Diabolical Dr. Z (DVD)

A stylish medical-horror thriller that brings to mind the work of Georges Franju

and David Cronenberg, The Diabolical Dr. Z is a vitally important film in the

horror cinema’s transition from spooky scares to a more dreamy and erotic

variety that would become the signature of Spanish-born filmmaker Jess

Franco. Mabel Karr stars as Irma Zimmer, the daughter of a visionary scientist

(Antonio Jiménez Escribano) who has developed a morbid system of mind

control. After the slightly mad doctor’s death, Irma carries on her father’s work,

and uses a telepathically-controlled exotic dancer with poisoned fingernails

(Estella Blain) as an instrument of revenge upon three doctors who mocked Dr.

Z’s theories. But can Irma eliminate the names on her hit list before a pair of

detectives (played by Franco and the film’s composer, Daniel White) expose her

plot?