There have been many versions and variations of the plot in "The Awful Dr. Orlof" including a Bela Lugosi movie ("The Human Monster") and a reworking of the tale in "Eyes Without a Face". Jesús Franco made this Spanish-language film, though the version I saw was kind of weird--it had been dubbed into French and then subtitled into English!
Dr. Orlof is a crazed man whose sole ambition is to restore his daughter's face. How the face became disfigured and why she's in a coma was never explained during the film. Regardless, with the aid of his homicidal maniac servant, Morpho, they kidnap prostitutes and skin them! At first, he tried doing this on dead women but when the results were not satisfactory, he began keeping some of his victims alive! Nice guy, huh? Much of the film is taught from the viewpoint of the police inspector working on the case. He seemed pretty competent and worked hard to figure out the murders. However, and this part annoyed me, his girlfriend (or was it his wife? I dunno) decided to investigate matters on her own. Here is where it gets really insane, as she dresses like a 'professional girl' and hangs out in dives--hoping to lure the killers. However, she has absolutely no backup nor does she tell anyone about her actions!!!! So, despite a very creepy plot, creepy characters and an interesting story, late in the film it all hinges on a complete moron! Because of this and the awfulness of the soundtrack, the film loses a few points. Still, however, it is entertaining. However, parents be aware that Franco usually throws gratuitous nudity in his films and this one is no exception. In fact, one scene looked like he almost randomly tossed it in just to please folks looking for some skin!
Dr. Orlof is a crazed man whose sole ambition is to restore his daughter's face. How the face became disfigured and why she's in a coma was never explained during the film. Regardless, with the aid of his homicidal maniac servant, Morpho, they kidnap prostitutes and skin them! At first, he tried doing this on dead women but when the results were not satisfactory, he began keeping some of his victims alive! Nice guy, huh? Much of the film is taught from the viewpoint of the police inspector working on the case. He seemed pretty competent and worked hard to figure out the murders. However, and this part annoyed me, his girlfriend (or was it his wife? I dunno) decided to investigate matters on her own. Here is where it gets really insane, as she dresses like a 'professional girl' and hangs out in dives--hoping to lure the killers. However, she has absolutely no backup nor does she tell anyone about her actions!!!! So, despite a very creepy plot, creepy characters and an interesting story, late in the film it all hinges on a complete moron! Because of this and the awfulness of the soundtrack, the film loses a few points. Still, however, it is entertaining. However, parents be aware that Franco usually throws gratuitous nudity in his films and this one is no exception. In fact, one scene looked like he almost randomly tossed it in just to please folks looking for some skin!