Succubus (1968) Necronomicon - Geträumte Sünden (original title)

Director:

Jesús Franco

Writer:

Pier A. Caminnecci (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

THE sensual experience

Plot:

Janine Reynaud stars as a nightclub stripper who free-floats through a spectral 60's landscape littered with dream-figures...

Plot Keywords:

Nightclub | Stripper | Midget | Female Frontal Nudity | Entertainer

Cast

Janine Reynaud	...	Lorna Green
Jack Taylor	...	William Francis Mulligan
Adrian Hoven	...	Ralf Drawes
Howard Vernon	...	Admiral Kapp (as Howard Varnon)
Nathalie Nort	...	Bella Olga
Michel Lemoine	...	Pierce
Pier A. Caminnecci	...	Hermann
Américo Coimbra	...	The crucified actor
Lina De Wolf
Eva Brauner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jesús Franco	...	Writer (uncredited)
Karl Heinz Mannchen	...	Partyguest (uncredited)
Daniel White	...	Piano Player (uncredited)

Directed by
Jesús Franco

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pier A. Caminnecci		writer

Produced by
Pier A. Caminnecci	....	associate producer
Adrian Hoven	....	producer
Karl Heinz Mannchen	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Friedrich Gulda
Jerry van Rooyen

Cinematography by
Jorge Herrero
Franz Xaver Lederle		(as Franz Lederle)

Film Editing by
Frizzi Schmidt

Art Direction by
Peter H. Krause
Carlos Viudes

Makeup Department
Irmgard Forster	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert Gaffron	....	production supervisor
Karl Heinz Mannchen	....	unit production manager

Sound Department
Hans-Dieter Schwarz	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Vernon	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karl Lagerfeld	....	costume designer: Janine Reynaud

Production Companies

• Aquila Film Enterprises

Distributors

• Constantin Film (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Trans American Films (1969) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed/subtitled)
• Astral Films (1969) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Studio Films (19??) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Blue Underground (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Necronomicon - Geträumte Sünden" - West Germany (original title)

Runtime:

Argentina:95 min | USA:79 min | West Germany:84 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Finland:(Banned) (1970) | UK:18 | USA:X | West Germany:18 | UK:X (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Aquila Film Enterprises

Trivia:

Jesús Franco's first film with Jack Taylor.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Eurotika!: The Diabolical Mr. Franco (#1.2)" (1999)

Sexy and surreal? Yep. Coherent? Don't bet your life on it.

As you probably already know, Jess Franco is one prolific guy. Hes made hundreds upon hundreds of films, many of which are crap. However, he managed to sneak in an occasionally quality work amongst all the assembly line exploitation. "Succubus" isn't his best work (thats either "The Diabolical Dr. Z" or "Vampyros Lesbos"), but it has many of his trademarks that make it a must for anyone interested in diving into his large catalog. He combines the erotic (alternating between showing full-frontal nudity and leaving somethings left to the imagination) and the surreal seamlessly. This is a very dreamlike film, full of great atmosphere. I particularly liked the constant namedropping. Despite coming off as being incredibly pretentious, its amusing to hear all of Franco's influences.

Still, there are many users who don't like "Succubus" and I can see where they're coming from. Its leisurely paced, but I can deal with that. More problematic is the incoherency. The script here was obviously rushed, and within five minutes into the film I had absolutely no idea what was going on (and it never really came together from that point on). Those who want some substance with their style, look elsewhere. Also, if its a horror film, it never really becomes scary or even suspenseful. Still, I was entertained by all the psychedelic silliness that I didn't really mind these major flaws all too much. (7/10)