SNAKEWOMAN (director/writer: Jess Franco; cinematographer: Emilio Schagorodsky; music: David Ramos/Jess Franco/Exequiel Caldas; cast: Christie Levin (Snakewoman), Antonio Mayans (Nostradamus), Carmen Montes, Fata Morgana, Ezekiel Cohen; Runtime: 95; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Casey Yip/Peter J. Evanko; SRS Cinema; 2005-Spain/USA-in Spanish with English subtitles)
“Your basic weirdo lesbian/horror love story, driven by sex.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
This erotic thriller was shot in Portugal. Veteran underground cult director Jess Franco (“Incubus”/”Blind Target”), a 75-year-old based in Spain, is known for his forays into sexual deliria and violence. Snakewoman is your basic weirdo lesbian/horror love story, driven by sex. It creates a morbidly romantic mood, and seems made to order for those who like a little blood to be on the genitalia. The filmmaker on the DVD cover says “I believe Snakewoman is among the most sincere and creative films of my career.” I wouldn’t know, since this is the first film of his I have seen. But it is funky, with a touch of art to make the sleaze a bit more palatable.
Carla works for a publishing house as a publicity agent. Her boss Tony sends her to the isolated mansion of Oriana Balasz. She was a singer, composer and actress of the 1920s from Hungary, who had a controversial reputation as a sexually uninhibited artist and as an underground icon. She died in 1945; her relatives have inherited the estate of the now obscure starlet. Carla wants to purchase from them the copyrights to Oriana’s life story and reacquaint the world with Oriana’s life story. The relatives are hedonists and include a temptress Snakewoman, who prances around in the nude and is adorned with a snake tattoo that wraps around her body. Snakewoman is a real charmer, who has a great ass and titties. She will awaken the dyke lurking inside Carla and the two will find bliss in each other’s arms. But I don’t know about those fangs of Snakewoman digging into the vagina’s of her conquests, that seems a bit much.
REVIEWED ON 2/3/2006 GRADE: B-
Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”
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