Venus In Furs ( Paroxismus ) (1969)

[The Firecracker]

"In Istanbul, a jazz trumpeter pulls the murdered body of a young woman from the surf. He remembers her from the night before, when he saw her at a millionaire playboy's party and then later watched as she was assaulted by the party's host and two of his friends. In confusion, Jimmy, the musician, leaves for Rio where he finds the sympathetic ear of Rita, a singer who invites him to live with her and helps him recover his equilibrium and his musical ability. Then, into the room walks a woman who looks like Wanda, the murder victim. Jimmy pursues her, not caring if she's alive or dead. What's going on?"


What's going on indeed. Couldn't make heads or tails of this.
Especially the lame "gotcha" ending.
The ghost(?) of Wanda goes around murdering her murderers one by one in unexplained ways.
One was explained well enough, he dies of fright, but the other two... I don't know.
She strips and performs sexual acts for those two. Did they die of extreme ecstasy or what?
The cheap Vertigo rip-off plot (is she a ghost? A double? a twin?) didn't make things anymore interesting between murders.

The good?
1.Kinski is perfectly fine as himself (as he always is)

2.it's a very good looking movie.

3. Many people can find the soundtrack sublime. I didn't care too much for it though.

The English title has nothing to do with the popular novel.

3/10

[Arizona Colt]

The words "Directed by Jess Franco" are enough to keep me away from anything even remotely associated with the man. I hear some of his early stuff is quite good, but I'm not brave (or stupid) enough to check them out.

[The Firecracker]

You must have seen something by him, I doubt you're going by word of mouth alone.This was supposed to be one of his better movies.

[Arizona Colt]

You must have seen something by him, I doubt you're going by word of mouth alone.

I have. Several movies and bits and pieces of others...

ZOMBIE LAKE
A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD
WANDA, THE WICKED WARDEN (aka GRETA, THE MAD BUTCHER aka ILSA, THE WICKED WARDEN aka ILSA, ABSOLUTE POWER)
REVENGE IN THE HOUSE OF USHER
DEVIL HUNTER
WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN

All of them are horrible. He has fans...never met one but I've read about them.