Jesús Franco | WatchedThis

Jesús Franco

Jesús Franco

Directing

Biography

Jesús "Jess" Franco was a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England. Though he had some American box office success with Necronomicon, his first women-in-prison film Ninety-Nine Women, and his two Christopher Lee films, The Bloody Judge and Count Dracula, he never achieved wide commercial success. Franco moved from Spain to France in 1970 so that he could make more violent and sexual films, and it was at this point that his career began to go downhill commercially, as he turned to low-budget filmmaking with a heavier accent on adult-oriented films. Although he produced a few well-received, low budget horror films in the early 70's, many people in the industry considered him a porn director due to the huge number of X-rated adult films he began churning out. Franco returned to low-budget horror in a brief comeback period from 1980-1983, but after 1983, his career took a second downturn. With the exception of Faceless and Killer Barbies, his films after 1984 are quite disliked and obscure due to their incredibly low budgets. Franco has nevertheless retained a large cult following through the years with his sexually-charged horror films, some of which are regarded as masterpieces by his avid followers.

Filmography Movies

Acting

Poster for The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
MOVIE

The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein

5.1(0.0K)
The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
Morpho
Poster for The Castle of Fu Manchu
MOVIE

The Castle of Fu Manchu

3.7(0.1K)
The Castle of Fu Manchu
Insp. Ahmet
Poster for Count Dracula
MOVIE

Count Dracula

5.9(0.1K)
Count Dracula
Van Helsing's servant (uncredited)
Poster for The Devil Came from Akasava
MOVIE

The Devil Came from Akasava

4.6(0.0K)
The Devil Came from Akasava
Tino Celli
Poster for The Corpse Packs His Bags
MOVIE

The Corpse Packs His Bags

5.1(0.0K)
The Corpse Packs His Bags
Gonzales
Poster for Vampire Blues
MOVIE

Vampire Blues

4.1(0.0K)
Vampire Blues
The Merchant
Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco MovieMOVIE
MOVIE

Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco Movie

8.4(0.0K)
Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco Movie
Himself
Poster for Journey into Perversion
MOVIE

Journey into Perversion

Journey into Perversion
Himself
Poster for The Diabolical Dr. Z
MOVIE

The Diabolical Dr. Z

5.8(0.0K)
The Diabolical Dr. Z
Inspector Tanner
Falks FrauenMOVIE
MOVIE

Falks Frauen

Falks Frauen
(archive footage)

Production

Poster for Angel of Death
MOVIE

Angel of Death

4.3(0.0K)
Angel of Death
Director
Poster for The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
MOVIE

The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein

5.1(0.0K)
The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
Director
Poster for The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
MOVIE

The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein

5.1(0.0K)
The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein
Screenplay
Poster for Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
MOVIE

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein

4.8(0.0K)
Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
Director
Poster for Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
MOVIE

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein

4.8(0.0K)
Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
Story
Poster for Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
MOVIE

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein

4.8(0.0K)
Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
Screenplay
Poster for Lust for Frankenstein
MOVIE

Lust for Frankenstein

3.1(0.0K)
Lust for Frankenstein
Director
Poster for Lust for Frankenstein
MOVIE

Lust for Frankenstein

3.1(0.0K)
Lust for Frankenstein
Screenplay
Poster for Lust for Frankenstein
MOVIE

Lust for Frankenstein

3.1(0.0K)
Lust for Frankenstein
Producer
Poster for Lust for Frankenstein
MOVIE

Lust for Frankenstein

3.1(0.0K)
Lust for Frankenstein
Music

Gallery

Jesús Franco portrait
Jesús Franco portrait