Succubus

Rating:
Summary: Incoherent but Inviting
Review: "Succubus" invites repeat viewings, if only because your first thought upon reaching the final scene will be: What the hell? But that just makes it a perfect '60s Eurotrash time capsule. The beautiful Janine Reynaud (in the book "Sleazoid Express," she's aptly described as a "Gallic Dyanne Thorne") stars as a nightclub performer who has a successful S&M stage show and a hot romance with her manager. She also has dreams that take her to a castle where she wears fabulous Karl Lagerfeld gowns and indulges in pretentious verbal sparring matches that lead to nudity and suggested sex, then murder. But maybe they're not dreams at all. Maybe she does know that mysterious stranger that keeps popping up periodically throught the film. And maybe she is indeed possessed by the devil. And maybe someone wants to kill her. Or, possibly, she's just attended one LSD orgy (complete with a drag queen, a dwarf and a dog puppet) too many. Nevermind. Once you accept the fact that the movie has no plans on becoming coherent, "Succubus" is a lot of fun to watch, the celluloid equivalent of hallucinogenic drugs. Director Jess Franco keeps us entertained by heaping on plenty of atmosphere and artsy camera work while star Reynaud helps out with her screen presence. Though the movie was rated X when first released, it would barely get an R today with its nudity, mostly of the T&A variety, and sex scenes that show the seduction or afterglow but bypass the act itself. The only true sex scene is filmed through a fish tank. Groovy.

Rating:
Summary: Weird but washed out
Review: Be warned that the colors in this dvd are exceptionally bright and washed out. The movie itself is great, in an Ed Wood mimics softcore Godard ala Bava sort of way. But if you're expecting a quality dvd image, think again. The transfer is acceptable, but the print is as faded as a hippy's blue jeans.

Rating:
Summary: Jess Franco at his best (which isn't saying much)
Review: Jess Franco, Spanish cinema's enfant terrible, has made some laughably bad films over the years, but Succubus (Necronomicon) is probably better than most. It's a delirious romp through an exotic night club performer's dementia. Although there's no actual sex in the film, it is fairly kinky and features an acid-fueled "love in", with a midget and a cross dresser. The film is by turns mesmerizing and ridiculous. It's a good party movie.

Rating:
Summary: a psychedelic time capsule into another world (man)
Review: Succubus (aka Necronomicon) is actually one of Jess Franco's better films, which means it's still pretty problematic. On the negative side, it's indifferently paced, unevenly photographed, and laughably pretentious. On the postitive side, it's imaginative, short, surreal, often beautifully photograped, and laughably pretentious. Hey, Fritz Lang loved it, so it can't be all bad. Plot, what there is of one, concerns a stripper whose act ends with her "killing" her fellow, tied down, performers. Increasingly she begins to lose grip on reality, and to its credit, so does the film. You're never quite sure if what you see is part of the plot or one of her elaborate fantasies. This is nicely done, although it often leads to absurd interior monologues and sub-Godard "arty" dialogue, often with gratuitous name dropping (Stockhausen, Kafka, Camus, DeSade, you get the picture). It's not often clear if Franco is lampooning this sort of self-consciously highbrow talk, or actively indulging in it, although I'm inclined towards the former. Somewhat predictably for the period, the film features drugs, a drag queen, people barking like dogs, and a dwarf. Oh, she might be an agent of Satan, but that's not quite clear. Like a great many Euro Trash titles, Succubus improves upon repeat viewings, so give this one time. There's a great scene involving mannequins which may, or may not, be attacking a woman. That alone is worth the price of admission. This (along with Diabolical Dr. Z, Kiss Me, Monster, and Awful Dr. Orloff) definitely shows that Franco had a great deal of potential in the Sixties, most of which seemed to evaporate in the Seventies. Still, his "resources be damned, it's my God given right to make movies" attitude has to be admired. I'm glad he exists, but I'd still rather watch Baba Yaga any day.

Rating:
Summary: Wrong.
Review: The DVD is not faded out as suggested. Dream sequences were filmed using a filter in order to create a soft lighting effect.