A Virgin Among the Living Dead
| A Virgin Among the Living Dead | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jesús Franco |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Jesús Franco |
| Starring |
|
Production company |
Brux International Pictures |
| Distributed by | Andrés Salvador Molina |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $250,000 |
A Virgin Among the Living Dead is a 1971 Spanish-French Gothic horror film (released in 1973) that was years later recut and redistributed to theaters (in 1981) as a zombie film. It has since been restored on DVD to Jesus Franco's original director's cut thankfully.
It was released in France in 1973 as Christina, princesse de l'érotisme, and in Italy in 1978 as I desideri erotici di Christine with new porn inserts featuring Alice Arno added to the film. Jesús Franco has said that the original shooting title of the film was The Night of the Shooting Stars / La nuit des étoiles filantes.[2]
Producer Marius Lesoeur later had horror director Jean Rollin direct some newly filmed zombie footage that was added to Franco's film for its 1981 re-release. At this time, the English dub was also recorded. (The film has since been released on DVD with the 1981 added Jean Rollin footage removed, the way Franco preferred it.)
Plot
A woman arrives from England to visit her estranged relatives in a small castle for the reading of her dead father's will, she eventually discovers that they are all undead and her decision to live with them turns into a nightmare. She learns that the Queen of the Night has claimed her father's eternal soul because he had committed suicide. Jess Franco himself played a co-starring role in this film as a mindless cretin named Basilio who walks the corridors talking in gibberish to a severed chicken's head.
Cast
- Christina von Blanc as Christina Benson
- Britt Nichols as Carmencé (as Britt Nickols)
- Rosa Palomar as Aunt Abigail
- Anne Libert as The Queen of the Night
- Howard Vernon as Uncle Howard
- Paul Muller as Ernesto Pablo Reiner, Christina's father
- Jesús Franco as Basilio (as Jesús Manera)
- Nicole Guettard as Female Doctor (as Nicole Franco)
- Alice Arno as Princess of Eroticism (erotic inserts only)
Home media releases
The film was released on VHS in the United States by Wizard Video.[3]
The film was released on DVD in the United States by Image Entertainment in 2003 as part of their EuroShock horror line.[4] Some DVD releases features an extended version of the film that runs 13 minutes longer than the US and UK releases, because it contains the extra Jean Rollin footage added to the film eight years after its original production.
On August 20, 2013, a Blu-ray Disc edition, containing both cuts, was made available by Redemption.[5]
Alternate titles include: A comme apocalypse; Among the Living Dead; Christina chez les morts vivants; Christina, princesse de l'erotisme; Christina, Sex Princess; Le Labyrinthe; La nuit des etoiles filantes; Los suenos eroticos de Christine; Zombie 4; and Zombie Holocaust.[1]
Reception
Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle called it "one of the most infamously mutilated underground favorites" and said the original Franco is the best cut of the film.[6] Chris Alexander of Fangoria called the original Franco cut "a loose, atmospheric masterpiece of pure cinema".[7] Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote that the Kino-Redemption release is "a triumph for Franco fans, though unlikely to appeal outside that demographic".[8] Bill Gibron of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it "a truly unnerving experience representing Franco at his most visually arresting".[9] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle called it "an atrophied psychological horror, which is over-stylish and impressionistic to the point of incoherence".[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.
- ↑ "BIFFF 20". DevilDead.com. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ↑ Alexander, Chris (2013-12-09). "EXCLUSIVE: Charles Band Announces Wizard Studios". Fangoria. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ↑ Blumberg, Arnold (2006). Zombiemania. Telos Publishing. ISBN 9781845838171.
- ↑ "Kino Lorber and Redemption Release Jess Franco's A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Nightmares Come at Night, and The Awful Dr. Orlof on Blu-ray and DVD" (Press release). New York City, NY: Kino Lorber. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
- ↑ Whittaker, Richard (2013-08-25). "DVDanger: 'Alyce Kills'/'A Virgin Among the Living Dead'". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ↑ Alexander, Chris (2013-08-20). "Jess Franco's "A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD" (Blu-ray Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ↑ Sullivan, Gordon (2013-08-13). "A Virgin Among the Living Dead (Blu-ray)". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ↑ Gibron, Bill (2013-09-17). "A Virgin Among The Living Dead: Remastered Edition". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2015-02-16.