One of Jesús Franco's first films, early in his career, may be too straight and commercial for his more die-hard admirers who prefer the more surreal and experimental work, which included freedom to explore adult subject matter and the human body for that matter. And while I like some of his later films, I like this early Gothic horror period because the genre is my favorite. I like the period setting, the castle on the hill, the mad scientist Orloff(Franco's long time collaborator Howard Vernon, whose interesting face was always utilized well by the director ), his grotesque henchman (Ricardo Valle)the diabolical experiments(Orloff's insane desire to preserve beauty, returning it to his scar-faced child), the detective out to catch the kidnappers, the damsel in distress(the Inspector's fiancé), and the difficulty developing a case as our heroes must secure clues to find the criminals body snatching. Kind of an uninspired, abrupt conclusion, but "The Awful Dr. Orloff" was more of a launchpad for Franco anyway. I like the movie's villain even though the film's premise is similar to countless other plots involving "face graft" experiments where a scientist attempts to restore loveliness to his daughter's damaged visage(Eyes without a Face; The Witch's Mirror), often more than not failing to succeed almost always on the verge of a breakthrough, yet coming up short. In this film, Orloff realizes he must use tissue from live specimens, understanding that his failures were because of using face flesh from dead women. Orloff likes to frequent the cabaret for potential lab rats to experiment with, dancers and singers he considers undesirables and unworthy to live, their importance less than his daughter's recovering her beauty. There are two scenes containing nudity such as a female victim being cut with a scalpel by Orloff, her breasts exposed. Conrado San Martin is Inspector Tanner, in charge of catching Orloff, the curvy, voluptuous Diana Lorys(Fangs of the Living Dead)his fiancé, ballerina Wanda, who puts herself in harm's way by posing as a floozy to upend the mad doctor. I think Orloff and Count Dracula are films made by Jesús Franco that will appeal to a larger horror audience than his more out-there work as "The Awful Dr. Orloff" maintains a more professional, conventional, and level-headed presentation..that's a good or bad thing depending on what you prefer when watching a Jesús Franco film.
Review of The Awful Dr. Orlof
