Les cauchemars naissent la nuit (1970)

Two exotic dancers embark on a erotic friendship which takes a turn when one of them begins having recurring nightmares of her killing people in which the line between realty and fantasy begins to blur to the most extreme.

Directors:

Jesús Franco (as Jess Franco), Jesús Franco

Writers:

Jesús Franco (screenplay and adaptation), Jesús Franco

Stars:

Diana Lorys, Paul Muller, Jack Taylor

Cast

Credited cast:
Diana Lorys	...	Anna de Istria
Paul Muller	...	Dr. Paul Lucas
Jack Taylor	...	Cynthia's Lover
Colette Jack	...	Cynthia Robins
Andrea Montchal	...	The Neighbour (as André Montchall)
Howard Vernon	...	Howard
Soledad Miranda	...	Neighbour's Girlfriend (as Susan Korda)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bob Buchholz	...	Cynthia's Lover (voice)
Dorothy Elias-Fahn	...	Cynthia Robins (voice)
Grant George	...	The Neighbour (voice)
Dave Mallow	...	Dr. Paul Lucas (voice)
Cindy Robinson	...	Anna de Istria (voice)
Philece Sampler	...	Neighbour's Girlfriend (voice)

Storyline

In Zagreb, the striper Anna de Istria works in a sleazy cabaret. She is seduced by the blonde Cynthia Robins that invites her to move to her house. Ana is disturbed by nightmares, where she kills a man with a spear, and Cynthia calls Dr. Paul Lucas to treat Ana. Meanwhile, a couple that lives in the house next door spies the movement in Cynthia's house.

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Plot Keywords:

nightmare | dancer | shower | seduction | voice over narration | 

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Taglines:

An Erotic Nightmare

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

For years, it was considered a lost Jesús Franco film (after having played at a single theatre in Belgium in 1973). The film was eventually rediscovered in 2004.

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Goofs

When Anna is watching the couple dancing, the woman has a purple top on. Halfway through, it pans to Anna and then back to the couple, where the woman has a skin-color shirt on. Again panning back to Anna and then the couple, the woman has the purple shirt back on.

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Connections

Remade as The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff (1973)

User Reviews

Dreary erotic thriller

Dreary erotic thriller from Jess Franco, with Soledad Miranda wasted in a tiny role as the girlfriend of a jewel thief waiting for his share of a robbery cut. Main story has to do with a psychotic stripper under the hypnotic influence of the woman in charge of the jewel heist who uses the stripper to kill off the rest of the gang. Film is intriguingly told, with a nice bit of poetic voice-over narration by the protagonist, but visually the film is completely uninteresting, as are the two main characters, despite their usually appearing naked. Miranda's performance and appearance is the sole jewel in a film wherein even the attempted erotic sequences are boring. DVD's only other appeal is a neat new interview with Franco about this film and about Miranda.

Details

Country:

Liechtenstein

Language:

Spanish French

Release Date:

18 January 1973 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Nightmares Come at Night

Box Office

Budget:

ESP100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prodif Ets., Prodif Ets./ Vaduz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Color (Eastmancolor) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1