Cover Art

Credits

Director: Jess Franco Starring: Lina Romay, Jack Taylor, Alice Arno, Monica Swinn Screenplay: Gerard Brisseau, Jess Franco Music: Daniel White Country: France AKA: Les Aveleuses, Bare Breasted Countess, La Comtesse aux seins nus, La Comtesse noire, Erotic Kill, Erotikill, Insatiable Lust, Jacula, Sicarius – the Midnight Party, The Black Countess, The Last Thrill, The Loves of Irina, Yacula

Anyway, time to stop drooling and get on with the business of the day. This is one of Jess Franco's better efforts, despite the fact that it's poorly acted, of, shall we say "variable" quality in the directorial department (can you spell "over-use of zoom lens"?), and has a ludicrous, nonsensical practically non-existent story-line. The obvious superiority of this film over others is probably due to the fact that unlike many of Franco's films (or at least the dozen and a half I've seen – given his volume of work, I know that's not many), it possesses a kind of atmosphere.

The …ummm… "plot" runs as such: the rather over-sexed Countess Irina Karlstein (shades of "Carmilla", there) prowls around Madeira, kills loads of people (nekkid women, for the most part – hooray!!!) by draining their sexual energy and then moans about it in an existential fashion that would have Sartre in tears. Well, when I say moans, I'm talking interior monologue, because for some never quite adequately explained reason, she's mute. Which is probably quite handy really, because her servant is deaf. So when she gets interviewed for the newspapers at an early point of the film, she communicates via a series of enigmatic nods. Of course Franco casts himself in the film (Dr Roberts, a forensic pathologist who knows it's a vampire almost from the get-go), and puts in a better performance than his usual.

Basically, it's simply a reasonably standard female vampire thing, but with very little plot – nekkid chick runs around seducing and killing people of either sex somewhat indiscriminately; her existence as a vampire is discovered quite early, but of course the authorities don't listen, so more people die. The only bit that's a bit different IS the fact that the vampire in this case appears to be allergic to clothes… I won't spoil the end for you, but it's an enjoyable 101 minutes of sleazy and extremely gratuitous silliness – I mean, the sequence where Lina Romay rolls around on the bed masturbating (I've never wanted to be a bed post so much in my life) – if anyone can explain to me plot-wise why that was in the story, I'm all ears. I've gotta say, to call her performance in this film 'uninhibited' does her a tremendous disservice – it's an understatement on the scale of saying, 'Space; it's a bit big, isn't it?' The campy over-acting is dreadfully wonderful – Jack Taylor as the poet who believes he's destined to be with Irina is worth a special mention at this point. But the real star of the film would have to be Lina Romay's boobs, as they're practically in every shot. Not that that's a bad thing. It's not a film to be taken seriously. I have the sneaking suspicion that the whole thing might be a little tongue in cheek, but perhaps I'm reading it wrong. It's a strange thought to me that Franco might have meant this as a serious artistic endeavour. I mean, give the guy his due: both Eugenie and Justine actually work in that context (despite his lead actress's "acting" in both films) but I'm filing this one in the same category as Eugenie de Sade, Vampyros Lesbos and Venus In Furs, but of a lower budget than any of those films (scary thought that, isn't it?). An enjoyable film made for people who like boobs and blood – although the ratio is a bit uneven; lots of the first, little of the second.

Y'know, I sometimes wonder if during films like this, Franco isn't behind the camera, laughing hysterically as the sleaze dollars roll in, roaring, "Baaaa-hahahahaha! I've got Lina Romay and you don't!" You have to wonder, otherwise why someone would keep putting their partner into films nekkid (I've never seen Lina Romay remain clothed in any of the films I've seen her in – even in bit parts, like Jack The Ripper – she turns up as some kind of saucy song and dance girl in a seedy Whitechapel pub and immediately starts flashing her (admittedly lovely) arse-parts about), or having lesbian romps, or more disturbingly being sexually tortured (as in Ilsa: The Wicked Warden) – is he just gloating?

If you're going to buy it, this is the version to get – some other versions omit the violence, or the sex, (which would make for a rather bland outing, let me tell you, because the story ain't going to keep you interested…), concentrating on the other aspect. This disc is the business, basically. But if you must see the hard-core that's missing from this version, then you should probably check out the German X-Rated Kult Video version. I can't vouch for the quality of that release, however, he disclaimed.