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 JessFranco. 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?
French language soundtrack with English subtitles | English language soundtrack | Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, co-author of Obsession: The Films of Jess Franco | Original Theatrical trailer
