SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY
****
Directed by Jess Franco.
Starring Soledad Miranda, Ewa Strömberg, Paul Muller.
Horror, Germany/Spain, 80 Minutes, Certificate 18.
Released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in the UK on 30th March by Severin Films
Filmed almost immediately after VAMPYROS LESBOS, it seems that Jess Franco wasted no time in utilising the skills of Soledad Miranda after their now iconic collaboration to the sapphic vampire sub-genre. It may be a niche within a niche for most film fans but fans with sense know this collaboration, cut sadly short due to the tragic car crash that claimed her life, holds a special place in cult cinema. Thanks to Severin Films once more it can be celebrated in yet another excellent presentation.
The plot here is slightly more straightforward than the elliptical dream logic stylings of their previous film. Soledad, credited here like before as Susann Korda, plays the unnamed wife of a brilliant young doctor. However his perhaps unethical approach to his supposed revolutionary treatment draws the ire of his fellow medical professionals who see fit to have him dismissed of his medical credentials. Driven mad and then to death by their decision, his wife takes it upon herself to seduce then murder the people, including once again Ewa Strömberg and Paul Muller, who changed her life so drastically. Cue flimsy disguises, yet another groovy and psychedelic sitar driven score from Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab, a dash of necrophilia and some good old castration to keep the party going.
Newcomers to Franco may do well to approach this after VAMPYROS LESBOS. In comparison, this is slightly lacking in the style that runs through its predecessor so brightly, but as the second part in a double bill the two films complement each other in multiple ways that reward the viewer. The dreamlike style which helps carry the loose narrative is prevalent once more while Franco’s predilections for beautiful women, flesh, and striking architecture among others are also on full display. For those attuned to his particular wavelength, the film still counts as one of his strongest and most memorable compositions.
Once again this is due in no small part to his leading lady, one who could have been even more of a muse to him were it not for the awful accident that only occured in the weeks after filming was completed on this. She seems to draw something elemental from her director, a more quicksilver, shoot from the hip style that delivers in terms of entertainment, style and some mad purpose. Miranda herself provides a performance that hearkens back to the great actresses of the silent era with her quiet yet seething performance of a grieving, madness stricken widow. Her eyes widen in anger or lunacy or even lust at the sight of her dead husband's corpse, while in other scenes she remains a barely concealed composure while she regards and circles her victims before their violent fates.
Severin Films provides yet another excellent package here. The remastering clears up the picture in fine, sharp style alongside a generous helping of extras. Franco expert Stephen Thrower is interviewed, giving more expert opinion and context to the film and its creators. This is backed up by an illuminating interview with Amy Brown, a Soledad Miranda historian, who fills in the backstory of a cult siren who on the strength of these films was just about to crack the mainstream. After watching these films and these excellent supplements you are left wondering not only what kind of career she would have gone on to, but how Franco himself would have continued if he was given the chance to keep working with her. Sadly we will never know for sure but in the meantime we have these two singular films that have never looked better than they have here. An essential purchase for any cult cinema aficionado.
Iain MacLeod