Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

lemon_magic The main lesson that "ADO" gives us is that Franco was capable of pretty good work when he took his time and polished it...but even early on, it's obvious from this movie's choices that Franco was mostly interested in shock and exploitation in his films, even at the cost of common sense or real story telling. The movie is an obvious retelling of "Eyes Without A Face", not as well plotted or acted overall. It's still quite watchable thanks to some effective black and white cinematography, some attractive (or at least interesting looking) actors and character designs, and a weird, churning organ/drum based sound track that helps maintain the mood even when things drag. Alas, there are pacing problems, holes in the plot you could drive a submarine through, and some gimmicky nudity (I'll grant that the topless shots actually make sense in the context of the scenes). Franco overuses certain kinds of shots - seemingly half the movie consists of Morpho carrying dead/unconscious women from place to place. And what's the deal with Morpho, anyway? He's got some kind of vampire neck biting thing going on which is never explained, so it's obviously just Franco translating sexual assault through ripping off Universal's and Hammer's versions of "Dracula". And the dubbing (at least in the DVD I saw), sinks it. None of the English voice talent is incompetent, but it seemed as if the "main" voice roles were performed by actors not really fluent in English on a native level - lines are shouted, declaimed, recited and delivered,but nothing sounds authentic. I am sure the movie would be much better with subtitles. Decent. There were moments I forgot I was watching a Jesse Franco film - but inevitably,I would quickly be reminded. See it if you like Franco, exploitation in general, or "Eyes Without A Face".

Michael_Elliott The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Jess Franco reworks EYES WITHOUT A FACE with Howard Vernon stepping in as Dr. Orloff, a doctor using a deformed man (Richard Valle) to kidnap women so that the doctor can use them to rebuild his daughter's face, which was scarred in a fire. I will say right off the bat that I find it rather impossible that Franco wasn't aware of EYES WITHOUT A FACE when he made this but I guess there's always that slight shot that two people pretty much came up with the same story idea is a short period of time. With that said, there's no doubt that the "other" film is the true classic but this one here manages to be worth watching even through its sometimes silly moments. I think Franco is at his best here whenever there's a murder/kidnapping sequence going on. One could argue that the opening sequence is among the best work Franco has done as we see the deformed Morpho break into an apartment to kidnap a woman while terrified neighbors look on not wanting to help her. Another strong point to the film are the performances with Vernon doing a very nice job as Dr. Orloff. What makes his performance work so well is that he manages to be both sympathetic but also evil in his own way. Valle is also quite memorable in his role. The atmosphere is another major plus with the B&W cinematography adding another dimension to the film. The bad moments are many of the supporting performances and certainly the awful dubbing if you happen to be watching an English track.

Scarecrow-88 One of Jesús Franco's first films, early in his career, may be too straight and commercial for his more die-hard admirers who prefer the more surreal and experimental work, which included freedom to explore adult subject matter and the human body for that matter. And while I like some of his later films, I like this early Gothic horror period because the genre is my favorite. I like the period setting, the castle on the hill, the mad scientist Orloff(Franco's long time collaborator Howard Vernon, whose interesting face was always utilized well by the director ), his grotesque henchman (Ricardo Valle)the diabolical experiments(Orloff's insane desire to preserve beauty, returning it to his scar-faced child), the detective out to catch the kidnappers, the damsel in distress(the Inspector's fiancé), and the difficulty developing a case as our heroes must secure clues to find the criminals body snatching. Kind of an uninspired, abrupt conclusion, but "The Awful Dr. Orloff" was more of a launchpad for Franco anyway. I like the movie's villain even though the film's premise is similar to countless other plots involving "face graft" experiments where a scientist attempts to restore loveliness to his daughter's damaged visage(Eyes without a Face; The Witch's Mirror), often more than not failing to succeed almost always on the verge of a breakthrough, yet coming up short. In this film, Orloff realizes he must use tissue from live specimens, understanding that his failures were because of using face flesh from dead women. Orloff likes to frequent the cabaret for potential lab rats to experiment with, dancers and singers he considers undesirables and unworthy to live, their importance less than his daughter's recovering her beauty. There are two scenes containing nudity such as a female victim being cut with a scalpel by Orloff, her breasts exposed. Conrado San Martin is Inspector Tanner, in charge of catching Orloff, the curvy, voluptuous Diana Lorys(Fangs of the Living Dead)his fiancé, ballerina Wanda, who puts herself in harm's way by posing as a floozy to upend the mad doctor. I think Orloff and Count Dracula are films made by Jesús Franco that will appeal to a larger horror audience than his more out-there work as "The Awful Dr. Orloff" maintains a more professional, conventional, and level-headed presentation..that's a good or bad thing depending on what you prefer when watching a Jesús Franco film.

Woodyanders Ruthless and obsessive Dr. Orlof (an excellent performance by Howard Vernon) abducts gorgeous young women so he can restore his disfigured sister Melissa's beauty. Earnest Inspector Tanner (a likable portrayal by Conrado San Martin) tries to nab Orlof. Meanwhile, Tanner's sweet ballerina girlfriend Wanda Bronsky (winningly played by Diana Lorys) poses as a cabaret singer to lure the diabolical doctor. Writer/director Jess Franco's first notable foray into the horror genre delivers a bold and creative blend of standard Gothic elements like the remote forbidding castle and fog-shrouded dark empty streets with such more racy contemporary ingredients as gore, nudity, and an offbeat experimental score. Moreover, Franco relates the luridly compelling story at a steady pace, stages the murder set pieces with real brio and style, does an expert job of maintaining a properly spooky atmosphere throughout, and even tosses in a few nifty nigh club scenes to further spruce things up. The acting is overall solid, with stand-out contributions by Riccardo Valle as Orlof's blind and malformed henchman Morpho, Perla Cristal as Orlof's reluctant assistant Anne, and Maria Silva as sultry singer Dany. Godofredo Pacheco's crisp and lively black and white cinematography offers a wealth of striking visuals (a shot of Orlof and Morpho carrying a body across a windy landscape is particularly stunning). The eclectic score by Jose Pagan and Antonio Ramirez Angel alternates between crashing free-form cacophony and more conventional shuddery ooga-booga stuff. Well worth seeing.