ROOM 4 - 1ST POST: Sadomania! A Guide to the films of Jess Franco

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I've been reticent to speak of this too soon, but I can reveal that before the second volume of Nightmare USA hits the shelves, FAB Press and I will squeeze in a modest little project called Sadomania! A Guide to the Films of Jess Franco. Nothing too ambitious, nothing too epic, just a slim volume about THE MOST PROLIFIC DIRECTOR OF ALL TIME!!!

The name of the book may change (it's a 'holding title' really), but the project is well advanced and on schedule for next year. Wish me luck, as I cross the 100 film mark this week! I've come too far to turn back, so I'm glad I left a few of the highly regarded films for the final leg of the journey. Can you believe, for instance, that with almost a hundred Franco films viewed and reviewed, I've still not actually seen Vampyros Lesbos?!

The ever-increasing availability of Jess Franco's films on DVD and the substantial number now viewable in English make the prospect of writing a comprehensive guide far more attractive than it would've been even five years ago. There are, incredibly, around a hundred Franco films out there in English, either on DVD or dusty old VHS, with many more available in French or Spanish. Certainly now is the time to attempt what seemed impossible and review them all!

Currently, only five 'official' Franco films are stubbornly unavailable to me in any home viewing format - that's discounting unfinished and unreleased projects. But with so many individual films now sourced, one feels optimistic that the job can be done! Sadomania! will be as comprehensive a study as humanly possible, and I'll be giving a fair shake to all of the films, whether classy or sleazy, crude or delicate, cruel or sad, amateurish or artful. In the 21st century Franco's cinema is at last laid out before us, exposed to our hungry gaze like never before. Sadomania! will zoom shamelessly into every nook and cranny, and nothing will be hidden from your view!

Below is a list of the remaining Jess Franco films I am unable to source. I'd be extremely grateful for information or assistance that would enable me to see these and cover them in the book. If you can help, you will naturally receive full credit, plus a signed copy of the book and a sincere thank-you from me!

LABIOS ROJOS (1960)
SEX CHARADE (1970)
VOCES DE MUERTE (1984)
EL ABUELO, LA CONDESA Y ESCARLATA LA TRAVIESA (1985)
LAS CHUPONAS (1986)


Quite a few 'mystery' titles also remain out of reach, many of them unfinished projects which are unlikely to surface. Nevertheless, just in case - here they are!

EL MISTERIO DEL CASTILLO ROJO (1972 - unfinished)
RELAX BABY (1973 - unfinished)
LE MANOIR DU PENDU (1973 - unfinished)
MANDINGA (1975 - unfinished)
EL HUÉSPED DE LA NIEBLA (1982 - short documentary, unreleased?)
BARRIO CHINO (1983 - unfinished)
EL ASESINO LLEVABA MEDIAS NEGRAS (1984 - unfinished)
UNA DE CHINO (1985 - unfinished)
EL HOMBRE QUE MATÓ A MENGELE (1985 - unfinished)
EL RHINOCERONTE BLANCO (1986 - unfinished)
LAS TRIBULACIONES DE UN BUDA BIZCO (1986 - unreleased)
SIDA, LA PESTE DEL SIGLO XX (1986 - unreleased)
TELEPORNO (1986 - unfinished)

I'm also interested in the following titles. These are either composite films containing segments from Franco's official films, or else they're 'co-directing' credits of doubtful validity:

WEIßE HAUT UND SCHWARZE SCHENKEL (1976 - allegedly co-directed with Erwin Dietrich)
CONVOI DE FILLES (1978 - allegedly co-directed with Pierre Chevalier)
À LA POURSUITE DE BARBARA (1991 - allegedly co-directed with Jean Rollin).