Watch The Awful Dr. Orlof For Free

I love this movie so much

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Completely putting aside all of the rest of this decidedly dumb, B-grade horror movie (from 1962) - My full 3-star rating goes exclusively to Morpho's absolutely priceless make-up effects. In the story, Morpho was the awful Dr. Orlof's bug-eyed, mute, lunatic, assistant/whipping-boy (who just so happened to like to bite the women he abducted).Every time Morpho made an appearance on screen it was, again, another wonderful opportunity for me to get in a good, hearty laugh, or two. Morpho's goofy, never-blinking eyes, along with his petrified-wood performance, made those idiot aliens in 1954's Killers From Space look positively first-rate by comparison.Yes, indeed. Morpho's screen presence was, without a doubt, the absolute highlight of this pure dead-end picture with its ultra-cheap chills & thrills.Set in the year 1912, this sadistic, little fright flick (directed by Jess Franco), also featured a grate-on-your-nerves romance between the big, brave police inspector, Edgar Tanner, and his lovey-dovey, little, prima ballerina girlfriend, Wanda Bronsky.Stunned by this woman's sheer stupidity, I couldn't believe it when Wanda-dear foolishly went way out on a very daring limb in order to help her handsome hero solve the perplexing case of the 5 missing whores.

Legendary cult director Jesus "Jess" Franco does well with this "Eyes Without a Face" type story that he wrote himself. It has many of the trappings of a traditional old style horror film, complete with a spooky old castle, a creepy henchman, darkly lit streets, and an occasionally overpowering score. Its acting is good, its atmosphere undeniable. The plot is spiced up a bit by the inclusion of some eroticism and some very mild gore. Overall, it's very enjoyable.Franco regular Howard Vernon stars as the mad Dr. Orlof, a surgeon determined to restore beauty to his daughters' face (she was disfigured in a lab accident) by using unwilling female donors. At first, he and his scar faced lackey Morpho (Ricardo Valle) take women whom he thinks people won't miss - namely, prostitutes - but gets more bold when he believes that the key to a successful operation is the use of living flesh. Meanwhile, a dogged police inspector named Tanner (Conrado San Martin) tries to figure out the identity of the maniac.Set in Paris in the early 20th century, "The Awful Dr. Orlof" is considered by some to be the first horror film to come out of Spain. It certainly shows that Franco was a man of real talent, as he creates a wonderful Gothic feel throughout. It plays kind of like a police procedural for a while, with an extended sequence of Tanner interrogating witnesses as to the appearance of Orlof and Morpho, who have been glimpsed at the murder scenes. It may not appeal to some horror fans as it is quite talky, but otherwise it works just fine.The cast features some gorgeous woman and some men with distinctive character faces, such as leading actor Vernon. He's effectively low key in the antagonistic role, and Valle is fine as a hulking brute who's not completely unsympathetic. San Martin is engaging as the likable cop in love with his ballerina girlfriend, Wanda (Diana Lorys). Faustino Cornejo is a delight in a neat role as a sometimes drunken but helpful informant. Lorys is enchanting and pulls double duty by also playing the role of the disfigured Melissa. Perla Cristal is likewise appealing as Orlofs' disapproving associate Arne.Fans of the horror films of the 1930s and 1940s should find a fair deal to enjoy here. It's well made but fairly straightforward, and the story moves along at a good clip.Eight out of 10.

This originally played on the bottom half of a double-bill toplining "The Horrible Dr. Hichcock" (note: NO *t* in "Hichcock) and was a bonanza for every theater that played it, especially the drive-ins: I saw it at a drive-in in Rhode Island near Narragansett August '64, which was a cool '60s summer spot---they even had a race track (thoroughbreds, not NASCAR). Featuring a classic ad campaign---the one-sheets in mint condition are prized by collectors---this twin-bill followed a well-established trajectory for independent "exploitation" films: Played drive-ins Memorial Day to Columbus Day, then regular theaters ("hard tops" in trade lingo of the era) from Thanksgiving through New Year's. It topped the box-office grosses (reported in weekly Variety) when it broke wide in New York and Chicago Thanksgiving 1964. Unusually for such a tandem, both films fully delivered on their opening premise : mad doctor goes off the rails with his obsessions. "Hichcock" was director Freda's best---the U.S. version was only 76 min., the original ran 88 min---I saw this latter when I lived in London 1969, and was surprised that the English version had dubbing by English voices: this is *definitely* the version to get. I am aware that certain Franco aficionados regard this first "Dr. Orloff" as his best---I think "Succubus" aka "Necronomicon" ( in U.S. '68, Trans-American Films, subsidiary of A.I.P.) is and I saw it at its N.Y.C first run at the 59th Street East Theater, though I'd like to see ·VENUS IN FURS aka "Paroxismus" ('69)again, as well as 99 WOMEN ('69) aka "Island Of Despair", as well DIABOLICAL DR. Z ('66). I never trust home-viewing to give the full measure of a film---films of the pre- 1980 era were made with the theatrical audience firmly in mind. That goes double for B & W horror sci-fi. Like "The Awful Dr. Orloff". All other posts here note the similarity to what they call "Les Yeux Sans Visage". That film saw release as "Horror Chamber Of Dr. Faustus" ('62, Lopert Films through UA) with "The Manster". I was aware of the original title because at the time I got the French film mags "Positif" and "Midi Minuit Fantastique". For French class in high school I would do film reviews of these horror films and quote these mags while the other kids were reviewing "The 400 Blows" (*hawk-ptoo*), "Jules And Jim" (*barf*) and other flicks that were WAY too sensitive for my crude and primitive mental process. Franju's classic did not hit the U.S. with its original title until the late '80s, with the advent of the dvds catering to film"buffs". It is more plausible to point to "Circus Of Horrors" ('60) as a primary influence since it was a much bigger hit worldwide , by far. Same set-up: Mad surgeon undone by his obsessions. Since I've only seen "Awful Dr. Orloff" at home recently, I must reserve judgment. I'm very "high church" about that---the small screen experience is nothing like the impact of a theatrical viewing. This films was, and remains, ruggedly serviceable of its type. If you go for '60s mad doctor films, and relish black & white, this will fully satisfy. Others looking for more gore should stick with the post-1980 product.

It is very difficult for me to discuss the various merits of the 1962 Spanish-French horror film "The Awful Dr. Orlof" without comparing them to the French-Italian horror film "Les Yeux Sans Visage" ("Eyes Without a Face"), which came out three years earlier. While both films concern a deranged doctor who kidnaps young women in order to procure skin grafts for his mutilated daughter, "Les Yeux" is the classier of the two; more literate, more shocking and more poetic. Still, despite its lousy reputation, "Orlof" does have lots to offer. It is beautifully shot in B&W, with consistently interesting camera work, and features an effectively creepy score, utilizing mainly piano, percussion and weird sound effects. Thus, a genuinely unsettling aura is achieved throughout the picture. The film also boasts some surprising nudity and a few shock scenes; these latter are not as gross as the ones in "Les Yeux," but still make an impression. And whereas "Les Yeux" gave us the sinister and beautiful Valli as the mad doctor's accomplice, "Orlof" gives us Morpho, a scarred, bug-eyed human robot whose every appearance is visually fascinating. The gorgeous Spanish actress Diana Lorys also stands out here as the police inspector's ballerina girlfriend who goes undercover to stop the demented doctor. Though a fairly paint-by-numbers affair, "Orlof" still proved a fun and riveting entertainment for me, and, thanks to the fine folks at Image Entertainment, it has been nicely transferred into a fine-looking DVD. Too bad about the terrible dubbing, however; subtitles would've been so much more preferable.