Jesús Franco got more guts, vision and talent than a legion of today's movie directors. His movies never bore me: Countess Perverse aka La comtesse perverse belongs for sure not to my most favorite list of his works but that flick is still far more entertaining than 90% of Netflix and Amozon Prime productions of our modern days. Countess Perverse: it's trash, it's sleazy, it's funny and it's dumb for sure, but in a good way.
10 Reviews
The Most Dangerous and Sexy Game
BandSAboutMovies19 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
As Harvey Dent said, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Lina Romay would agree, as she went from Sylvia, the heroine in this movie, to the bow and arrow carrying villainess of the remake of this movie, Tender Flesh.
Sylvia is on vacation in the south of France and wants to meet up with a guy named Tom who just so happens to work for Count and Countess Zaroff (Howard Vernon and Alice Arno), who like to play games with beautiful young women. Then, they shoot them with bows and arrows and eat them, as you do.
There's also Bob (Robert Woods) and Moira (Tania Busselier), who procure young women for the Zaroff estate and are allowed to partake of the pleasures of the flesh and I don't mean just penetrating it.
There are some astounding locations here, as the house was shot between two Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura-designed structures, Xanadu, which was in She Killed In Ectasy and La Muralla Roja. This adds to the production, as so many of the later shot on video Franco films are missing the lushness of his filmed movies.
There are insert shots in some cuts of this film, but Franco didn't intend for those to be in this movie.
Anyways. This is the kind of movie that Franco could and would and did make over and over again. That said, it works and the basic tale of rich people hunting the lower rungs of society is always one that presents a great framework to hang a movie on.
Lina Romay would agree, as she went from Sylvia, the heroine in this movie, to the bow and arrow carrying villainess of the remake of this movie, Tender Flesh.
Sylvia is on vacation in the south of France and wants to meet up with a guy named Tom who just so happens to work for Count and Countess Zaroff (Howard Vernon and Alice Arno), who like to play games with beautiful young women. Then, they shoot them with bows and arrows and eat them, as you do.
There's also Bob (Robert Woods) and Moira (Tania Busselier), who procure young women for the Zaroff estate and are allowed to partake of the pleasures of the flesh and I don't mean just penetrating it.
There are some astounding locations here, as the house was shot between two Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura-designed structures, Xanadu, which was in She Killed In Ectasy and La Muralla Roja. This adds to the production, as so many of the later shot on video Franco films are missing the lushness of his filmed movies.
There are insert shots in some cuts of this film, but Franco didn't intend for those to be in this movie.
Anyways. This is the kind of movie that Franco could and would and did make over and over again. That said, it works and the basic tale of rich people hunting the lower rungs of society is always one that presents a great framework to hang a movie on.
The Most Erotic Game?
diabolicaldrz20 December 2007
One of the most popular and copied movies of all time, The Most Dangerous Game, gets a erotic remake by sleaze director Jess Franco. The idea sounds very daring and dangerous, but thankfully, The Perverse Countess is a complete winner! From the very hot girls on display (Lina Romay is pretty much naked through the whole movie... Shocking I know!) to the exciting horror elements, this one is a stylish masterpiece of the genre. The camera moves are pretty wild, and the locations are beautiful. The music score is very nice to listen at first also (although it gets a bit repetitive by the end...) The cast is pretty damn awesome also, full of Franco regulars. As the rich owners of the island where the game is played, Alice Arno shines in the role of the evil countess, while Howard Vernon plays her husband, in his usual charming self. The impossibly gorgeous Lina Romay plays the latter victim of the eccentric couple, while Tania Busselier from Ilsa: The Wicked Warden shows up to get naked somewhere.
Very recommended movie, as it's one of Franco's absolute best. It's sad this overlooked classic doesn't have a DVD release in ANY language...
Very recommended movie, as it's one of Franco's absolute best. It's sad this overlooked classic doesn't have a DVD release in ANY language...
Positively awful
lexdevil16 June 2003
One loses hope and faith in mankind when presented with a film as completely and utterly dreadful as Les Croqueuses. One of the very worst Jess Franco efforts, this film is basically an unattributed remake of The Most Dangerous Game with nudity and hardcore inserts. Filled with the worst of Franco--overuse of the zoom lens, long boring sex scenes, and static set-ups--it is hard to understand how IMDb users could rate this so highly (two '9's, two '7's, two '6's, a '2', and my very generous '1'). For Franco or Howard Vernon completists only.
What's worse than terrible? I'm sure I'll regret those wasted minutes on my deathbed
deospam-0496228 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
What's worse than terrible? This movie has no redeeming factors other than being a historical artifact of the sexploitation era. Its a cheap excuse for the director to use other people's money to get girls naked and doing his deviant bidding including one unsimulated fellatio by Sylvia (Lina Romay). Sorry....even the word "director" is too laudatory and honorific.
So why would I watch this movie you ask? I asked myself the same question after I'd finished. Maybe for kicks to see what the fuss over Jesus Franco was all about. I'm sure I'll regret those wasted minutes on my deathbed
I gave a token1 point for the late Ms Romay's token effort. Sorry, Jesus Franco fans but even by 1974 when this movie was made, his star had already fallen. How he managed to get funding for the number of movies he made is unfathomable.
What's worse than terrible? Only the next Jesus Franco movie.
So why would I watch this movie you ask? I asked myself the same question after I'd finished. Maybe for kicks to see what the fuss over Jesus Franco was all about. I'm sure I'll regret those wasted minutes on my deathbed
I gave a token1 point for the late Ms Romay's token effort. Sorry, Jesus Franco fans but even by 1974 when this movie was made, his star had already fallen. How he managed to get funding for the number of movies he made is unfathomable.
What's worse than terrible? Only the next Jesus Franco movie.
The buildings were cool, I suppose.
BA_Harrison7 April 2024
Sylvia (Lina Romay) is lured to the private island of Count and Countess Zaroff (Howard Vernon and Alice Arno), where she becomes the latest unwilling participant in the aristocrats' sport: hunting humans (and then eating them).
Countess Perverse is The Most Dangerous Game as envisioned by prolific Spanish sleaze merchant Jess Franco. With the hunter and the hunted both women, and both stark naked during the hunt, this could have been a hugely enjoyable slice of exploitative trash, but Franco seems less interested in the battle to the death between humans than he is in gratuitous sex, the majority of his film consisting of long, boring softcore romps, with the action occasionally straying into hardcore territory. There's countless crotch shots, lesbian couplings, and lots of bumping and grinding, with even Franco regular Howard Vernon getting in on the action (not a pleasant sight!) - all shot in Franco's trademark blurry, erratic fashion. Of the 87 minute runtime, at least 70 minutes are wasted on this tedious 'erotica' before we finally get to the hunt, which is just as badly directed as the rest of the film.
As if Countess Perverse wasn't bad enough, Franco tacks on a ridiculous 'it was all a dream' style happy ending that it beyond ridiculous.
2/10 - both points awarded for the interesting architecture. If one can say anything about Franco, it's that he certainly had an eye for an impressive location.
Countess Perverse is The Most Dangerous Game as envisioned by prolific Spanish sleaze merchant Jess Franco. With the hunter and the hunted both women, and both stark naked during the hunt, this could have been a hugely enjoyable slice of exploitative trash, but Franco seems less interested in the battle to the death between humans than he is in gratuitous sex, the majority of his film consisting of long, boring softcore romps, with the action occasionally straying into hardcore territory. There's countless crotch shots, lesbian couplings, and lots of bumping and grinding, with even Franco regular Howard Vernon getting in on the action (not a pleasant sight!) - all shot in Franco's trademark blurry, erratic fashion. Of the 87 minute runtime, at least 70 minutes are wasted on this tedious 'erotica' before we finally get to the hunt, which is just as badly directed as the rest of the film.
As if Countess Perverse wasn't bad enough, Franco tacks on a ridiculous 'it was all a dream' style happy ending that it beyond ridiculous.
2/10 - both points awarded for the interesting architecture. If one can say anything about Franco, it's that he certainly had an eye for an impressive location.
Jess Franco Takes on The Most Dangerous Game
Shaza12325 May 2014
Have you read the Most Dangerous Game, also known as The Hounds of Zaroff? It's a short story by Richard Connell that came out in the 1920s. Even if you haven't read it, no doubt you know the story, there have been countless adaptations and movies based on the same idea. People trapped on an island, and being hunted off one by one by some very sick individuals. Sounds like Battle Royale, sounds like The Condemned, even sounds like the recently popular tween flick, The Hunger Games. What can I say, it's a damn good story. But I bet no one has ever seen anything quite like Jess Franco's version of this popular tale. Can you imagine if the fans of The Hunger Games saw this?! It would blow their minds!!! This is the one and only, Countess Perverse.
Countess Perverse follows the story far more closely then the previous mentioned adaptations, our villains are even referred to as Countess and Count Zaroff. The only difference being, Franco adds a certain... flavour.. to the mix, to make this flick quite the tasty treat. And of course, when Franco is involved, we know things are bound to get a little saucy. Actually that's an understatement, think of this as a very...sensual... version of the Most Dangerous Game. Some might even call it sleazy. And it is, I do recall a rape scene that very quickly turns into a consensual encounter. And of course the forever lingering shots directed at female genitalia, oh Franco, you romantic you! For the most part, the entire cast spend most of the movie nude. And with stars such as the always gorgeous Lina Romay, it's quite a sight. Rejoice for the human form and all it's beauty!
To add more beauty to this somewhat erotic movie, we have a gorgeous setting. The island is breathtaking, it's surrounded by beautiful ocean views, menacing rock formations, and interesting architecture for the Mansion that our victims find themselves in. The scenes where our cast walk down the steps in the house, tinted red, is such an interesting and menacing shot, it really stood out for me.
Finally, the music is quite beautiful in parts and also quite tribal in others. Really sets the movie for me. Just gorgeous. I'm coming to appreciate the musical sense in Franco's work. He knows how to tone the scenes.
Final thoughts? Most people probably would dismiss this movie as trash or porn without giving it more of a chance. It's unfortunate because this movie offers so much more than that, and while some scenes might be considered borderline pornographic, the film goes above and beyond those scenes. In a similar vein to Lorna the Exorcist, it's a damn good movie and one I recommend fans or Euro horror. Just be warned that this is an 18 years and over flick. Sorry kiddies, you keep enjoying The Hunger Games.
Countess Perverse follows the story far more closely then the previous mentioned adaptations, our villains are even referred to as Countess and Count Zaroff. The only difference being, Franco adds a certain... flavour.. to the mix, to make this flick quite the tasty treat. And of course, when Franco is involved, we know things are bound to get a little saucy. Actually that's an understatement, think of this as a very...sensual... version of the Most Dangerous Game. Some might even call it sleazy. And it is, I do recall a rape scene that very quickly turns into a consensual encounter. And of course the forever lingering shots directed at female genitalia, oh Franco, you romantic you! For the most part, the entire cast spend most of the movie nude. And with stars such as the always gorgeous Lina Romay, it's quite a sight. Rejoice for the human form and all it's beauty!
To add more beauty to this somewhat erotic movie, we have a gorgeous setting. The island is breathtaking, it's surrounded by beautiful ocean views, menacing rock formations, and interesting architecture for the Mansion that our victims find themselves in. The scenes where our cast walk down the steps in the house, tinted red, is such an interesting and menacing shot, it really stood out for me.
Finally, the music is quite beautiful in parts and also quite tribal in others. Really sets the movie for me. Just gorgeous. I'm coming to appreciate the musical sense in Franco's work. He knows how to tone the scenes.
Final thoughts? Most people probably would dismiss this movie as trash or porn without giving it more of a chance. It's unfortunate because this movie offers so much more than that, and while some scenes might be considered borderline pornographic, the film goes above and beyond those scenes. In a similar vein to Lorna the Exorcist, it's a damn good movie and one I recommend fans or Euro horror. Just be warned that this is an 18 years and over flick. Sorry kiddies, you keep enjoying The Hunger Games.
Tasty!
parry_na4 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Some truly stunning locations - even by prolific director Jess Franco's standards - once more belie the low budget used in this partial re-telling of Richard Connell's 'The Most Dangerous Game' (which is also known as 'The Hounds of Zaroff' - and in this film, we have Count and Countess Zaroff, played by a svelte Howard Vernon and a sun-kissed Alice Arno respectively).
These two shady characters have strange perversions of their own. But they would, wouldn't they? Enticing young females over to their paradise island, only to hunt them down and eat them. Cue much mysterious sniggering about the food served to each new girl - little do they know, they are eating the remains of previous victims.
Without explanation of any kind, Silvia Aguado is suddenly their latest guest. We are left to assume she was coerced by Tom and Moira (Robert Woods and Tania Busselier) as were the others. As Sylvia is played by uninhibited Lina Romay, it is no surprise that she is shortly stripped, seduced and haring through the palm-trees and long grass wearing naught but a pair of shoes, although these disappear in some scenes. (At least Franco allowed her that - it was rare you would see any actresses in a Jean Rollin film anything other than barefoot.) Nakedness is rife in this - we even get to see more of Arno and Vernon than we ever have before. For all the gruesome revelations, the camera is more than happy to meander occasionally and focus on the wondrous (apparently French) locations and generous displays of flesh.
Franco also makes great use of the fish-eye lens, or a technique very similar, to gently distort images and give them a greater sense of depth than mere normality would allow. This makes the locations, already impressive, appear vast and dream-like, especially the intriguingly designed château owned by the Count and Countess.
Finally, I was very taken with the music (by Jean-Bernard Raiteux and Olivier Bernard). A variety of styles, from morose piano motifs to 70's progressive rock. Shame there doesn't appear to be a soundtrack available - a box-set of Franco incidental scores would be most welcome.
These two shady characters have strange perversions of their own. But they would, wouldn't they? Enticing young females over to their paradise island, only to hunt them down and eat them. Cue much mysterious sniggering about the food served to each new girl - little do they know, they are eating the remains of previous victims.
Without explanation of any kind, Silvia Aguado is suddenly their latest guest. We are left to assume she was coerced by Tom and Moira (Robert Woods and Tania Busselier) as were the others. As Sylvia is played by uninhibited Lina Romay, it is no surprise that she is shortly stripped, seduced and haring through the palm-trees and long grass wearing naught but a pair of shoes, although these disappear in some scenes. (At least Franco allowed her that - it was rare you would see any actresses in a Jean Rollin film anything other than barefoot.) Nakedness is rife in this - we even get to see more of Arno and Vernon than we ever have before. For all the gruesome revelations, the camera is more than happy to meander occasionally and focus on the wondrous (apparently French) locations and generous displays of flesh.
Franco also makes great use of the fish-eye lens, or a technique very similar, to gently distort images and give them a greater sense of depth than mere normality would allow. This makes the locations, already impressive, appear vast and dream-like, especially the intriguingly designed château owned by the Count and Countess.
Finally, I was very taken with the music (by Jean-Bernard Raiteux and Olivier Bernard). A variety of styles, from morose piano motifs to 70's progressive rock. Shame there doesn't appear to be a soundtrack available - a box-set of Franco incidental scores would be most welcome.
Franco Does a Sexy Dangerous Game
Michael_Elliott23 April 2017
Countess Perverse (1974)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The Countess (Alice Arno) and Count Zaroff (Howard Vernon) seem like your normal type of people but what horror lies within their castle walls say the otherwise. It turns out that the two are actually cannibals who are provided women by another local (Robert Woods) who the Countess hunts down with her arrow. Soon another woman (Lina Romay) is delivered for their wicked game but things don't go as planned.
Jess Franco's LA COMTESSE PERVERSE is a sexed up version of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and like many of the director's work from this period it's available in several versions. The film was originally a hard sell anywhere so the producer had Franco shoot more sex scenes including some hardcore ones. The film would find a release via the hardcore version and this was what was on the market for years. Finally, a 76-minute director's cut of the original version was released as well as a new hardcore version under the title SEXY NATURE.
This was my first time watching the director's cut and it's certainly better than the hardcore versions but I'd still say it falls short of being one Franco's better films. There are some interesting things scattered throughout the picture including an early sequence where one of the women are on a boat and headed towards the island. There's a really weird music score here and the visuals on the boat just make this a rather surreal sequence. The film is actually rather light on the cannibalism subject, although this here was apparently why it couldn't find a release.
The film offers up a nice cast of familiar faces. Vernon is always fun to watch in these Franco movies as is Woods. Both men offer up good performances here. Arno is extremely good in the role of the perverted countess who likes to kill women and then eat them. Romay makes one of her earliest appearances here and she's obviously easy on the eyes. The cast are certainly a major plus and especially since Franco fans will be used to most of them.
I think where the film fails is that there's really no energy or drama throughout. There's never a risk that you feel for the woman and the final hunt is rather boring and the film just doesn't contain enough to keep you fully invested in what's going on.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The Countess (Alice Arno) and Count Zaroff (Howard Vernon) seem like your normal type of people but what horror lies within their castle walls say the otherwise. It turns out that the two are actually cannibals who are provided women by another local (Robert Woods) who the Countess hunts down with her arrow. Soon another woman (Lina Romay) is delivered for their wicked game but things don't go as planned.
Jess Franco's LA COMTESSE PERVERSE is a sexed up version of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME and like many of the director's work from this period it's available in several versions. The film was originally a hard sell anywhere so the producer had Franco shoot more sex scenes including some hardcore ones. The film would find a release via the hardcore version and this was what was on the market for years. Finally, a 76-minute director's cut of the original version was released as well as a new hardcore version under the title SEXY NATURE.
This was my first time watching the director's cut and it's certainly better than the hardcore versions but I'd still say it falls short of being one Franco's better films. There are some interesting things scattered throughout the picture including an early sequence where one of the women are on a boat and headed towards the island. There's a really weird music score here and the visuals on the boat just make this a rather surreal sequence. The film is actually rather light on the cannibalism subject, although this here was apparently why it couldn't find a release.
The film offers up a nice cast of familiar faces. Vernon is always fun to watch in these Franco movies as is Woods. Both men offer up good performances here. Arno is extremely good in the role of the perverted countess who likes to kill women and then eat them. Romay makes one of her earliest appearances here and she's obviously easy on the eyes. The cast are certainly a major plus and especially since Franco fans will be used to most of them.
I think where the film fails is that there's really no energy or drama throughout. There's never a risk that you feel for the woman and the final hunt is rather boring and the film just doesn't contain enough to keep you fully invested in what's going on.
Jess Franco's racy variant on The Most Dangerous Game
Woodyanders26 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Countess Ivanna Zaroff (ably played with lip-smacking evil and predatory aplomb by ravishing redhead Alice Arno) and her husband Count Rabor Zaroff (Franco regular Howard Vernon in wonderfully suave and wicked form) are a couple of decadent wealthy aristocrats who hunt folks for sport on their remote island paradise. The meat of their victims is cooked and fed to unsuspecting guests who in turn are forced to participate in this most warped and dangerous game.
Writer/director Jess Franco relates the engrossingly twisted story at his usual trademark hypnotically deliberate pace, makes excellent use of the breathtaking scenic locations, does an ace job of crafting a strong dark atmosphere of stark amorality, offers a nice sense of casual sadism and debauchery, and concludes the grim plot on a perfectly nasty and downbeat note. Naturally, Franco also delivers oodles of tasty bare distaff skin and several steamy semi-pornographic sex scenes. The sound acting by a sturdy cast holds the picture together: Robert Woods as reluctant flunky Bob, Tania Busselier as Bob's sympathetic wife Moira, the ever-luscious Lina Romay as naive and sweet innocent Silvia, and Kali Hansa as the frightened Kali. Gerard Brisseau's sharp cinematography provides a lovely picturesque look. The funky-throbbing score by Oliver Bernard and Jean-Bernard Raiteux hits the groovy-grinding spot. One of Franco's better movies.
Writer/director Jess Franco relates the engrossingly twisted story at his usual trademark hypnotically deliberate pace, makes excellent use of the breathtaking scenic locations, does an ace job of crafting a strong dark atmosphere of stark amorality, offers a nice sense of casual sadism and debauchery, and concludes the grim plot on a perfectly nasty and downbeat note. Naturally, Franco also delivers oodles of tasty bare distaff skin and several steamy semi-pornographic sex scenes. The sound acting by a sturdy cast holds the picture together: Robert Woods as reluctant flunky Bob, Tania Busselier as Bob's sympathetic wife Moira, the ever-luscious Lina Romay as naive and sweet innocent Silvia, and Kali Hansa as the frightened Kali. Gerard Brisseau's sharp cinematography provides a lovely picturesque look. The funky-throbbing score by Oliver Bernard and Jean-Bernard Raiteux hits the groovy-grinding spot. One of Franco's better movies.
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