Jess Franco’s psycho-sexual horror film Lorna the Exorcist is the debut Blu-ray for Kino Lorber’s newest label – Kino Cult. The results are polished.
The Film
Note: The film depicts graphic sexual acts shown in graphic detail.
Leave it to Jess Franco to create a tale of obsession and sexuality and dealings with the devil that alternates from pure sexual carnality and a ponderous family vacation in the south of France. Lorna the Exorcist somehow puts it all together for an effective horror film.
Patrick (Guy Delorme) has everything, money, a huge estate, a successful career, a beautiful wife Marianne (Jacqueline Laurent), and a wonderful daughter Linda (Lina Romay). Though something is amiss. Linda is haunted by the most sexual of encounters with Lorna (Pamela Sanford) that are so real she thinks the dreams are in fact real. It soon becomes clear that Patrick is tied to Lorna and a debt that must be paid. That debt is a cost too great for Patrick – to which Lorna begins to haunt the small family undoing this perfect family unit.
Believe this. This is elevated Franco. BUT, and that’s a huge “but”, Franco remains the filmmaker he always is. The zooms, the long lingering shots of genitalia, the alternating from story to long sex scenes – the hallmarks of Franco’s work are intact. Which is something as you begin to watch the man’s voluminous catalog is what defines his work. Good, bad, indifferent – Franco remains Franco no matter what.
Lorna the Exorcist could have been an exercise in perverse titillation but it’s not, well at least not fully, because of its story that seems to align with the Franco style. This melding makes everything work in a way that makes the movie a movie and not an excuse for just graphic sex. There is something to everything that happens to Patrick, Marianne, and their daughter Linda. When it’s revealed – horror trope be damned – it’s perfectly matched to everything that leads up to its existential ending.
This is definitely buyer beware. Especially, for anyone that shies away from any sort of sexuality or sex in their entertainment. Those adventurous types or Franco fan (who have already probably seen this) will find an arresting piece of horror that only one Jess Franco could have made.
The Transfer
The transfer is a beautiful representation of the film and a fine debut for the Kino Cult label. There are a few minor issues with a few scenes where there appears to be a huge degradation in quality though these are only a few shots (a couple of seconds of footage). Other than those few moments the image is consistently beautiful, clean, and sharp. The image has a nice patina of grain giving it the look of a beautifully persevered film print. Bravo to Kino for providing a wonderful transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
- NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
- Interview with Actress Pamela Stanford
- Interview with Filmmaker Gérard Kikoïne
- Interview with Stephen Thrower
The all-new Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas is a master course on the work of Jess Franco – beginning with his qualifications on Franco’s work through the thirty years he’s been writing for. Some of the details he covers include how Lorna the Exorcist is a remake his own Succubus; Franco’s love of music and how it relates to the visuals of the opening scenes; where the film falls in the most fruitful period of his career; Franco’s lack of involvement in the editing of the film; the work here and career of Lina Romay – including her personal relationship with Franco; Franco’s appearances in his various films of the era – including here; the work here and career of Guy Delorme; a discussion of the erotica set pieces that “pad” the film; the work here and career of Pamela Sanford; the work here and career of Jacqueline Laurent; a larger discussion of the various crew Franco worked with here and throughout his career; a larger discussion of the various sets, and locations that the film was shot; a larger discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their career; and much more. Lucas brings the sort of deeply researched and informative facts to this track as he does with his writings and other commentary track. Lucas does reference Stephen Thrower’s research and writings on Franco as well. If one is interested in Franco after watching this will do well to listen to this track.
Interview with Actress Pamela Stanford (22:23) – the actor discusses not just the work done with Franco but her early career and how she eventually went from extra to working actor. Stanford with great humor and laughter, even with some truly harrowing incidents, recounts her life in cinema and the arts. In French with English Subtitles.
Interview with Filmmaker Gérard Kikoïne (25:53) – the filmmaker discusses his work with Franco as he was the sound designer for the production at the time. This is a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes work done by Kikoïne on a topic that isn’t discussed often. The interview is fast and loose with asides and discussion of Kikoïne’s early life and how he got into sound fx and editing in general. A discussion of the work that he did for various filmmakers including Rene Gainville. In French with English subtitles.
Interview with Stephen Thrower (30:03) – Thrower gives a fascinating interview about director Jess Franco. One would expect nothing less from the academic who literally wrote the book on Franco (Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jess Franco). Some of the details include his personal experience with the first Franco films he saw and the lack of quality; the films that eventually changed his opinion of Franco’s work; the robust output of the director during the 70s and 80s – including a few years that reached 10 films in some years; the obsessive nature of his work by the volume of films he made and how he made them; the themes he works with but how there is no overall Franco’s interest in mood over themes; what defines Franco’s work; his knowledge and passion for music and how that informed the films; Franco’s evolution within his career and how he transitioned to a more experimental style in the 70s; a discussion about Lorna the Exorcist; how the film relates to Franco’s career; and much more. Thrower brings his type of intelligent and thorough knowledge of Franco and his output to this great interview. This is a great starting point for anyone who is taken by Franco’s work here.
The Final Thought
Kino Cult has come out the gate swinging with their debut title. They’ve treated Jess Franco and his Lorna the Exorcist with care and class. Recommended!