News

Jess Franco: A name that inspires awe in some, revulsion in others, and eye rolling from those who see the sheer quantity of his output and are immediately dismissive. Making close to 200 films will tend to put one in that kind of light, as quality control would seem nigh impossible. And it was, for the most part; as someone fairly new to the sordid and sweaty oeuvre of Franco, I am choosing to highlight what I think are interesting, or at least enjoyable films from his catalogue. So it was with slight trepidation that I threw on 88 Films’ excellent restored Blu-ray of Devil Hunter (1980). Where would it land on the Franco Scale? As it turns out, a fun Indiana Jones meets Cannibal Island Monster jaunt is where he lands, and I’m more than happy to follow.

A little perspective perhaps; of the Francos I’ve seen, this comes across as the least personal,...

Lina Romay, a pretty brunette who starred in numerous risqué features for longtime companion Jesus Franco, has died. According to online reports, Romay died of cancer on February 15. She was 57. Born Rosa María Almirall Martínez in Barcelona on June 25, 1954, Romay began her film career while in her late teens. The source for her artistic name was another Lina Romay, a singer with Xavier Cugat's band who had featured roles in movies such as Love Laughs at Andy Hardy and Joe Palooka in the Big Fight. (This Lina Romay died at age 91 in December 2010 in the L.A. suburb of Pasadena.) The Spanish Lina Romay's movies, however, were anything but G-rated fare. Her gialli and erotica efforts had titles such as Tender and Perverse Emanuelle (1973), Justine and the Whip (1979), The White Slave (1985), and Alone Against Terror (1987). From the early '70s to 2005, she was featured in more than 100 productions.