
Jesús Franco
- Date of Birth: 1930-05-12
- Date of Death: 2013-04-02
- Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain
Biography
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 Uni... 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.

Night of the Skull
Horror, Thriller, Mystery • 1974 September

Angel of Death 2: The Prison Island Massacre
Horror • 2007 January

Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror
Documentary • 2014 June

Vampir Cuadecuc
Documentary • 1972 May

El abuelo, la condesa y Escarlata la traviesa
Action, Comedy • 1992 January

Jesús Franco, manera de vivir
Documentary • 2007 May

La última película de Jess Franco
Documentary • 2013 October

Jesús in Furs
Documentary • 2005 February

Lilian, the Perverted Virgin
Horror, Thriller • 1984 June

The Awful Dr. Orlof
Horror, Thriller • 1962 May