Sie tötete in Ekstase (1971)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writer:

Jesus Franco (writer)

Release Date:

10 December 1971 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A young doctor kills himself after a medical committee terminates his research into human embryos, considering it too inhumane...

Plot Keywords:

Committee | Revenge | Doctor | Seduction | Naked Killer

Cast

Soledad Miranda	...	Mrs. Johnson (as Susann Korda)
Fred Williams	...	Dr. Johnson
Howard Vernon	...	Prof. Jonathan Walker
Paul Muller	...	Dr. Franklin Houston (as Paul Müller)
Ewa Strömberg	...	Dr. Crawford (as Ewa Stroemberg)
Horst Tappert	...	Inspector

Also Known As:

She Killed in Ecstasy (International: English title)
Mrs. Hyde (West Germany) (working title)

Runtime:

Germany:73 min

Country:

West Germany | Spain

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Tele-Cine Film- und Fernsehproduktion

Trivia:

Soledad Miranda, the actress who played Mrs. Johnson, was dubbed by Renate Küster.

One of Franco's better movies. Not as great as 'Vampyros Lesbos' or 'Eugenie De Sade', but if you get the chance to see this film, don't hesitate.

Jess Franco regarded the late Soledad Miranda as his muse and was devastated by her tragic death in 1970. The two made a handful of extraordinary movies released in 1970-71 with Miranda billed as "Susann Korda", including the legendary 'Vampyros Lesbos', arguably Franco's finest achievement. I've seen four of the Franco/Miranda collaborations to date, the others being 'Eugenie De Sade', which is almost as great as 'Vampyros Lesbos', and 'The Devil Came From Akasava', a campy (but entertaining) potboiler. 'She Killed In Ecstasy' is definitely better than 'Akasava', but not quite as impressive as the other two. I'm not exactly sure, but I get the impression that some of them were shot simultaneously. They share the same visual style, groovy music, and similar casts. Miranda plays the wife of a scientist (Fred Williams) who suicides after his experimental research is rejected by the medical establishment. She gets her revenge by seducing and murdering the four committee members involved with the decision one by one. They are played by Franco regulars Howard Vernon and Paul Muller, 'Vampyros Lesbos' co-star Ewa Stromberg and Franco himself. The cast also includes Horst Tappert who was in 'Akasava' playing a policeman. I've seen something like twenty Jess Franco movies to date, which is only a fraction of his 180+ output, but it's enough to know that I'm hooked. I find it to be difficult to be objective about his work, as even his lesser movies contain bits of genius. He is a frustratingly uneven director, capable of making astonishing movies when he really tries, but too often content to release seemingly rushed and unfinished films. 'She Killed In Ecstasy' is probably not the best place to start if you are a Franco neophyte, but I'd certainly rate it among his better films, and the utterly beautiful Soledad Miranda is always mesmerizing to look at. Newcomers are still recommended to start with 'Vampyros Lesbos', but if you get the chance to see this film, don't hesitate.