Nigel P Depending on which version of this film's title you prefer, this Jess Franco picture might well be seen as a return to the character of Doctor Orloff, originally played so brilliantly by Howard Vernon in 'The Awful Doctor Orloff'(1962). As someone who became familiar with Franco's work through his later, gaudier 'exploitation' pictures, these earlier entries are a revelation – truly he was masterful at weaving horror atmospherics, a truly talented director of unnerving imagery, using stark black and white to its fullest advantage.Interspersed with several cabaret scenes – a favourite distraction of Franco and one that would crop up in many subsequent projects – this appears to be the story of lovely Melissa (Agnès Spaak), who travels to a superbly realised sinister family castle owned by her Uncle Conrad Jekyll (Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui). She has been lead to believe her father Andros (Hugo Blanco) died there recently – except that her uncle has turned him into a somnambulistic zombie who sleeps upright in a glass coffin. That's what zombies do, of course? Andros is given the full horror treatment in all ways but one. Direction, sinister musical cues, creepy lighting lay the chills on thick – and yet the make-up is far too subtle to justify the screams of hysterical fear that greet his stumbling confrontations with various characters.Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui is not hugely effective as Jekyll – he lacks any of the restrained sense of power Vernon had, and Manuel (Pepe Rubio) is occasionally rather irritating as Melissa's love interest (as juvenile boyfriend characters often are), but the acting is rarely less than adequate. The characters are not as important as the atmosphere Franco weaves, and the sinister world of 'Orloff' is pleasingly recreated – whatever the main character calls himself.

MARIO GAUCI The second "Orloff" movie is apparently unrelated to the first (a re-acquaintance with which will follow): in fact, this name is omnipresent throughout Franco's filmography; anyway, it is more or less on the same level of THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS (1962) – even if I watched ORLOFF in English rather than French (or, for that matter, the original Spanish language). Again, Franco shows to be fairly adept with genre conventions and even manages to blend them relatively easily with a modern-day setting – still, he cannot help being himself and resist incorporating nightclub performances (in fact, this rather lazily makes the artistes themselves the victims so that we get a song every 20 minutes or so!) and, inevitably, erotic overtones.Incidentally, Howard Vernon (the actor most associated with the Orloff role) is sorely missed here – the character himself is only of secondary importance and appears very briefly – but the memorable Morpho figure, a disfigured zombie-like creature obeying its master's will (not unlike Cesare from the German Expressionist landmark THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI {1920}), is now assumed by Andros. The latter – played by Hugo Blanco, the villainous latest member of the Von Klaus family and whose brooding good looks suit his mute stalker here – is perversely turned into a monster (hence the title, though the print actually bears the absurd moniker DR. JEKYLL'S MISTRESSES - which would, in any case, have better suited Walerian Borowczyk's masterful 1981 film, DOCTEUR JEKYLL ET LES FEMMES!) by his own scientist brother (Vernon's bearded, rather gruff replacement and saddled with the peculiar surname of Fisherman) when he catches him in bed with his own wife (she, of course, also pays for her infidelity by being driven to the bottle).However, the plot this time around is decidedly contrived: we never learn why Andros (who sleeps upright in a class cage, as Cesare himself did albeit in a wooden-box) is sent on a murderous rampage – after being revived, and subsequently controlled, by sound-waves – every once in a while (most effectively when he nonchalantly moves through a crowded nightspot following yet another attack). The "Digitally Obsessed" website review suggests the reason for the various killings is because Fisherman wanted to get even with his spouse…but this is hardly EYES WIDE SHUT (1999), is it?! Similarly, the heroine – the monster's daughter, whom she believed was dead and buried (at one point, he even visits his own grave!) – turns up to stay with the central family only so that we get the obligatory damsel-in-distress and add an admittedly refreshing touch of pathos to Andros' condition; Agnes Spaak, sister of the more famous Catherine(!), appears in this part. On the other hand, the girl's bland male counterpart is extremely annoying, and the presence of the Police basically only serves to keep the audience abreast of the villains' eventual apprehension.

ferbs54 Although the 1964 Jess Franco offering "Dr. Orloff's Monster" is commonly thought of as a sequel to his classic film "The Awful Dr. Orloff," released two years earlier, it strikes this viewer as more of a remake than a continuation. Howard Vernon does not appear in "DOM" as Orloff, nor does his human-robot brother, Morpho. In the second film, Dr. Conrad Jekyll (the brother of Henry, perhaps?) learns how to turn his dead brother, Andros (who he had murdered for philandering with his wife, just as Orloff had done), into a human robot. He gleans this invaluable info from a dying scientist who looks a bit like Howard Vernon and who the viewer infers must be Orloff himself. Jekyll (played by Marcelo Arroita-Jauregui, an actor who makes his character as difficult to like as his own name is to pronounce!) then uses his brother-robot to do his dirty work; namely, slaying various women about town. In a scenario strikingly similar to the setup in the following year's Cybernauts episode of "The Avengers," he gives these women a necklace containing an ultrasonic device that Andros homes in on. ("The Avengers" substituted a pen.) But trouble looms for the bad doctor when his pretty niece, appealingly played by Agnes Spaak, drops by with her new beau for a Xmas visit.... Though plotwise very similar to the first Orloff outing, this "sequel" also has much in common with another Franco film that I recently saw, 1962's "The Sadistic Baron von Klaus." Both films take place in the fictitious Austrian town of Holfen, feature surprisingly imaginative direction by Franco as well as stunning B&W cinematography, center on the police investigation of the various homicides, showcase some truly outre music from Daniel White, utilize the same bizarre-looking castle, and, of course, star Hugo Blanco in the titular role. "DOM" ups the ante a bit by throwing in a few more musical numbers and more topless scenes, and also treats the viewer to such striking sequences as Jekyll's visit to an opium den and Andros' visit to the local cemetery. The picture as a whole looks terrific, is well acted and makes perfect sense, ultimately; what a difference between these early to mid-'60s Franco films and the rest of his humongous oeuvre (around 190 films, as of this date!)! Hard to believe that this artful piece of horror was done by the same man who later gave us "The Devil Came From Akasava"....

Witchfinder General 666 The incredibly prolific Spanish Exploitation deity Jess Franco made his greatest films in the early days of his impressive career, and the series of 'Dr. Orloff' films are arguably his most essential creation. My choice for Franco's most brilliant achievements are the 1962 original "Gritos En La Noche" ("The Awful Dr. Orloff") and the 1966 second sequel, "Miss Muerte" ("The Diabolical Dr. Z."). While this first 'Orloff' sequel, "El Segreto Del Dr. Orloff" (aka. "The Secret of Dr. Orloff" / "Dr. Orloff's Monster" / "Dr. Jeckyll's Mistresses") of 1964 isn't nearly as good as the two aforementioned films it is yet another wonderfully atmospheric and macabre mad-science-themed Gothic gem, that no Franco fan could possibly afford to miss. Sadly, this film doesn't star Franco's Nr. 1 leading man Howard Vernon, but the full-bearded Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui, who also had a role in "Miss Muerte", also does fine in the role of the mad scientist Dr. Conrad Fisherman (credited as Dr. Conrad Jeckyll on IMDb).***SPOILERS!*** "El Segreto Del Dr. Orloff" is set in my home country Austria. The beautiful orphaned girl Melissa (Agnès Spaak) is visiting her scientist uncle Dr. Conrad Jeckyll (Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui) and his drunk wife Ingrid (Luisa Sala) in their eerie castle over the Christmas holidays. Along with his mentor Dr. Orloff, Dr. Fisherman has been developing a manner of how to control the minds of animals and human beings with the help of sound. What young Melissa does not know, is that her mad uncle keeps her late father (whom he once murdered for having an affair with his, then beautiful, wife) as a zombie slave. Using the mind-control methods developed by Dr. Orloff and himself, the mad scientist forces his late brother to strangle a bunch of strippers, prostitutes and other sexy women... Luckily for Melissa, she isn't quite alone in this dangerous situation since a lovesick fellow student, the Spaniard Juan Manuel (Pepe Rubio), has followed the young beauty to the small village...The eerie castle setting and Franco's wonderfully atmospheric black and white cinematography give "The Secret of Dr. Orloff" a wonderfully uncanny mood. The film is creepy and macabre, and, as the other 'Orloff' films it is a milestone in European Exploitation/Sleaze-Horror. Many of the sexy female cast members get topless and even naked, which was definitely not the standard in the first half of the 60s. As the other "Orloff" films, the film also includes some sadistic perversions, which, again wasn't quite the standard (though it began to be around the time). As fun this film is to watch, one has to say that it isn't entirely flawless. "The Secret of Dr. Orloff" often doesn't make sense. Unlike "The Awful Dr. Orloff" and "The Diabolical Dr. Z", for example, this film doesn't give us a reason why its villain commits his evil deeds. For one reason or another, Dr. Fisherman uses his zombie slave brother to kill seductive beauties. But for what reason? It cannot be for scientific reasons, because they don't keep the bodies. And if it was out of sadistic perversions, wouldn't he want to be present during the killings? These inconsistencies are in no way lessening the fun, however. "El Segreto Del Dr. Orloff" isn't Jess Franco's best film, but it is a nice example for the atmospheric films from his golden age. Recommended to my fellow fans of Eurohorror and Jess Franco in particular.