succubus

THE FLICKS: If it weren’t for Ed Wood’s overhyped oeuvre, Jess Franco would certainly go down as history’s most inept film director...and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Hand-in-hand with the clumsy staging, bad cuts, and even worse acting is an underlying charm that excuses most of his film’s faults. But what makes him even more interesting is that from time to time he shows that he actually could direct his way out of a paper bag – Venus in Furs being one example, and the newly released edition of Succubus (aka Necrominicon) being another. Obviously inspired by the non-conformist, non-linear cineastes of the French New Wave (in particular Godard), Franco turns in a psycho-sexual LSD trip set against a crazy jazz score. It’s not a horror film, it’s not exploitation. It’s an art film that ignores plot structure in favor of random dialogue and images; a salamander crawling on a woman’s skin, sex as seen through a fishbowl, and flashbacks within flashbacks filmed with a heavenly glow. Visually it is some of Franco’s best work, and it’s obvious he enjoyed the freedoms given to him by his producers (who also act in the film). But like Godard’s work, Succubus is a product of its era, flouting the rules of cinema with a rebelliousness inspired by juvenile whims rather than any conscious agenda. Unless you’re enjoying a controlled substance, the plot will make little or no sense. Ostensibly our main character is a soul-sucking demon from hell deriving pleasure from torturing her many lovers, but this explanation could just as easily been an after-thought added during post-production during one of the film’s many lengthy voice-over narrations. Defenders of the film will argue that the story doesn’t matter. And they’re right. Like Venus in Furs (a much better example of free-form filmmaking from Franco), Succubus creates and reflects a state-of-mind circa 1969 – an off-the-cuff acid trip that’s only as meaningful as the viewer makes it out to be. Whereas the two films included in the “Red Lips Double Feature” – Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me Monster – don’t pretend to be meaningful at all. Spy spoofs made on the cheap and shot back to back, the main selling points belong to stars Janine Reynaud (also featured in Succubus) and Rosanna Yanni as detectives for hire. Yet the films curiously avoid showing much skin and instead play up the humor (or what passes for it), forcing the girls to fend off an array of quirky suitors and suspects to find their man. Two Undercover Angels begins in typical non-sensical Franco fashion with an artwork robbery, a fashion show, a poorly made-up werewolf, a mauled victim and an array of confused police officials. And the audience shares their confusion for the first 30-minutes or so. Franco seems to realize he needs some sort of framework to stage the mystery, but it’s not high on his list of priorities. Instead, we get awkward exchanges between the two leads in the spirit of 40’s Hollywood farces and a parade of comic relief character actors, who admittedly do generate a chuckle or two. However, most of what Franco intends to be funny in Two Undercover Angels falls embarrassingly flat. But as usual, the director’s ratio of unintentional laughs are fairly high and the camp factor – everything from outrageous swim suits to soap-opera eye patches – works in its favor. Kiss Me Monster continues the Red Lips’ adventures with an even more amusingly absurd case involving human clones – both of which are the spitting image of Rocky from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There’s an extended concert sequence, countless knives stabbed in the back, and a saxophone duet, all of which come right out of left field. If there’s one aspect this double-feature has going for it, it’s unpredictability. Even Franco doesn’t seem sure to what’s coming next...which, of course, is part of the director’s cult appeal. THE FEATURES: All the films sport the sort of transfer we take for granted with Blue Underground. But Franco is also on hand for several extra features. Having watched him on several BU discs, it’s almost like sitting down with your snaggle-toothed, ex-hippy uncle. The man is never short of interesting anecdotes, including a 22-minute interview on Succubus in which he explains the film’s international funding and his New Wave inspirations. Co-star Jack Taylor is also available for a 7-minute sit down to reflect on his many collaborations with the director. The “Red Lips Double Feature” finds Franco again waxing nostalgic about his filming experiences in two separate featurettes. And each disc also includes a trailer.