Venus in Furs, Sultry Revenge From the Grave

Jesus Franco didn't have to contend with ISIS...probably a good thing. As James Darren has passionate and juicy pre-marital sex with Maria Rohm, images of erect mosque spirals are super-imposed on the heated action. As the two moan and groan, the Muslim call to prayer also echos. A scene reminiscent of the train going through the tunnel in "North By Northwest" when Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint go at it. With heated passion...in this Franco film, is ghostly revenge and erotic methods. Today we look at 1969's "Venus in Furs."

Wanda (Rohm) appears at a jet-set party of millionaire Ahmed (Klaus Kinski) in Istanbul. Jimmy (Darren) is the hired help, tooting his trumpet with the band. Wanda is ushered into another room and Ahmed and her begin sucking face. Uh oh...the sultry Olga (Margaret Lee) and the pervert Percival (Dennis Price) show up. Percival beats and strips Wanda as Olga wields a whip and uses it repeatedly on the mysterious siren. Humiliated, Wanda is then jumped on by the perverse trio and sacrificed with a ceremonial dagger. She'll wash up dead on a beach soon...and our story really begins.

Jimmy is now tooting his horn in Rio and loving nightclub singer Rita (Barbara McNair). The two are crazy about each other until Wanda shows up. Uh oh...she's supposed to be dead. Much to Rita's frustration, Wanda and Jimmy commence a torrid love affair. Uh oh again, Percival is also in town and Wanda will pay him a very erotic and deadly visit. After a gratuitous make-out scene between Wanda and Olga, the ghostly vixen will then pay an equally erotic visit to Olga...can you guess her fate. Now Wanda heads back to Istanbul where Ahmed still practices ancient rites. The love-struck Jimmy follows and the two have more pre-marital sex. Now Wanda seeks to complete her revenge at the same time as she falls madly in love with Jimmy.

Is Wanda really dead? If Wanda is really a ghost, is Jimmy really cheating on Rita? After disposing of Olga in an act of erotic revenge, will Wanda turn her attention to Rita in a more 'claiming your territory' act of violence? This is a horror/mystery heavy on eroticism and Maria Rohm's ghostly allure is this film's major asset. For some intriguing plot lines and alluring performances, see "Venus in Furs."