Sex is Crazy – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1981
Director: Jesús Franco
Writer: Jesús Franco
Cast: Lina Romay, Lynn Endersson, Antonio Mayans, Tony Skios, Laura García, Antonio Martín, Gloria Menéndez, José Luis Martínez, Jesús Franco

Release Date: November 25th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Spain, 1981: With the dictatorship over and censorship gone, writer/director Jess Franco returned to his native country to make a series of increasingly brazen films for Tritón that included Sinfonía Erótica, Two Female Spies with Flowered Panties and this surreal sci-fi sex satire that may be the most bizarre film of his career: Lina Romay – at her most lushly exposed and naturally comedic – stars in this oddball meta-spoof of carnal cabaret, alien breeding, group marriage, spy dramas, satanic cults, the Clasificada S genre and more, all wrapped in Uncle Jess’ Godardian take on his own inimitable oeuvre." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “now scanned in 2K from the original negative recently discovered in a Bilbao seminary.”

Sex is Crazy comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.3 GB

Feature: 24.3 GB

The source used for this transfer looks fantastic. Any source imperfections are minor and never intrusive. Color saturation, image clarity, and black levels are solid, compression is very good and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish, and removable English subtitles. Outside of a few minor moments of background hiss, this audio track is in very good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. It should be noted that there is one scene where characters speak in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a location featurette with author Stephen Thrower and actress Monica Swinn titled In The Land of Franco Part 7 (24 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Jess Franco Expert Dr. Álex Mendíbil tilted Jess is Crazy (22 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Flowers Of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco titled Franco/Godard (49 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles). 

Summary:

If any Jess Franco films truly lives up to its title that would be "Sex in Crazy". This film is definitely crazy and not just because the mixing of sex with aliens. Sex in Crazy opens and ends with Lina Romay’s character being screwed by aliens while an audience is watching. The narrative, as it progresses, then reveals that it was all a stage show. The bulk of Sex in Crazy focuses around two couples made up swingers and their sexual adventures. Then Jess Franco shifts back to the weird alien vibe he started with only to briefly abandon it until the ending which involves those pesky aliens. So where their aliens or where they just a figment of Lina Romay’s character’s imagination. Sex in Crazy never makes clear what is real and what is not. So I guess we will never known truth behind the aliens’ mission. Even with a narrative as schizophrenic as Sex is Crazy, the film still bears enough of Jess Franco’s style to make the journey worthwhile.

The four leads, Lina Romay, Antonio Mayans, Lynn Endersson, and Antonio Rebollo, are very good in their respective roles. These four actors and the rest of the cast all play several different roles in Sex is Crazy. Lina Romay turns in another delightful performance that is equally sensual and humorous. There are plenty of sex scenes. With the most bizarre ones involving the alien stage show where after each alien has sex with Lina Romay’s character her stomach expands. The most memorable moment is a foursome scene featuring the four leads. The eclectic electronic score was composed by Jess Franco under the alias Pablo Villa. It should be noted that Sex is Crazy also features some music that was composed by Daniel White. Ultimately, Sex is Crazy is a delirious sex comedy that masquerades as a science fiction farce.

Severin Films gives Sex is Crazy gets an excellent release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a trio of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer