She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 21, 2015

Jess Franco's "She Killed in Ecstasy" a.k.a. "Sie tötete in Ekstase" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent U.S. distributors Severin Films. The supplemental features on the film include an original German trailer for the film; archival video interview with the late Spanish director; video interview with author Stephen Thrower; CD with original motion picture soundtracks to "Vampyros Lesbos", "She Killed in Ecstasy", and "The Devil Came from Akasava"; and more. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mrs. Johnson

Soledad Miranda is Mrs. Johnson, the young and beautiful wife of an ambitious doctor (Fred Williams, Juliet of the Spirits) who has become a target for the medical community because he has been performing various inhumane experiments. When the depressed doctor commits suicide, Mrs. Johnson decides to punish his most outspoken critics.

Jess Franco completed She Killed in Ecstasy immediately after the stylish Vampyros Lesbos. Apparently, German producer Artur Brauner was so impressed with the latter that he immediately gave Franco carte blanche to do any type of film he wanted as long as Miranda was once again its star.

She Killed in Ecstasy was inspired by a famous play by French writer Gabriel Marcel, but its plot is actually very similar to that of Franco’s Miss Muerte a.k.a. The Diabolical Doctor 'Z' in which a woman decides to avenge the death of her father, a mad scientist. The major difference between the two films is the setting -- the latter has a neo-Gothic atmosphere that reminds of Georges Franju’s terrific horror thriller Eyes Without a Face, while the former is set in present days (the early ‘70s).

Miranda is the heart and soul of the film. After her husband dies, she becomes a dangerous seductress who tracks down his critics and then makes them suffer. Some of the killings are quite gruesome -- with the best one actually featuring Franco himself -- but the camera always seems far more interested in Miranda’s elegant body and facial expressions. Unsurprisingly, She Killed in Ecstasy is as much of a revenge thriller as it is an exotic erotic film celebrating Miranda’s beauty.

Despite using a number of the same actors, She Killed in Ecstasy is not as effective as Vampyros Lesbos. The dreamy environment that makes the latter so fascinating to behold is replaced by a more conventional Euro-trash environment that makes many of the improvised sequences in the former look quite uneven. Even the erotic sequences do not work as well as those seen in Vampyros Lesbos.

Manfred Hubler and Sigi Schwab again provided an excellent soundtrack with some terrific jazzy tracks, but overall the music is smoother and a lot more relaxed. Interestingly enough, the placement of the jazzy tracks is not as effective as those heard throughout Vampyros Lesbos.

Franco shot She Killed in Ecstasy with cinematographer Manuel Merino (99 Women, Justine de Sade) in Calpe, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, a beautiful area with some terrific beaches. The interior footage was shot in a truly spectacular villa -- seen very early into the film -- which was built by the prominent Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.

Like Vampyros Lesbos, She Killed in Ecstasy was dubbed in German. The German language version of the film, which was the one preferred by Franco, was recently restored and is included on this new Blu-ray release from Severin Films. (According to Franco, this version of the film was banned in his native Spain).

She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jess Franco's She Killed in Ecstasy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

Large parts of the film have a far more convincing organic appearance than Vampyros Lesbos. Early into the film, for instance, there are various close-ups that impress with the type of depth one would expect from a recent restoration (see screencapture #2). Some of the indoor footage also boasts good shadow detail (see screencapture #5). However, elsewhere there are some unusual drops in quality that appear to have been introduced by recent digital work (see screencapture #18). In other words, grain is visible, but there are odd fluctuations that produce some anomalies (sporadic sharp or smeary edges can be spotted). Colors are rather well saturated and with a few minor exceptions remain solid. Overall image stability is good, but a few transitions are somewhat uneven. Some minor scratches, debris, and specks can be seen throughout the entire film, but there are no large damage marks. All in all, She Killed in Ecstasy looks better in high-definition, with select parts of the film actually having a pleasing organic appearance, but there are still some traces of minor digital adjustments. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: German LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good, but there are select parts of the film where some pops and some background hiss emerge. (There are a few such examples very early into the film). Dynamic intensity is modest, but this is hardly surprising considering the film's modest budget. The dubbing is quite good. The English translation is excellent.

She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray

• Jess Killed In Ecstasy: Interview with writer/director Jess Franco - in this archival video interview, the late Spanish director explains how She Killed in Ecstasy came to exist (producer Artur Brauner really liked Vampyros Lesbos and immediately asked Jess Franco to shoot another film with Soledad Miranda), how different sequences were shot, why She Killed in Ecstasy was a more difficult film to work on than Vampyros Lesbos, the tragic death of Soledad Miranda, etc. In English, with optional English subtitles. (17 min, 1080p).

• Sublime Soledad - in this new video interview, Amy Brown (soledadmiranda.com) discusses the life and legacy of actress Soledad Miranda and her professional relationship with Jess Franco. The same interview is also included on the Blu-ray release of Vampyros Lesbos. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

• Stephen Thrower on She Killed in Ecstasy - in this video interview, Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions - The Delirious Cinema of Jess Franco, discusses Jess Franco's work during the 1970s, the evolution of his style (and passion for cinema), how and why she pushed the boundaries of conventional cinema, the production history and key themes of She Killed in Ecstasy, etc. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Paul Muller on Jess Franco - in this video interview, actor Paul Muller, who appeared in eight of Jess Franco's films, discusses his professional relationship with the late Spanish director. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (7 min).

• Trailer - original German trailer for She Killed in Ecstasy. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

CD

• Soundtracks - original motion picture soundtracks to Vampyros Lesbos, She Killed in Ecstasy, and The Devil Came from Akasava.

• Poster - mini poster for She Killed in Ecstasy.

She Killed in Ecstasy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jess Franco completed She Killed in Ecstasy using many of the same actors that appeared in Vampyros Lesbos. It does not have the same dreamy environment that makes Vampyros Lesbos so fascinating to behold, but fans of Soledad Miranda should not miss it. The technical presentation is quite nice. Also, in addition to another great interview with the late Spanish director, Severin Films have included an excellent CD with original motion picture soundtracks to Vampyros Lesbos, She Killed in Ecstasy, and The Devil Came from Akasava. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.