The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" offers a commendable yet average AVC encoded (1.67:1 aspect ratio) transfer. As is customary for low-budget Euro-sleaze releases, this transfer utilizes the best available elements from Kino Redemption. While the source material exhibits noticeable wear and tear, including chemical damage, scratches, and debris, the HD offering stands as a solid effort under lowered expectations. The presentation is enhanced by a thin grain structure that provides an authentic film-like quality, preserving adequate detail particularly in make-up work and close-ups.

The 1080p transfer manages to maintain good definition and resolution, especially visible in tighter shots and background details, even in dimly lit scenes. Contrast and brightness are balanced well, ensuring comfortable black and white delineation. Despite the evident age of the source material, which brings along softness, blurriness, white specks, and vertical scratches, the overall visual experience remains passable. Instances of discoloration, mild gate weave, and blooming further indicate the aged condition, but the textured interiors help in preserving the macabre mood of the film effectively.

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix for "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" is marred by age-related issues, with hiss and pops prevalent throughout the audio track. The dubbing ensures dialogue is clear and easy to follow, though it tends to be loud, overshadowing other elements. While the scoring lacks precision, its intent remains discernible. Sound effects retain their artificiality, offering a pronounced yet dated aural experience.

Similarly, the uncompressed PCM mono soundtrack is faithful to its source but is plagued by inconsistencies. The ADR work, despite being occasionally amusing, suffers from noticeable hissing and noise in higher pitches, resulting in a bright and sometimes piercing audio presence. This issue is particularly evident during climactic scenes involving Jekyll's monster. The lossless mix offers moments of decent clarity and detail; however, it lacks dynamic range and low-end presence, rendering the overall audio flat and listless.

In both soundtracks, the shortcomings—such as high-frequency noise, lack of low-end, and artificial sound effects—detract from the overall impact. While there are occasional moments of clarity, the presentation remains inconsistent and uninspiring from a technical standpoint.

The Blu-ray extras for "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" are a commendable assortment that will delight enthusiasts of the genre. Tim Lucas delivers an informative and engaging audio commentary, delving into the career of director Jess Franco, offering historical context, background on the cast, and his insights on the film. The alternate footage presents excised nudity scenes with no accompanying sound, offering a tantalizing glimpse into what was left on the cutting room floor. Additionally, viewers can enjoy both the French and Italian trailers. These extras provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of the film's production and its place in cinematic history.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Tim Lucas provides informative commentary, covering Franco's career, historical context, and cast background.
• Alternate Footage: A collection of deleted nude scenes with no audio.
• French Trailer: Original promotional trailer in French.
• Italian Trailer: Original promotional trailer in Italian.

Jesús Franco’s "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" (also known as "Dr. Orloff’s Monster") is a quintessential offering from one of genre cinema's most polarizing figures. While the film is positioned as a sequel to 1961’s "The Awful Dr. Orloff," it operates largely standalone, showcasing Franco’s taste for blending horror with hints of erotica. The plot revolves around Dr. Conrad Jekyll’s (Marcelo Arroita-Jáuregui) mad pursuits and his zombified creation, Andros (Hugo Blanco), who terrorizes unsuspecting victims. The narrative struggles with coherence, evidenced by its underdeveloped motives and a clunky subplot involving a romance between Jekyll’s niece Melissa (Agnès Spaak) and Juan Manuel (Pepe Rubio). However, the film does achieve some visual poignancy with its atmospheric camerawork, reminiscent of classic Universal monster movies.

One of the strengths of "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" lies in its visual design. Working with cinematographer Alfonso Nieva, Franco envelops the picturesque town and its antiquated interiors with a sense of timeless malevolence. The tavern scenes, infused with jazz-soundtracked burlesque, create an eerie yet oddly charming ambiance. Dynamic sequences, such as Inspector Klein’s (Pastor Serrador) investigation and the dimly lit confrontations beneath a Charlie Chaplin portrait, underscore Franco's knack for visual storytelling. Despite these flourishes, the film’s potential is marred by poorly executed dialogue and narrative decisions, diluting the impact of its more haunting moments.

Nevertheless, Franco's directorial idiosyncrasies remain evident. The juxtaposition of carefully orchestrated scenes with bafflingly amateurish decisions exemplifies his unique style. "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" is not Franco’s magnum opus nor is it amongst the finest gothic horrors, but it maintains a curious allure for fans and scholars of his work. While not as compelling as its inspirations or contemporaries, it presents enough intriguing elements to justify a viewing for aficionados of the genre.

"The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" Blu-ray represents Jesús Franco's characteristic filmmaking style, integrating snap zooms, dark cinematography, and periodic bursts of semi-naked women to retain viewer engagement. Franco adheres to his established formula, ensuring all required horror elements are hit through shadowy encounters and sporadic bouts of violence. Despite these attempts, the film struggles to maintain consistent excitement and often succumbs to periods of monotony.

The visual presentation of this Blu-ray is robust yet unremarkable. Franco's camerawork showcases his creativity and some visual elegance, but the overall experience remains hindered by an incoherent and nonsensical plot, poor dialogue, and imprudent composition choices. The inclusion of an illogical subplot about young love further detracts from the film's cohesion. Audio quality similarly maintains a strong but average standard, neither particularly enhancing nor detracting from the viewing experience.

Supplements on the Blu-ray are sparse and fail to add significant value, making the release underwhelming for general audiences. However, fans of Franco and cult cinema enthusiasts may find some enjoyment in revisiting his distinct directorial approach. The overall package lacks the punch needed to captivate a broader audience but does offer a faithful representation of Franco’s niche style.

In conclusion, while "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" displays Jesús Franco's signature touches, it ultimately falls short due to its weak plot and dialogue. The Blu-ray release presents a solid audio-visual experience but doesn't rise above mediocrity, offering little beyond a basic level of interest for non-fans.