Jess Franco resurrects his Dr. Orloff franchise again, in a mixed bag of plot themes and characters borrowed from his 1962 "Awful Dr. Orloff."
The doctor is there, "Melissa" is there (still scarred in a trancelike state), the blind "Morpho" character is there (this time named "Andros," as in Franco's 1964 "Dr. Orloff's Monster." The opening scene recreates the opening of the 1962 film, with a drunken prostitute coming home alone late at night, only to find Morpho/Andros hiding in the closet, waiting to abduct her. There are many other plot similarities to follow.
One big difference is that this time it's Dr. Orloff's adult son who is doing the killing in an attempt to restore the face and life of Melissa. This time, Melissa is not the daughter of Dr. Orloff but the mother of his son...and their relationship is borderline incestuous. The plot revolves around the son seeking and killing hookers (sometimes with Morpho/Andros in tow), to use in experiments he hopes will restore mom's face and vitality.
Although set in the punked out, slovenly attired '80s, the film does manage a sort of mood or dreamlike tone. What is perhaps most surprising is the lack of sex, especially considering this was a Franco film shot in the postmodern era. With the son and his henchman cruising for prostitutes night after night, there is a perfect opportunity to depict him and Morpho/Andros taking care of their business with the hookers before dispatching them. However, this does not happen and nobody really gets laid during the course of the movie.
Franco fans will enjoy seeing Howard Vernon late in his career, and handsome. Antonio Mayans is easy on the eyes, even if he never takes his clothes off (surprising for someone who did so much softcore for Franco in other movies). But the absence of Gothic Ephemera--gloomy moors, crumbling castles, classy late Victorian suits and dresses, etc., results in a cheaper looking, less impressive film overall.
The doctor is there, "Melissa" is there (still scarred in a trancelike state), the blind "Morpho" character is there (this time named "Andros," as in Franco's 1964 "Dr. Orloff's Monster." The opening scene recreates the opening of the 1962 film, with a drunken prostitute coming home alone late at night, only to find Morpho/Andros hiding in the closet, waiting to abduct her. There are many other plot similarities to follow.
One big difference is that this time it's Dr. Orloff's adult son who is doing the killing in an attempt to restore the face and life of Melissa. This time, Melissa is not the daughter of Dr. Orloff but the mother of his son...and their relationship is borderline incestuous. The plot revolves around the son seeking and killing hookers (sometimes with Morpho/Andros in tow), to use in experiments he hopes will restore mom's face and vitality.
Although set in the punked out, slovenly attired '80s, the film does manage a sort of mood or dreamlike tone. What is perhaps most surprising is the lack of sex, especially considering this was a Franco film shot in the postmodern era. With the son and his henchman cruising for prostitutes night after night, there is a perfect opportunity to depict him and Morpho/Andros taking care of their business with the hookers before dispatching them. However, this does not happen and nobody really gets laid during the course of the movie.
Franco fans will enjoy seeing Howard Vernon late in his career, and handsome. Antonio Mayans is easy on the eyes, even if he never takes his clothes off (surprising for someone who did so much softcore for Franco in other movies). But the absence of Gothic Ephemera--gloomy moors, crumbling castles, classy late Victorian suits and dresses, etc., results in a cheaper looking, less impressive film overall.