Customer Reviews

She Killed in Ecstasy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is most likely Jess Franco's best movie ever. The music is excellent (same as in Vampyros Lesbos), the scenery is beautiful and there's plenty of Franco's trademark zooms. Soledad Miranda makes a haunting performance and the supporting cast (including Paul Muller, Ewa Strömberg, Howard Vernon and Franco himself) also do a good job.

Overall, the style is very much like that of "Vampyros Lesbos", but the pace is faster, which makes it more enjoyable. This film is truly a classic that should be appreciated by film buffs in general and Franco fans in particular. A must-see!

"She Killed in Ecstasy" it's a kind of number 2 from Jesus Franco's classic "Vampyros Lesbos". The cast is almost the same, some locations too. And, of course, the beautiful Soledad Miranda (or Susann Korda), the Countess Nadine from Vampyros, stars both movies. She had very expressive eyes, and was a good actress. The story is common, a young woman who wants revenge, but Jesus realize's with in a diferent way. Her scenes on the sofa are hot, and the first scene, when Soledad appears with the black dress and the purple coat, are a good moments.
It's an interesting movie.

André Sancovsky, from Rio de Janeiro

For Jess Franco's second outing with the beautiful Soledad Miranda, we find ourselves in familiar territory; the beauty that was Europe in the early 70s, fab music with a score that has yet to be topped, and gratuitous nudity and scantilly-clad shots of our star, Soledad.

Now, the film itself is NOT Vampyros Lesbos. Not even close. It's plot is intriguing, as it's difficult not to be intrigued by [her] face. Filled with tons of close-ups and classic post-60s camera angles, zooms and pans, this film definitely has the elements of a "Part II" without even having similar themes. The remastered sound is terrific (the MONO mix in no way deters from the glory of the soundtrack and dialogue) and the picture, though quite sharp and colorful, has many 'scratches' (mainly vertical lines) running through quite a few scenes. There are also a great deal of audible "POPS" between scene changes, conveniently placed at the index-chapter points (why they couldn't have fixed these, I don't know).

As the film comes to a close, we're given a rather abrupt finish, with no credits or even a prolonged black screen. You return immediately to the Menu, which, in contrast to the rather sad and message-filled ending was kind of a let down...Let me have some black screen so I can take in the ending...something!

Nonetheless, if you're a Jess Franco fan, you'll dig this flick. Regardless of it's [technical] flaws, you can't beat having it on DVD, and having Soledad's memory preserved forever in 24-bit digital!

This is one of Jesus Franco's best known and received movies. It is the follow up movie to "Vampiros Lesbos" with pretty much the same cast and crew. Susann Korda, also called "Soledad Miranda", is the wife of a brilliant, but fragile medical doctor/scientist who commits suicide after his work is denounced by the medical establishment. Since her life is now ruined she resolves to seduce and destroy those she blames for her misfortune and goes after them, one by one. Supposedly a loose remake of his own "The Diabolical Dr. Z", this movie is more of an art film, as the plot is minimal, and really no more than an excuse for the kinky sex and murder scenes. This movie wouldn't work as well as it does if not for the incredible appeal of Susann Korda who unfortunately was killed in a car crash soon after making this movie.

While not as cohesive as VAMPYROS LESBOS, this similarly obsessive meditation on sex and death remains watchable thanks to all those things that make even the most slapdashy Franco-flicks worthwile- funky score, kitschy '70s decor, and a zoom lens that roams with fetishistic glee. The presence of the beautiful Soledad Miranda alone is enough to enliven the standard revenge plot (the scene where she is curled up in foetal position on the couch brings an unexpected poignancy to the proceedings).

If you can make it through the sloppy first 25 minutes or so (and forgive the insane blip of a police subplot), SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY is still one of Franco's better films.

Synapse Films' dvd isn't the cleanest-looking print, it's riddled with specks and scratches (particularly during the reel changes), but hey that's a 30 yr old Jess Franco film for you..

Soledad Miranda puts on an electric proformance in this minimalistic Euro Art Slasher. Great soft porn. But as far as the slasher generia goes very low gore value. Unlike many Jesus Franco movies the plot is very straight forward. There is little to guess about. Miranda's husband is hounded to death. she seduces and kills his four chief detracters. No complications, no layiering of meaning or symbol. Absolutely great if you want to see Miranda proform or see a few grissly murders.

This is a classic euro cult thriller from Jess Franco that definitely belongs in every fans collection without a doubt. Some very beautiful cinematography,great score & also some great body language acting from Franco film regular Soledad Miranda(Vampyros Lesbos). "She Killed In Ecstasy" is not perfect & definitely has it's dated flaws,the end could have been done better/more realistic,but these problems don't do much harm to it's all around haunting beauty or the core of it's morbid/creepy premise.

Soledad Miranda, billed as Susann Korda, once again captivates and arouses as the femme fatale in "She Killed in Ecstasy". The weird SF gold metal bra she's wearing in the flashbacks with her doctor husband alone is worth the rental. That, plus the scene depicted on the DVD cover in which she contemplates all the horrible things she's done to avenge her husband's death and dishonor--she effortlessly conveys her ecstatic madness.

Soledad easily seduces those men and women responsible and kills them in ridiculous ways. The victim's blood looks like chocolate syrup but she's got pure murderous lust in her obsidian eyes. Not for nothing is Tim Lucas' short bio of her called "The Black Stare of Soledad Miranda."

The soundtrack, as in "Vampyros Lesbos," is super, if often seeming out of place. Several times, however, it achieves a melancholy grace, as when she grieves, naked, over the body of her husband. Beautiful and heartbreaking. This is a cool little flick if you like Eurotrash cinema with small moments of brilliance. Really, Soledad Miranda died much too soon-- what a star she could have been

Director Jess Franco found his niche with the exquisitely beautiful Soledad Miranda in a series of films spotlighting her talents and it was with this film 'SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY' aka 'MRS. HYDE' aka 'SIE TOTE IN EKSTASE'-1970 that the culmination really took off. Blending a great psychedelic music score by Manfred Hubler and Sigfried Schwab with its use of Indian sitar, brass, and fuzz guitar against the aural landscapes of the countryside counterpointed with the mod interior sets, its a 60's wet dream waiting to explode. Having made his sexy spy adventures such as 'KISS ME MONSTER' aka 'BESAME MONSTRUO'-1967 and erotic horror excursions 'VENUS IN FURS'-1968 and 'VAMPYROS LESBOS'-1070, Franco extends his fetishes into a an excellent revenge tableau as Miranda becomes a killing machine taking out all the doctors responsible for the death of her husband played by Fred Williams and framing each murder into an erotic spider web as Miranda dons different wigs and costumes for each victim. The doctors are played by Franco regulars Howard Vernon, Paul Muller, Ewa Stroemberg, and in a Hitchcockian turn , Franco himself being tortured by his muse. The beautiful photography by Manuel Merino alone is worth the price of admission and until its tragic conclusion, all the elements of cinema merge into one of Franco's early masterpieces. Its as fresh now as when first released and Image entertainment has given it its just due with an incredibly beautiful 1.85 transfer in its original German language with English subtitles although some of the film was lensed in Portugal. Franco would make one more film with Miranda before her unfortunate demise, 'THE DEVIL CAME FROM AKASAVA- 1970 , the shock would have him regroup his thoughts for his future projects but with this film, Franco has produced an absolutely flawless erotic masterpiece and a tribute to the talent and beauty that was Soledad Miranda.

All I have to say, is that this is a great film. It's really very similar to Vampyros Lesbos, and one of Franco's earlier films The Diabolical Dr.Z, Dr.Z is what She killed In Ectasy reminded me of when I watched it. She Killed, also had some of the cast as Vampyros Lesbos had. Soledad Miranda is one of the most beautiful and erotic women I ever seen, If you loved her in Vampyros Lesbos you'll love even more in this film. This is one of the best DVD finds next next Vampyros Lesbos, and I'm really happy that it's in my collection.