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SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY

SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY isn't going to win any Jess Franco converts, but it's a nice change of pace for those of us who have wallowed through the dreck of his career. Unlike, say, THE LUSTFUL AMAZONS, LOVE LETTERS OF A PORTUGUESE NUN, OASIS OF THE LIVING DEAD, or BLOODY MOON, this film has style. It's also graced with decent performances, a zippy jazz score and something resembling a narrative arc. That's not to say it's a good film. It's not. Not really. But it's entertaining in a way, light on cranial resources and easy on the eyes.

The story is incredibly simple. A brilliant research scientist, Dr. Williams, has discovered a way to boost human immunities using animal hormones. His work (and career) is ended by a panel of four doctors on the Medical Council who strongly disagree with his methods of experimentation on fetuses. Williams, unable to handle the rejection, lapses into psychosis. His sudden onset of mental illness leads to his suicide and, in turn, leads his wife to exact revenge on the four doctors. That's just about the entire plot. After the 25 minute mark, the film becomes a series of murder sequences as Mrs. Williams, played by the beautiful and much missed Soledad Miranda, takes down her husband's detractors one by one.

Essentially a loose remake of Franco's 1966 film THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z, SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY is fairly tame, even for it's time. While Miranda supplies the requisite nudity, she isn't given much to do. The revenge sequences are all plain and simple. These are not complicated set-pieces or gruesome acts of violence (a la I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE). They're incredibly straight forward and, to be perfectly honest, dull. Only the murder of Dr. Crawford - the sole female doctor - is visually interesting. As Mrs. Williams suffocates her with a big plastic pillow - this WAS the 70s afterall; who didn't have a large, plastic pillow lying around? - Franco shoots Crawford's shocked face through the transparent plastic. That's about as inventive as Franco gets here.

Aside from his incessant zooming in - usually on some part of Miranda's exposed anatomy - and zooming out, the camera work is just jittery or stationary. He does little to enliven the proceedings. Thankfully, he has Miranda to pick up the slack for him. Soledad Miranda was Franco's first muse. She had striking features, a slender frame and tremendous screen presence. While she lacked the go-for-broke energy of Franco's later objet du desir, Lina Romay, she was one of the best actresses Franco ever had under his employ - second only to Maria Rohm. Her performances in THE DEVIL FROM AKASAVA, VAMPIROS LESBOS, NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT and COUNT DRACULA were all quietly mesmerizing. A great tragedy, Miranda died in an automobile accident shortly after filming SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY.

It's a great "what if?" scenario. What if Soledad Miranda hadn't died so early in her career? Would she have been a star? She certainly would have been a very well-employed and very bankable commodity in genre film. But what would have happened to Jess Franco's career had Miranda not died? Would we have the same filmography we have now? Would we have had to suffer through films like TROPICAL INFERNO, MACUMBA SEXUAL, JUSTINE AND THE WHIP, WOMEN BEHIND BARS, DRACULA - PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN, and BARBED WIRE DOLLS? Would Franco have spent the better part of 30 years creating lifeless, raunchy and terrible vanity vehicles for her as he did for Romay? It's hard to imagine Miranda in a Romay role and it's hard to imagine Franco going down the path he has with Miranda by his side.

But let's leave the pontification at the door. SHE KILLED WITH ECSTASY is a decent flick to watch if you're a Soledad Miranda fan or even a Franco fan. Visually, it's a treat, but the story never feels complete. It always feels like you're watching half a movie. I wanted more. More complexity, more characters, more quiet moments, more excitement. It's good eye candy, just sweet, empty calories in-between more substantial cinematic meals.

Overall, recommended.