Jess Franco’s THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z – The Blu Review

Review by Roger Carpenter

Few filmmakers are as polarizing as Spanish director Jesus Franco.  Some hail him as a trash film king while others denigrate him as a complete hack.  His overuse of the zoom lens causes some viewers to twitch while others apologize for his sometimes convoluted plots by describing them as dream-like and insisting his films are multi-layered and filled with meaning.  Regardless of which side of the fence you may be on with regards to Jess Franco, most viewers praise his early genre works as artistic, gothic classics of European horror.

Long before he wallowed in softcore lesbian adventures, cheap knockoffs of genre hits, and hardcore pornography, Franco created a series of black-and-white gothic chillers which were well-received upon release, with titles such as The Awful Dr. Orlof, The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus, and Kino Lorber’s latest Franco release, The Diabolical Dr. Z.

Dr. Zimmer, an acolyte of the discredited Dr. Orlof, has continued Orlof’s experiments in mind control.  Shunned by more serious medical professionals, Dr. Zimmer interrupts a symposium to announce his breakthrough discovery:  he has isolated the parts of the brain which control good and evil.  In effect, he can now turn a good man bad or an evil man good, as proven by his experiments on animals.  Seeking permission to prove his theory by experimenting on a condemned man, Dr. Zimmer is met with derision so violent he dies of a heart attack in his daughter’s arms, his dying wish that she continue his experiments.

Zimmer’s daughter, Irma (Mabel Karr) captures a beautiful exotic dancer with super long fingernails and subjects her to the mind control machine, thereby turning her into a reluctant murderess who stalks and kills the doctors Irma blames for her father’s death.  Nadia (Estella Blain) has a nightclub act where she seduces a mannequin “trapped” in a spider’s web.  Miss Death, Nadia’s professional name, acts as the seductive spider as she slowly stalks her prey on the web.  Nadia’s fingernails resemble the fangs of a spider, but Irma thinks they are perfect for use as poisonous claws which can be used to kill Irma’s enemies.  As medical doctor after medical doctor begins to succumb to the mysterious temptress, the police must track down the killer before another death occurs.

Those who dislike Franco’s later dreamlike yet sometimes incoherent pictures will be pleased to note this story is straightforward and easy to follow.  And while it likely pushed the boundaries of good taste in 1966, the sex and violence quotients are toned way down compared to his later works.  Honestly, this film plays like an “old dark house” picture from the 1930’s, or like one of those great, old Italian gothic horror features like The Ghost or Castle of Blood.  There is some eroticism as we are introduced to the slinky, sexy Nadia, who wears tight, translucent bodysuits as the spider in her act, with an occasional nipple peeking out.  Estella Blain as Nadia is simply gorgeous—a marvel to look at.  And she makes a sympathetic killer as she is forced to murder Irma’s enemies even though she knows it’s wrong.  Mabel Karr as Irma is also extremely pretty herself and makes for a fine, melodramatic villain seeking vengeance from those she thinks wronged her.  Bottom-of-the-barrel Eurosleaze icon Howard Vernon, who always deserved better than he got, supports the femmes fatales as Dr. Vicas, Zimmer’s critic and Irma’s first victim.  Even Franco himself and his longtime composer Daniel White are in on the fun as the policemen investigating the crimes.  Franco injects some humor as a sleep-deprived father of newborn twins who can never think clearly due to lack of sleep.

Along with some eroticism, Franco here shows his predilection for smoky jazz bars, hip audiences, and pretty girls who perform kinky performance art with mannequins.  Did people really pay money and bring dates to these half-cocked “artistic” performances?  They certainly do in Franco’s cinematic world.  But along with these weird performances are some genuinely eerie set pieces.  I’m not sure where Franco filmed, but he has chosen some fantastic locations which reminds one of the villages in Universal’s classic monster movies, full of European villas, cobblestone streets, lonely, narrow alleys, all obscured by fog.  There are also some fabulous noir sequences with chiaroscuro shadows.  Stylistically, this is one of Franco’s high points.

Kino Lorber has just released The Diabolical Dr. Z on Blu-ray through its Redemption label.  There is no indication what the source of the print is or that any restoration has occurred, yet the film looks nearly pristine, with deep, dark blacks, multiple shades of gray, and bright whites.  The film is presented in the original French language soundtrack with English subtitles or an English language soundtrack.  Special features are sparse but include the original theatrical trailer and an audio commentary by Euro horror expert and unabashed Franco fan Tim Lucas, whose knowledge and insight is voluminous but a bit dry as he attempts to list every credit for every actor in the film.  Otherwise, it’s a decent commentary with some excellent information.

So, if your only exposure to Franco is Devil Hunter, Oasis of the Zombies, or some other no-budget affair churned out in a week’s time, give him—and yourself—another chance with The Diabolical Dr. Z.  You can purchase the film directly through Kino Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon.