The Awful Dr. Orloff

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Audience Member French Gothic horror - dubbed rather clunkily into English in overseas versions - about an embittered surgeon, accompanied by a mute and disfigured assistant, who kidnaps beautiful women in the hope that he can transplant their faces on to his scarred daughter's visage. It's strange, occasionally tedious, but hypnotic and well acted, with beautifully lit night sequences that are reminiscent of The Third Man. Phantom of the Opera meets Les Yeux Sans Visage. Well worth seeing. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member The plot was rather muddy at points. I was unclear on whether Orloff, who was the former prison doctor, buried Morpho alive, certified a false death certificate, and then dug him up; or whether he resurrected him--this the the movies after all. Other than that, it was an entertaining film. I believe the exterior shots of his castle are the same castle used in "Nosferatu." Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Not Jesus Franco's worst movie by no means but it is still bad. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member The Awful Dr. Orloff" was the film that put Jess Franco on the map in the field of trashy exploitation cinema. Hes been a legend since, turning out hundreds of films. Admittedly, this isn't an original plot at all. A quick scan of the film's summary shows it rips off the key plot elements to "Eyes Without a Face". However, "The Awful Dr. Orlof" is one of the best imitation films ever made. It doesn't have the artistic beauty that "Eyes Without a Face" had, but its a much more sordid tale overall and plays the material to a hilt. Its also a constantly compelling story that remains frightening throughout, with plenty of gloomy and fog-drenched Gothic atmosphere. On a technical level, the film is average. Howard Vernon is quite good as the title mad doctor, but the rest of the cast is pretty poor. The inspector character is completely uninteresting and Conrado San Martín in no way rises above the material. Diana Lorys is positively gorgeous but not that much of an actress. The direction by Franco is good and probably his most quickly paced, but far from his most interesting. Fortunately, the cinematography and jazz score are great, and there are several sequences that retain the ability to jolt the audience. Plus, unlike the director's later work, there is a story to speak of here. "The Awful Dr. Orlof" isn't Franco's best film but it may be his most accessible. 3 Stars 1-28-14 Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Awful Doctor...Awesome movie--Franco's Masterpiece!! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member In a phrase - 'deliciously dreadful!' Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Awful Dr. Orloff

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