Jess Franco, who is (with over 180 directed films) probably the most prolific exploitation director of all-time, is far too often dismissed as a creator of nothing but worthless junk. It may be true that many of his films fall into that description, but fact is that Franco's amazing repertoire, especially that of is earlier years, includes several downright brilliant films. Such as "The Awful Dr. Orloff" (1962), "Venus In Furs" (1969) or "The Nights of Dracula" (1970). Or this sublime film. Along with Franco's first success, the earlier classic "Gritos En La Noche" ("The Awful Dr. Orloff", 1962), "Miss Muerte" aka. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" (1966) is easily the greatest Franco film I've seen, an incredibly creepy, atmospheric and absolutely amazing gem that no lover of Horror or Cult-cinema could possibly consider missing.
"The Diabolical Dr. Z" follows "The Awful Dr. Orloff", and it even references the eponymous Doctor of the earlier film. The wheelchair-bound Dr. Z, to whom this film owes its English aka. title is only diabolical for about ten or fifteen minutes into the film, after which his daughter plans diabolical revenge through her father's successful experiments in mind-control, a serial killer escaped from death row, and the razor-sharp fingernails of a sexy exotic dancer named 'Miss Muerte'... The film delivers less sleaze than your typical Franco flick (which is, of course, due to the earlier release date), but stands out with an incredibly creepy Gothic atmosphere, fantastic settings, a brilliant score and an ingenious and genuinely morbid storyline. Antonio Jimenez Escribano is delightfully weird as the eponymous Dr. Z, and Mabel Karr is wonderfully malicious in the role of his vengeful daughter. The cast also includes Franco-regular Howard Vernon, who is always an enrichment for cult-cinema fans. The cast-member which is the most convincing reason to watch the film, of course, is the sexy 'Miss Muerte' herself, Estella Blain. Director Franco has a cameo as a police inspector. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" is eerily shot in Dark mansions, laboratories and old mansions and accompanied by a haunting score which intensifies the uncanny atmosphere. The storyline is ingenious and the characters are wonderfully demented. This truly is an immensely enjoyable gem for fans of Cult-Horror. I am tempted to give it the highest rating, but even without an extra star for personal delight, this is an absolutely awesome film that no Horror lover should miss. "Miss Muerte" comes with my highest recommendations and a more than well-deserved rating of 9 out of 10!
"The Diabolical Dr. Z" follows "The Awful Dr. Orloff", and it even references the eponymous Doctor of the earlier film. The wheelchair-bound Dr. Z, to whom this film owes its English aka. title is only diabolical for about ten or fifteen minutes into the film, after which his daughter plans diabolical revenge through her father's successful experiments in mind-control, a serial killer escaped from death row, and the razor-sharp fingernails of a sexy exotic dancer named 'Miss Muerte'... The film delivers less sleaze than your typical Franco flick (which is, of course, due to the earlier release date), but stands out with an incredibly creepy Gothic atmosphere, fantastic settings, a brilliant score and an ingenious and genuinely morbid storyline. Antonio Jimenez Escribano is delightfully weird as the eponymous Dr. Z, and Mabel Karr is wonderfully malicious in the role of his vengeful daughter. The cast also includes Franco-regular Howard Vernon, who is always an enrichment for cult-cinema fans. The cast-member which is the most convincing reason to watch the film, of course, is the sexy 'Miss Muerte' herself, Estella Blain. Director Franco has a cameo as a police inspector. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" is eerily shot in Dark mansions, laboratories and old mansions and accompanied by a haunting score which intensifies the uncanny atmosphere. The storyline is ingenious and the characters are wonderfully demented. This truly is an immensely enjoyable gem for fans of Cult-Horror. I am tempted to give it the highest rating, but even without an extra star for personal delight, this is an absolutely awesome film that no Horror lover should miss. "Miss Muerte" comes with my highest recommendations and a more than well-deserved rating of 9 out of 10!