When critics start to use capital letters in an attempt to show their feelings, they are showing more childish emotion than critical savvy. Poking verbal sticks in Jesus Franco's eyes about over the ultra-low budget LUST FOR FRANKENSTEIN is pretty easy to do. Unfortunately, not one of the commentaries here have managed to give it a negative critique that is indicative of any intelligent thought. The gut reactions are real, though, and you have every right to hate this film once you've watched it. But when pudgy nerds try to belittle Lina Romay or Michelle Bauer, they are merely showing their inability to critique a film. The fact of the matter is that LUST FOR FRANKENSTEIN is so "out there" that it does stir emotions within the viewer. Whether that emotion translates into lust or disgust is for each viewer to decide but the film defies you to watch it dismissively. You have to react.
Franco, using his One Shot Productions team, captures every man's fantasy, the beautiful Michelle Bauer, and turns her into his garish ideal as a Frankenstein monster. Anyone who watches this film and declares Michelle Bauer as wasted in the role or not beautiful needs to push away from the dinner table once in a while and join the real world. Bauer is garishly gorgeous as Goddess, the monster in question, and Franco has truly achieved one of the singular incarnations of the Gothic creature. While she whiled away the '80s and early '90s in schlock goofy video fare, Bauer has finally creature a character here that is worthy to be remembered. And now she can be remembered for her acting ability and not just as a naked body and pretty face wasted away in countless Fred Olen Ray videos.
Lina Romay is way past her prime and she looks every bit of her 40-plus years. But she's not cast as a beautiful young thing here, so why does everyone want to fault her for acting her age? Is it a crime to age on camera? Sure, she has some embarrassing nude scenes but the point of the whole thing is that her character is the loser daughter of Dr. Frankenstein who finally discovers, at middle age, that she has a monster in her control who can possibly deliver the lust that her life has always been missing. I'm sure most of the people who have patheticly belittled Romay for appearing nude in this film probably have thrown blankets over their own bathroom mirrors. But they sure love to throw those stones.
Finally, the story is simplistic and straightforward with no twists or turns other than the omni-sexual creature created by Franco/Frankenstein and embodied by the wonderful Bauer. Once Romay's character sets the monster loose, the story just runs its bitter and disgusting course. But you'll have to admit, you will react viscerally to almost everything that transpires on the screen. When Bauer and Romay embrace as the monster couples with a tree (yes, it's true), you will know that you are deep inside the mind and world of Jesus Franco.
Boris Karloff would turn over in his grave. Universal fans will hate this. The average movie viewer will be disgusted. Fans of erotica, Euro horror and the Unusual will revel in Franco's ongoing nightmare of lust.
