“I am a shadow among the shadows.”

Franco directed approximately 30 films between 1971 and 1974, the overwhelming majority of which were funded in whole or in part with French money. This is the period in which he worked extensively for Robert De Nesle, in which he renewed his working relationship with Marius Lesoeur of Eurocine.

I will be covering this period with three essays, which will breakdown as follows:

‘Christina on the other side of the mirror ’ will deal with A Virgin Among the Living Dead and The Other Side of the Mirror.

‘Robert De Nesle and The Monsters from Hell’ will deal with Dracula Contra Frankenstein, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein and La Fille de Dracula.

‘La Comtesse Romay’’ will look at Plaisir a Trois, La Comtesse Perverse, La Comtesse Noire, Lorna the Exorcist and probably Exorcism.

I may supplement these with reviews of individuals films which do not sit easily within these groups, such as The Demons and Sinner, perhaps even The Lovers of Devil’s Island.