La nuit des étoiles filantes (1973)

Following the death of her father, a young girl visits her estranged family at their sinister castle in the countryside, and comes to realize her eccentric and morbid relatives are not quite alive.

Directors:

Jesús Franco (as Jess Franco), Pierre Quérut (uncredited)

Writers:

Jesús Franco (as Jess Franco), Paul D'Ales (French dialogue)

Stars:

Christina von Blanc, Carmen Yazalde, Rosa Palomar

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christina von Blanc	...	Christina Benton (as Cristine von Blanc)
Carmen Yazalde	...	Carmencé (as Britt Nickols)
Rosa Palomar	...	Aunt Abigail
Anne Libert	...	The Queen of the Night
Howard Vernon	...	Uncle Howard
Jesús Franco	...	Basilio (as Jesus Manera)
Paul Muller	...	Ernesto Pablo Reiner, Christina's father

Storyline

A girl arrives from London to visit her estranged relatives in a remote castle for the reading of her father's will. After a while she discovers that they are all in fact dead and her decision to live with them turns into a nightmare. Unable to leave she's drawn into a macabre underworld through visions of nude satanic rituals and her own impending sacrifice.

---

Plot Keywords:

castle | bare butt | sexy girl | pubic hair | see through panties | 

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Belgium France Italy Liechtenstein

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 October 1978 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Among the Living Dead

Filming Locations:

Parque da Gandarinha, Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prodif Ets., Brux International Pictures, Comptoir Français du Film Production (CFFP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min (DVD) 79 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Contrary to what some sources claim, this was not filmed in 1971. Filming took place in May and June of 1973.

---

Goofs

Just past the nine-minute mark, when Christina stands next to the guy playing piano, she casts a shadow on the right side of his face, which appears and disappears in each shot.

---

Quotes

Christina Benton: If you want to see Herminia, you'd better hurry up.
Uncle Howard: Why, what's the matter with her?
Christina Benton: She's dying, that's all.

---

Connections

Featured in A Virgin Among the Living Dead: The Three Faces of Christina (2013)

User Reviews

Stylish Trash

The student Christina Reiner (Cristine von Blanc) travels from her boarding school in London to the castle of her family in Montserrat for the reading of the will of her father that she has never known and recently committed suicide. On the arrival, she spends the night in an inn and people tell that nobody lives at the castle. On the next morning, the mute servant Basilio (Jesús Franco) brings Christina to the Montserrat castle, where she meets her weird Uncle Howard (Howard Vernon) that is playing waltz on the piano and her cousin Carmencé (Britt Nickols) that is painting her nails and they tell that her stepmother Herminia (Rose Kiekens) is on the deathbed. She visits Hermínia that tells her to leave the castle and dies. Christina also meets her Aunt Abigail (Rosa Palomar) and a Blind Girl and while waiting for the attorney, she entwines daydreams and nightmares with reality. When she has an encounter with the spirit of her deceased father Ernesto Pablo Reiner (Paul Muller), he tries to warn her to leave that place that is evil, but it is too late.

"La nuit des étoiles filantes" is a stylish and senseless trash by Jésus Franco. The story has a promising beginning, but suddenly the plot seems to be incomplete and does not make sense at all. I believe that the problem is the different versions of Jésus Franco's feature. The DVD released in Brazil, for example, has audio only in English and Portuguese but the introduction is written in French; the lead character is Christina Reiner, and not Christina Benton; there is Death, and not The Queen of the Night; the raping scene is totally mutilated. Therefore, his movies are edited in the most different ways and this procedure certainly makes the story senseless. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "A Virgem e os Mortos" (The Virgin and the Dead")