John-Jude This is meant to be Franco's masterpiece which says it all.It's a bad film in many ways though worth viewing as a product of it's times.Most of the budget must have been spent on the copious amount of downers it took to keep James Darren in the zombified state in which he sleepwalks through the film.He's a long way from his Hollywood pretty-boy heyday and must've been wondering how his career had reached such a nadir.That said there are some rather lovely ladies getting their kit off-it is a Franco film after all.And the hauntingly deranged score complete with the payoff line sung accapela after each of the title character's murders will linger in the mind.What it's all about is anyones guess but the ending almost made me feel it made some kind of sense and was worth watching....almost.

Falconeer Anyone claiming that cult filmmaker Jess (Jesus) Franco was a hack, obviously has never seen his masterpiece, "Venus In Furs" aka "Paroxismus." Mind-bending, visually stunning tale of a jazz musician obsessed with the beautiful blonde woman, murdered as he watched, during an S&M session that went too far. Already haunted by her memory, he becomes lost in a hallucinatory World when her nude body washes up on shore. and the world in which he finds himself might..or might not be Hell. Very original concept at the time, an idea that has been imitated countless times since, in such films as David Lynch's "Lost Highway." The dreamlike jazz score is as sensual as the images on screen. The scenes in Istanbul, where the adventure begins and ends, are beautiful and chilling, and sexually charged images played against the backdrop of Mosques and Islamic chanting make for a bizarre and unsettling experience. Actor James Darren is perfectly cast in the main role of the trumpet player. Darren, who was an acquaintance of jazz legend Chet Baker, based his character on the horn player, imitating his mannerisms and way of speaking. Barbara McNair is wonderful as the lounge singer, who tries to save Jimmy Logan from his inescapable fate, and of course Maria Rohm inhabits her role as the 'Venus in furs,' back from hell to avenge her death. And who can forget the piercing blue eyes of Klaus Kinski, as Ahmed..the Turk with a taste for sadomasochistic sex. What a cast! "Paroxismus," with it's unique editing, camera work, framing, lighting etc is something that should be studied in film classes; it is that good. This is what cinema is all about.

preppy-3 Jimmy Logan (James Darren) finds a dead girl named Wanda on the beach. He also realizes she was killed by Percival (Dennis Price), Ahmed (Klaus Kinski) and Olga (Margaret Lee). Don't ask me HOW he knows--this movie doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Later on he has a girlfriend named Rita (Barbara McNair) and is happy--but then he sees a girl that looks just like Wanda...and becomes obsessed.I should have known better. Director Jesus Franco's movies are little more that soft core porno full of beautiful naked women. This is no exception. The plot makes little to no sense and its moves at a snails pace. With the sole exceptions of Darren and McNair the acting is just terrible (and badly dubbed). The "script" is thoroughly predictable and full of dialogue that makes little or no sense. Franco just seems interested in getting as much female nudity on the screen as possible--it doesn't seem to matter if it fits the plot! Also why he didn't he show any nudity on Darren? He's an attractive young guy and he IS the main character! This gets a 2 solely for Darren and McNair but this basically a boring soft core porno movie.

mrcaw1 I happened to catch this movie recently on TCM (unedited).Let's cut to the chase folks, it's a bad movie. There's just no getting around it.It's also high camp. Sooooo, my gut says, that a bunch of friends, with plenty of booze at the ready would have a hoot watching this late 60's flick.There's hardly any real dialog in the movie; it's mostly narration by James Darren (the male lead in the film).Why Kluas Kinski even bothered to appear in this movie is beyond me since his role is minuscule. I suspect it was a paycheck & the opportunity to work with undressed ladies.The movie has lots of scenes that are bathed in day-glo colors, lots of female skin and scenes that just won't end.But it is true to it's kitschy self, complete with its supposed shocker ending.Again, if you love kitsch & that whole late 60's early 70's drug/sex LSD trip kind of vibe, you'll probably get a good laugh of this really bad movie.