She Killed in Ecstasy (1971)

Normally, when scanning my newspaper weekly TV guide, in order to decide on which movies to watch, I am attracted to titles which may indicate the genres which interest me. Dramas, thrillers and biographies are at the top of my list of favoured genres."She Killed in Ecstasy" looked promising when the following rating advice accompanied a brief description of the plot:"Adult themes; Nudity; Sexual references; violence."Knowing only that the plot centred on the revenge killings of those who rejected a woman's much loved husband's medical experiments, I was somewhat startled by the psychedelic music and pop art graphics with which the film opened. Not that long into the story it was evident that the inanity of the dialogue, the director's excruciating use of the zoom lens and the completely inappropriate sound track might be less irritating, being alleviated somewhat by the introduction of 'soft porn' when the nubile Soledad Miranda began to burrow her face into the groin area of her now prostrate and demented husband, played by Fred Williams. But even this titillation was short lived as the promise of a 'classic erotic horror movie' all but evaporated under the weight of unflinching mediocrity of characterisation, ludicrous dialogue, absence of logic and kitschy direction of one, Jesus Franco. The accompanying reviews on this site have proved far more entertaining than the film. Oh, and how people do take things so seriously! I care not a fig how many films Mr.Franco has accumulated in his CV over the years or whether other of his projects have been dubbed cult classics. This movie, apart from its kitsch qualities (lowbrow taste, lacking in style, so false as to engender comical reactions, etc) is so slow, so boring, so childishly predictable, so lacking in atmosphere or characterisation has achieved the effect of my resolution to avoid any other of Mr.Franco's contributions to film. Watch this and cringe!

Dr. Johnson (Fred Williams) is happily married with his beloved wife Mrs. Johnson (Soledad Miranda) and is researching human embryos using animal cells. When he brings his findings to the Board of the prominent Dr. Franklin Houston (Paul Müller), Prof. Jonathan Walker (Howard Vernon), Dr. Crawford (Ewa Stroemberg) and Dr. Donen (Jesus Franco), the committee rejects his researches and destroys his laboratory. Dr. Johnson has a nervous breakdown and commits suicide, and the disturbed Mrs. Johnson seeks revenge, seducing each member of the Board and killing one by one while having sex with her victims. "Sie Tötete in Ekstase" a.k.a. "She Killed in Ecstasy" is a movie of revenge that uses a storyline very similar to François Truffaut's "The Bride Wore Black" with a grieving woman seeking revenge on the responsible for the death of her beloved lover. However, this film follows the usual style of the director Jesus Franco, with kinky sex, nudity, lesbianism and murders. The hot Soledad Miranda is very beautiful and sexy. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Ela Matou em Êxtase" ("She Killed in Ecstasy")

"She Killed in Ecstacy" is one of the top Franco films around.**SPOILERS**Newlyweds Dr. Johnson, (Fred Williams) and his wife, (Soledad Miranda) are awaiting reports of a decision regarding his questionable experiments, but is branded a criminal and expelled from the medical society instead. Hoping to get over the devastated loss, she takes him away to a small island paradise, the fact that they haven't let up on him makes his torment much greater and eventually commits suicide. Vowing to take revenge, she sets off to seduce and kill the members of the Board one-by-one. As she gets closer and closer to completing her revenge, the mental anxieties of carrying them out almost bare down on her more than anything.The Good News: This was a very surprising and very entertaining Franco effort. It's hard to pick out what makes this so good, but the fact that it's an enjoyable watch is certainly not lost. It moves along at a relentless pace after the initial setup and rarely lets up. Perhaps the best-done seduction/death scene is the lesbian scene. Starting out in a medium-long shot, we watch the entire seduction take place from this distance, and given the lighting it looks as if two silhouettes are intertwining. Once the kissing starts Franco zooms in and out on various parts of the two bodies, in a wonderful juxtaposition of shot length. For the killing, however, the victim is smothered with an inflatable pillow and we see them gasping for breath in a close up through the pillow itself, a truly inventive handling of what could have been a very straightforward scene. Another standout is the seduction in the hotel room, where after it's all finished, preparing to kill the victim is mistaken for sex play and enjoys it, until the moment is revealed and the true intention told. Until then, it works as a nice suspense piece due to the reluctance to catch on to the obvious nature of what's going on. Even still, the film looks wonderful, with the outdoor scenes looking very beautiful and full of sunlight. The best part of the film, however, is Soledad Miranda, as she is truly the star of this film, and her performance as the emotionally unstable wife is superbly done. The powerful emotions she brings to the screen simply can't be denied and you find yourself rooting for her to exact her revenge. The fact that she looks absolutely astonishing and sexy isn't a bad thing, considering how often she spends with little to nothing to wear. It's a joy to see her and the film suffers when she's not around.The Bad News: There's very little not to like about this one. Besides the traditional Franco gripes about the zooming and the weird scoring, there's only two very small ones. The first is that the film takes way to long to actually get started. The scenes showing him being ostracized are carried out twice as long as necessary. By the third time we get a flashback to one of the doctors humiliating and insulting him, the point is already taken and just seems to be getting in the way of the revenge plot, which is by far the better part of the film. The only other part that really struck out as odd was the manner of the other consultants once they know of the killings. They don't try to huddle together for safety or call upon protection or anything. It wasn't normal behavior and it rose out among the rest of the film. But beyond these two, there wasn't a whole lot to dislike here.The Final Verdict: One of Franco's best films around and one of his most entertaining as well. It shows what he can do when at the top of his game and can make some really outstanding films. Highly recommended to fans of his work or those interested in the seductive side of the European cult scene.Rated R: Full Female Nudity, several Sex Scenes, Violence and Mild Language

Frano is on again/off again more than probably any director in history. His days with Soledad Miranda were arguably his best, as can be seen in this tasty tale of revenge.Miranda plays a recently widowed woman who seeks out revenge upon the people she blames for her husband's suicide. She first seduces them and then kills them. The preying mantis metaphor is slapped on a little thick, as the later victims know what's going to happen to them, yet do nothing to stop it.The film is played out in a dreamy kind of pacing. Little sound and dialogue, distanced shots, slow camera movements; it's like a lethargic daze echoing the detachment of the lead character. Franco takes his time unfolding the seduction and revenge, and he displays more flair for cinema than many would believe him capable of. The film is far from flawless though; the story is never complex, acting is either too subtle or over stated and the dialogue is pretty simple. Also, the character motivations lack strength all around, which robs the film of most all emotion.Of the MANY Franco films to choose form, I would suggest this one for a view, especially to those unfamiliar with the director.7/10