Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff, The (1973)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Going by his filmmography, lesbians would be the most recurring thing in Jess Franco's career but the second thing would be the Dr. Orlof character. Franco first hit with THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF, which was quickly followed by DR. ORLOFF'S MONSTER and he has returned to the character throughout the rest of his career. In this film, Dr. Orloff (William Berger) is working with a family and trying to make a heir (Mona Proust) believe that she is crazy. The woman, who is a cripple, keeps suffering from a nightmare dealing with her father and she believes that Orloff is trying to help her but he has some dark secrets of his own. THE SINISTER EYES OF DR. ORLOFF isn't as glossy as the earlier films dealing with the character and it's also a lot more tame than those as well as most that would follow. Those expecting sex and gore are going to be disappointed because most of the violence takes place off screen and what little nudity there is doesn't appear until nearly an hour into the movie. The story itself is basically just your normal revenge plot but Franco does manage to build up some atmosphere. Of course, one wishes that the production values had been a tad bit higher because the film is hampered by its low-budget and of course we get countless zoom shots, which were a favorite money-saving ploy by the director. Berger, filling in for Howard Vernon, isn't nearly as effective but he's not too bad. Proust does what she can with her role but that's not too much. Franco appears briefly as the father and you can get a quick look at Lina Romay in an early role. I think most people are going to find this film a chore to sit through even with its short running time. If you're a die-hard fan of Franco then you might want to check this out but others should probably start with a different film.
