess Franco revisits the story of witch burner Judge Jeffreys, this time played by John Foster [rn: Cihangir Gaffari]. The director first essayed this historical horror in THE BLOODY JUDGE (1970). Even without the commanding presence of Christopher Lee, I prefer this version. 

Standout scenes: Mother Superior ( Doris Thomas) giving in to Sin; Britt Nichols settling accounts with Lady de Winter (Karin Field) and Jeffreys by turning them into skeletons.

The iconoclastic acid rock score by Jean-Bernard Raiteux is alone worth the price of admission.

If you are a Jess Franco collector you MUST have the majestic X RATED KULT DVD set, which presents 4 different versions of this film with language options, alternate scenes, trailers, et al!

Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: EXORCISME/EXORCISME ET MESSES NOIRES (1974)

Mathis Vogel (Jess Franco) is a frustrated writer who embarks on a murder spree in Paris, killing young females and then attempting to sell his real life murder tales to an S&M magazine. In the meantime, a satanic cult comes to his attention....

This grim 1974 title was later reedited into THE SADIST OF NOTRE DAME (1979). The opening sequence featuring Lina Romay being flogged and the scenes of satanic rites are very effective. Franco's performance as the killer is indelible.

More Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: VOODOO PASSION (1977)

Jess Franco's cod remake of I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE?

A woman visiting Haiti has nightmares in which she murders people.

Is she acting under a voodoo spell or is there another explanation?

Jack Taylor contemplates...

More Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: L'ABIME DES MORTS-VIVANTS (1981)

French language version of OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES. 

Nazi patrol 

I like this one...

See the Spanish version

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: LA MANSION DE LOS MUERTOS VIVIENTES (1982)

Insane monks, who have been haunting a centuries old monastery, go on a rape and murder spree when a group of tourists become too curious.

Don't Open The Door!

What is it?

Outrageous cocktail of softcore lesbian antics, sexual violence and zombie imagery which evokes Amando De Ossorio's BLIND DEAD films. But Franco has a very different agenda, more disturbing and satirical, and his direction is highly atmospheric. 

Makes a good double bill with Joe D'Amato's EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD.

31 Jess Franco Horrors for Halloween: LA FILLE DE DRACULA (1972)

Murders occur in and around the Karlstein estate. Is the killer Count Dracula (Howard Vernon), who lies in interred in the basement?

The local police suspect is Baron Von Karlstein (Daniel White). Vampire hunter Jefferson (Jess Franco) finally resolves the mystery. Atmospheric (giallo style) follow up to DRACULA, PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN, with Howard Vernon returning as Dracula in the same bizarre get-up. Britt Nichols shines in the title role. 

Britt's overbite....

Family, friends or lovers?

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS (1962)

La Mano de un hombre muerto

The Austrian village of Holfen lives under the curse of the legendary Baron Von Klaus, a sadistic killer of young women who disappeared into the swamp 500 years ago. Has he returned to experience "the tragic eroticism of all the senses finally ending in death"? A black clad killer is taking out local women. The police and a reporter have their suspect. But the truth is more complex...

The stalk and kill sequences anticipate the Italian giallo genre (cf BLOOD AND BLACK LACE).. The erotic torture/murder sequence of the barmaid was very daring for its time and censored in Spain. Based on a novel by "David Khune"

Tortured to death

A person of interest (Howard Vernon)

The swamp

Spanish version. 

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: VENUS IN FURS (1969)

Vintage poster

The witness

The victim

The killers

The sadist

Jazz musician Jimmy Logan (James Darren) is drawn into a realm beyond time and space after witnessing the murder of playgirl Wanda Reed (Maria Rohm).

Jess Franco's psychedelic fusion of jazz (scored by Manfred Mann), horror, erotica and destiny. 

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: DEVIL HUNTER (1980)

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: DEVIL HUNTER (1980) A starlet (Ursula Buchfellner) is kidnapped for ransom on a tropical island. Al Cliver goes to the rescue. But the real menace is a giant, nude, cannibal zombie (Burt Altman?). Ugly, delicious entertainment.

She got what she deserved.

European Trash Cinema aesthetics

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: LAS VAMPIRAS

Alternate Spanish version of VAMPYROS LESBOS (1970). This is the covered/censored cut which also has a different musical score (co-composed by the director) and some striking images not seen in VAMPYROS LESBOS.  

Princess Nadine Korody

31 Jess Franco Halloween Horrors: BLOODY MOON

Alicante, Spain. The International School of Languages. Coeds are stalked by a bloodthirsty psycho-slasher. Who is the killer? 

German version. Jess Franco directs a slick, early 80s era slasher flick in the style of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN and Brian De Palma.

Dr. Domingo Aunous (Jess Franco)

 releases the suspect from his institution.

Opening gore

A little persuasion....