Best to worst movies of Jess / Jesus Franco
Jesus Franco was a very productive director of (s)exploitation movies. The movies are usually rated low because of explicit erotic/ tasteless scenes. Because we fans like these movies I offer a guide line for (beginning) Franco lovers. I prefer his horror movies and cinematic masterpieces.
Some movies seem to be impossible to add to a list: "The Portrait of Doriana Gray" aka "Die Marquise von Sade"/"Das Bildnis der Doriana Gray" should have been on number 17, "Nightmares come at Night" on number 20, "Mädchen im Nachtverkehr/ Girls in Night Traffic" on number 27, "The Sexual Story of O" on number 43 and "Female Vampire" on number 36.
See also my other lists:
Best to worst horror movies of the 80s
Best to worst universal monster / horror movies (1923-1960)
The 150 best horror movies of all time
Some movies seem to be impossible to add to a list: "The Portrait of Doriana Gray" aka "Die Marquise von Sade"/"Das Bildnis der Doriana Gray" should have been on number 17, "Nightmares come at Night" on number 20, "Mädchen im Nachtverkehr/ Girls in Night Traffic" on number 27, "The Sexual Story of O" on number 43 and "Female Vampire" on number 36.
See also my other lists:
Best to worst horror movies of the 80s
Best to worst universal monster / horror movies (1923-1960)
The 150 best horror movies of all time
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61 titles
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsEstella BlainMabel KarrHoward VernonWoman seeks to avenge her father's death by using a local dancer, with long poisonous fingernails, to do her bidding.Very good second sequel of the Awfull dr Orlof.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSoledad MirandaPaul MullerAndrea MontchalAfter a bashful young woman discovers that her famed wordsmith stepfather is a psychopathic deviant, she becomes an accomplice in his murderous sex games.Dreamlike atmosphere in this erotic tale. Even better then the 1969 version of Eugenie
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsConrado San MartínDiana LorysHoward VernonDr. Orlof, a former prison doctor, abducts beautiful women from nightclubs and tries to use their skin to repair his daughter's fire-scarred face.Aka The Awful dr Orlof
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsKlaus KinskiJosephine ChaplinHerbert FuxA serial killer whose mother was a prostitute starts killing streetwalkers as a way of paying back his mother for her abuse.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsDyanne ThorneLina RomayAngela RitschardAfter the mysterious disappearance of her sister, a desperate young woman infiltrates brutal warden Ilsa's mental health facility for sexually deviant women. Will she escape the hellhole and live to tell the tale?One of Franco's best Woman in Prison movie
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsKlaus KinskiRomina PowerMaria RohmPenniless and separated from her sister, a beautiful, chaste orphan must endure an endless parade of villains, perverts and degenerates who covet her virtue and life.Very good produced soft erotic tale
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsPamela StanfordGuy DelormeLina RomayA man is tormented by an ex-lover, Lorna, who posseses a strange power over a women, including the man's daughter.Aka Lorna, the Exorcist.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMartine FlétySarah StrasbergDagmar BürgerNightclub owner and erotic dancer Rita Blue uses her place as a front for working undercover as a spy. Motivated by her vehement hatred of men that stems from having been sexually abused as a child, Rita and her seductive female cohorts not only gleefully torture guys as a means to obtain vital information, but also manhandle wealthy men in order to make them hand over their fortunes to them.Funny ideas with a great load of eroticism.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsJanine ReynaudJack TaylorAdrian HovenA performer at an S&M nightclub begins to lose her grip on reality, and is plunged into a nightmarish mental landscape.Aka Succubus
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSoledad MirandaFred WilliamsPaul MullerAfter a doctor commits suicide when his research into human embryos is terminated, his widow seduces and then executes revenge upon those she holds responsible.Aka She Killed in Ecstasy
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAna CastorHoward VernonPaula MartelWhen violent crime strikes a tiny hamlet, the townsfolk suspect the distant relative of a sadistic 17th century baron who cursed the village.Aka The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomayPaul MullerMonica SwinnWomen's prison tale, with Lina Romay as Maria who is jailed after killing her father, played by director Jess Franco, who tries to rape her. Lesbian wardens, torture, nudity, sex, insanity and conspiracy round out the formula.Barbed Wire Dolls is much better with German dubbed vocals and English subtitles. The English dubbed vocals makes this a silly movie.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMaria RohmMarie LiljedahlJack TaylorAn innocent girl goes to spend the weekend on an island with a woman and her brother, but soon finds herself entangled in a web of sexual experiments.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAjita WilsonAndrea GuzonUrsula BuchfellnerA newly-wed couple in love finds a seemingly desolate place to park the car and make love. Soon, they will face the fearsome warden Magda Urtado's cruel reality.Woman in Prison movie with maximum nudity.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSusan HemingwayWilliam BergerHerbert Fux16-year-old Maria is forced into Serra D'Aires convent, secretly run by Satanists.Very good nunspoitation
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomayMichael MaienNanda van BergenMargarita, the only witness of a brutal murder, has temporary amnesia due to shock. She's sent to a psychiatric clinic where a masked man rapes her and kills another woman. She must piece her memory back together before he returns.Aka Wicked Woman. Deranged story in an woman asylum.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsChristopher LeeMaria SchellLeo GennIn 1685 England, a young woman seeks to avenge her sister after she is executed by a Lord Chancellor who condemns various rebels and "witches" to satisfy his political and sexual whims.Aka The Bloody Judge. Upon a second view I came to the conclusion to put this one higher on the list.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsJames DarrenBarbara McNairMaria RohmA jazz trumpeter becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman whose corpse he discovers on a beach, after which she seemingly returns to life to take revenge on those responsible for her death.Aka Venus in Furs
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAlice ArnoRobert WoodsHoward VernonAfter her recent release from a deep psychiatric care institution, a Libertine-styled countess goes back to her very evil ways and fixes her eyes on a pretty girl with the intention to destroy her after fully corrupting her body and soul.A movie based on the writing of Marquis de Sade (like Eugenie).
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomayCatherine LafferièreJesús FrancoA madman conducts a private inquisition to exorcise demons by torturing women to death.Aka Exorcism / Demoniac
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSusan HemingwayKarine GambierHoward VernonSomewhere in the jungles of South America mercenaries stop a truck which has allegedly loaded fruit. The cargo turns out to be six young women. Apprehended and handed over to the custody of the local women's prison.In the same vein as Lisa, the Wicked Warden and Barbed Wire Dolls: another good Woman in Prison movie.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAlberto DalbésDennis PriceHoward VernonDr. Frankenstein and his assistant Morpho are killed just as they bring their creation to life. The monster is taken by Cagliostro and he now controls the monster and plans to have it mate and create the perfect master race.Horror tale. Aka The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein / Curse of Frankenstein
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMartina DomingoJesús FrancoRoman HuberIn Puerto Rico, a down-on-his-luck private detective is hired by a woman to take photos of her husband, a notorious nightclub owner.With Jesus Franco as detective Al Pareira operating in the sexy underworld.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsEddie ConstantineFrançoise BrionFernando ReyA mad scientist uses his army of mechanical monsters to control people who have Type O blood.Attack of the Robots / Cartes sur Table is a James Bond copycat. Casino's, beautifull woman, car chases and technical gadgets: they are all present.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsHugo BlancoAgnès SpaakPerla CristalA mad scientist creates a hideous monster to carry out his murderous plans.Aka Mystresses of Dr Orloff / Monster of Dr Orloff
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAlberto DalbésEvelyne ScottWilliam BergerAfter the unexpected death of a rich relative, the reading of his will brings a motley crew of greedy family members to a mansion by the sea to collect.Aka Night of the Skull
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsPamela StanfordKarine GambierJack TaylorEdna confines Millie, her younger sister, to her bed while she is sedated. If Edna can show Millie is insane, she will be able to claim a estate for herself. However, Millie learns Edna's malicious schemes.Very erotic story, but good.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsDennis PriceHoward VernonPaca GabaldónDracula kills another innocent victim and Dr. Seward decides it's time to wipe him off the face of the earth. Armed with a hammer and a wooden stake, he arrives at Castle Dracula and duly dispatches the vampire Count. Next day, however, Dr. Frankenstein arrives with his assistant, Morpho, and a large crate containing the monster. Using the blood of a pub singer who has been abducted by his creation, the doctor brings Dracula back to life and uses him for his own ends. The Count and a female vampire continue to terrorise the town, so Dr Seward once again sets out for Castle Dracula. Unfortunately, he is attacked by the Frankenstein monster and left for dead. Amira, a gypsy, rescues him and summons up a werewolf to do battle with the forces of evil...Much better then the rating suggests.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSoledad MirandaDennis PricePaul MullerAn erotic horror tale about a vixen vampiress seducing and killing women to appease her insatiable thirst for female blood.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsEmma CohenRobert WoodsFrançoise BrionA nightclub singer is haunted by the ghost of her late father. The dead man summons her through a mirror, forcing her to commit a series of violent crimes.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAlice ArnoRobert WoodsHoward VernonTwo wealthy aristocrats lure a virginal girl to a Spanish island for a night of sex, death and cannibalism.Aka the perverse countess.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsCarmen YazaldeAnne LibertAlberto DalbésLuisa visits her dying mother at Karlstein Castle. Before she dies, she tells Luisa that the Karlsteins are a family of vampires and that her ancestor, the original Count Karlstein, lies buried in the crypt.Aka The Daughter of Dracula / Dracula's Daughter
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsShirley EatonRichard StapleyGeorge SandersHaving established Femina, a secret city populated entirely by beautiful women, Sumuru plots to wage a war against all men.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsChristopher LeeHerbert LomKlaus KinskiCount Dracula, a vampire who regains his youth by drinking the blood of maidens, is pursued in London and Transylvania by Professor Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris.Aka Count Dracula. With Cristopher Lee as Dracula. Not as good as most Hammer Dracula movies. Not bad either.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomayMonique ParentAldo SambrellA stripper in a private nightclub, Paula is noticed by a rich and libertine couple, the Radecks, who suggest that she come and spend a few days with them in their palace on an island. She accepts their proposal and goes there with her boyfriend. The Radecks offer them a treasure hunt, but this is only a pretext to organize their favorite game: the human hunt. From then on, in the jungle, the Radecks, armed with bows and arrows, track them down in the forest to kill them and then, finally, to devour them.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAnne LibertCarmen YazaldeDoris ThomasA group of nuns become possessed by demons and are then tortured in a dungeon of horrors during the inquisition.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAjita WilsonLina RomayAntonio MayansPrincess Obongo, the Goddess of Unspeakable Lust, uses dark powers to ensnare a hapless couple of yuppies, so that she can imbue them with evil and conquer the world.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAlice ArnoLina RomayVerónica LlimeráA wealthy father hires a young woman in need of a job to take care of his depressed and paralysed daughter, as well as his lonely, sensuous but adopted daughter.Aka Hot Nights of Linda
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsHelmut BergerBrigitte LahaieTelly SavalasWhen model Barbara Hallen disappears in France, her father's private detective traces her steps to a private plastic surgery clinic run by Dr.Flamand.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsNanda van BergenAda TaulerMonica SwinnA group of women are kidnapped by guerrillas and forced to serve as prostitutes for them in a jungle brothel. The sadistic female warden decapitates uncooperative girls.
- DirectorJesús FrancoJulio Pérez TaberneroStarsMonica SwinnLina RomayOlivier MathotA nightclub stripper hooks up with two playboys and ends up with an invitation to their midnight orgy.
- DirectorJesús FrancoOlivier MathotStarsHoward VernonAntonio MayansLina RomayA young doctor visits the secluded home of his ailing mentor - Eric Usher - who believes the house itself is alive and plotting to drive him insane, manifesting itself through ghostly apparitions.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsAndrés ResinoGeneviève RobertDennis PriceA lawyer finds out that a young couple convicted of murder was in fact framed for the crime and goes to the prison with the hope of freeing them and learns the events that happened to the two from a fellow prisoner who helped them escape.
- DirectorJesús FrancoBruno MatteiStarsMaria SchellLuciana PaluzziMercedes McCambridgeA new female inmate at an island prison is abused by fellow convicts and staff, and her disillusionment with the new warden prompts her to join in an attempted breakout and mutiny.Aka 99 Woman. The first Woman in Prison movie of Jesus Franco and one of the first of this hole exploitative subgenre.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsKatja BienertUrsula BuchfellnerRaquel EvansBetsy Norman is a happy assistant at a luxurious Spanish hotel. Shiela, the hotel owner, caters for all wishes of her clientele with another lucrative business, the brothel "Rio Amore" where clients from all over the world come to relax with the girls and watch the sado-masochistic shows. Linda, Betsy's sister, is drugged and forced to work as a prostitute there.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsChristopher LeeRichard GreeneHoward Marion-CrawfordFu Manchu poisons and hypnotizes ten women to bring down his enemies, including Nayland Smith, with kisses of death.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsThomas HunterGila von WeitershausenHans Hass Jr.A plane leaving the turmoil of a South American country in the midst of a revolution crash-lands in the Amazon jungle in Brazil. Among the passengers are a corrupt banker who is smuggling diamonds out of the country, a reporter, a mysterious beauty and a shady flight attendant. The survivors find themselves up against not only the dangers of the jungle itself but a band of headhunters and a gang of revolutionaries who are looking for the smuggled diamonds.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsManuel GélinEduardo FajardoFrance LomayAn expedition searching for treasure supposedly buried by the German army in the African desert during WWII comes up against an army of Nazi zombies guarding the fortune.Similar to other low budget zombie movies in the 80s, especially the Italian ones. Better watch Lucio Fulci or George A Romero's zombie movies.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomaySusan HemingwayArmando BorgesA nobleman and his two lovers - a teenage boy and a runaway nun - plan to kill his mentally fragile wife.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsFred WilliamsSoledad MirandaHorst TappertA mineral is discovered which can turn metal to gold or humans into zombies. When the mineral is stolen, secret agents are sent in to get the mineral back!
- DirectorJesús FrancoPierre QuérutJean RollinStarsChristina von BlancCarmen YazaldeAnne LibertFollowing 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.Great title, but one of Franco's weaker movies.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsVicky AdamsAda TaulerKarine GambierSusan comes to Haiti to be with her husband. His naked sister asks her, if she's ever made love to a woman. Susan dreams vividly of nudity, Voodoo rituals and killing.Aka Voodoo Passion
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMuriel MontosséAntonio MayansCarmen CarriónEmmanuelle is recently reunited with her husband, but at the next party, she gets drunk and strips nude for his friends. He returns to his lover. Later, a sober Emmanuelle tries to redeem herself, but her husband refuses to forgive.Very loose erotic story.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsJanine ReynaudRosanna YanniChris Howland"Red Lips" are two female detectives trying to find missing models and dancers. A pop artist called Klaus Thriller and his werewolf-like assistant, Morpho, are the main suspects for the murderers.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsLina RomayAntonio MayansMabel EscañoA group of vacationing waitresses visit a resort hotel on the Canary Islands, only to find that the former monastery's monks nearby have returned as living blind dead.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsOlivia PascalChristoph MoosbruggerNadja GerganoffGirls are killed at a language-school in Spain.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsUrsula BuchfellnerAl CliverAntonio Mayansa young woman modelling in South America is kidnapped for ransom in the jungle when a Vietnam veteran is going to rescue her only to find out that the jungle is filled with cannibals
- DirectorAlain PayetJesús FrancoStarsAnalía IvarsWilliam BergerAntonio MayansA woman, raised by an Amazon tribe after they killed her parents, seeks revenge on the tribe for their deaths by joining an expedition looking for the tribe's secret golden temple.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsSantiago SeguraMariangela GiordanoAldo SambrellA Spanish punk rock band has an accident while on tour. Forced to spend the night at the eerie castle of Countess Von Fledermaus, the musicians soon realise that the mysterious lady's kindness hides macabre, blood-curdling plans.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsMike ConnorsJosephine ChaplinÓscar LadoireA young jazz-composer turns vengeful commando against local drug Mafia Capos when his wife is killed at the hands of Caribbean drug dealers.This movie had nothing to do with Down Town (1975). An action movie without exploitation hooks.
- DirectorJesús FrancoStarsJanine ReynaudRosanna YanniAdrian HovenKISS ME, MONSTER finds The Red Lips moonlighting on a striptease world tour - but no sooner do they hit the stage than the girls are up to their pasties in stiffs, Satanists and Sapphic sadists, all after a secret formula for human clones!