Succubus - Blue Underground (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: West Germany, 1968
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Pier A. Caminnecci, Jesús Franco, Gert Günther Hoffmann
Cast: Janine Reynaud, Jack Taylor, Howard Vernon, Nathalie Nort, Michel Lemoine, Pier A. Caminnecci, Américo Coimbra, Lina De Wolf, Eva Brauner, Adrian Hoven, Jesús Franco

Release Date: July 25th, 2006
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $14.95

"At a chic nightclub for jaded jetsetters, a simulated snuff performance is the main attraction, and Lorna, its leading lady, is the obsession of men and women alike. Little do they realize that Lorna's Mephistophelean manager has transformed her into "the essence of evil... a devil on earth!" Soon the sensuous starlet's stage persona possesses her entirely, thrusting Lorna into a hallucinatory world of sadomasochistic excess and drawing everyone she touches into her debaucherous delirium. Can anyone stop Lorna before her perverse stage show becomes a murderous reality?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly remastered from original vault materials."

Succubus comes on a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.1 GB

Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity is good, and black levels are strong. Also, compression is very good, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. That said, for an 19-year-old DVD, this transfer looks very good.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and the range is very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Jack Taylor titled Back in Berlin (7 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), and an interview with director Jess Franco titled From Necronomicon to Succubus (22 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Lorna Green is a nightclub performer whose simulated snuff act is world-renowned. It doesn’t take long before Lorna starts to confuse her stage persona with reality by engulfing herself in a downward spiral of hallucinatory visions that feel all too real. Has she gone too far, or will she regain the sanity that slowly slips away?

Succubus marked a new beginning for Jess Franco, who had primarily directed horror and spy films up until that point. The films that followed Succubus increasingly embraced sexual content. The narrative in Succubus, like many of Jess Franco's works, has been described as disjointed or confusing. However, this characterization is misleading; in many ways, it represents one of Jess Franco's most developed plots. 

Succubus features a dreamlike narrative style that perfectly complements Jess Franco’s surreal imagery. The distinction between reality and dreams blurs throughout the film. Jess Franco skillfully navigates this boundary, never fully revealing either as falsehoods. The opening sequence exemplifies this blurring of reality and dreams, featuring an S&M scenario in which Lorna tortures a man and a woman. This sequence is notable for its clever design and execution. Jess Franco slowly teases the viewer as his camera pulls back to reveal that what we are watching is a stage show and not real torture.

Janine Reynaud (The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) is cast in the role of the protagonist, Lorna. She would work with Jess Franco two more times: Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me Monster. Her performance is exquisite as she plays both the seductress and the confused victim with equal flair. Rounding out the cast are other faces recognizable to Jess Franco fans; Jack Taylor (Eugenie… the Story of Her Journey into Perversion) portrays Lorna’s boyfriend, and Howard Vernon (The Awful Dr. Orloff) makes an appearance in the role of Admiral Kapp.

The locations used and costumes are both solid assets that add to the film's overall glossed look. Jess Franco uses soft-focus photography throughout the film, and many of these sequences are undoubtedly among the most beautiful he ever composed. Succubus features several elements that Franco would later utilize more effectively in the following decade. Ultimately, Succubus is a perfect blend of surrealism and eroticism, making it one of Jess Franco's high-water mark films.

Blue Underground gives Succubus its home media release to date. Recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer