Jesús Franco

Person

Jesús Franco

Directing May 12, 1930

Madrid, Spain

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 dis…

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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 and shows, newest first

  1. 2024
  2. 2021
    Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  3. 2019
    Wild Session

    Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)

  4. 2017
    Drácula Barcelona

    Movie Himself

  5. 2015
    Soledad Miranda, Flower in the Desert

    Movie Himself (archive footage)

  6. 2014
    Queridos monstruos

    Movie Self

  7. 2014
    Call Me Jess Redux

    Movie Himself

  8. 2014
    Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror

    Movie Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

  9. 2014
    Falks Frauen

    Movie (archive footage)

  10. 2013
  11. 2013
  12. 2013
    The Rhythm of Jess

    Movie Self

  13. 2013
    Al Pereira vs. the Alligator Ladies

    Movie The Director

  14. 2013
  15. 2012
    Tío Jess

    Movie Self

  16. 2012
More credits
  1. 2012
  2. 2012
    Debris Documentar

    Movie Himself

  3. 2010
  4. 2010
    Paula-Paula

    Movie Director

  5. 2009
    Por la gracia de Luis

    Movie Himself

  6. 2009
    Idoru

    Movie

  7. 2009
    Martes de Carnaval

    TV show Don Manolito

  8. 2009
    Take-Away Spirit

    Movie J.W. Radek

  9. 2009
    Coffins of Light

    Movie himself

  10. 2008
    A Bad Day at the Cemetery

    Movie Director

  11. 2008
    Ellos robaron la picha de Hitler

    Movie Padre del Dr. Weissman

  12. 2008
    Vampyros Lesbos

    Movie Story

  13. 2007
  14. 2007
    Beloved Count

    Movie Self

  15. 2007
  16. 2007
    Bloody Jess

    Movie Self

  17. 2007
    Lascivia

    Movie Director

  18. 2006
    Montes de Venus

    Movie Director

  19. 2005
    Snakewoman

    Movie Director

  20. 2005
    Ban the Sadist Videos!

    Movie Self

  21. 2005
    Jess Franco's Passion

    Movie Director

  22. 2005
    Jess Franco's Perversion

    Movie Director

  23. 2005
    The Well

    Movie

  24. 2005
    Jesús in Furs

    Movie Himself