Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Falconeer Like another reviewer here, I was simply blown away by this indescribably macabre film, and I consider it to be possibly, Jess Franco's masterpiece. Normally it is style over substance when it comes to Franco's work; not so here. The story was gripping and utterly mesmerizing from the first minute, up until the last beautiful frame. In what must be the strangest, most disturbing father/daughter relationship ever filmed, we have the beautiful Soledad Miranda, who discovers her father is living a horrifying secret life. Rather than being repelled, Eugenie is fascinated, and excited, much to her father's delight. The two of them become a team, both in and out of bed, as they embark together on a shocking sex crime spree! The film's minuscule budget actually is responsible for the starkly gorgeous look of the production; reds and dark greens are the primary colors, with indoor shots being of well-appointed homes with red satin curtains and red carpets. Franco wisely decided to film the whole thing in Berlin and Paris, in the dead of Winter, and the snow covered outdoors look haunting and ethereal. And it is the perfect setting for the pale, porcelain beauty of actress Soledad Miranda. The subject matter is so creepy and disturbing that it actually made me a bit uncomfortable even watching, but it really is impossible to turn away. "Eugenie" possesses a genuine feeling of evil, unlike anything that other horror films have achieved. And even with all the morbid goings on, I was moved and saddened by the tragic end, and the demise of a musician whose only mistake was having some bad luck. Jess Franco even cast himself in this, in a pivotal role, and he is wonderful to watch as well; what an unique and fascinating guy! Anyway for fans of Jess Franco, who have not seen this lesser-known title, i recommend it highly! and for fans of films about sexual deviance, such as "Peeping Tom" or "The Night Porter" this cannot be missed. I will even go as far as to say that "Eugenie" is in the same league as Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now."

jriddle73 Jesus Franco is now a full-fledged cult legend, and EUGENIE DE SADE, from 1970, is one of his absolute best films (and, to be clear on the point, Franco, in spite of what one may hear from his detractors, has a LOT of great work under his belt, and you've never seen one Franco film until you've seen them all).The movie--obsessive, disturbing, and still darkly romantic--is based on "Eugenie de Franval," by the Marquis de Sade, but updated to a modern setting. It tells the story of a very twisted but quite brilliant writer named Radek (played by Paul Muller) and his step-daughter Eugenie, whom he has raised from birth. Radek's wife had already been pregnant when he married her, she'd died not long after giving birth, and he'd raised Eugenie himself, but not necessarily out of fatherly affection. He had a much darker agenda, as we soon learn. He has, in fact, raised her to be his perfect companion, a lover and a collaborator in his various and sundry crimes. Radek is a Sade character, recall. He kills people just because he likes to do it, and, more importantly, because he likes to prove to himself that he can get away with it. Eugenie is sucked into his madness, and the movie records it all.Eugenie is played by the ravishing Soledad Miranda, then one of Franco's regular stable of performers, and she has never looked better than in this film. Only in her mid-20s at the time, she pulls off a balancing act, in her performance, that would have been impressive for an actress of twice her years. Eugenie willingly participates in all of her step-fathers' horrors, yet still retains an air of innocence--she is a victim as well as a perpetrator. One online review of the film said Paul Muller is totally miscast as her stepfather, and I couldn't disagree more strongly. His intensity is piercing, and he nails every note of his performance like a virtuoso. It is, in fact, difficult to imagine anyone else in the part. Originally, Franco was going to make him Eugenie's real father, as in the book, but he changed this out of censorship concerns. Still, the incest theme is quite icky, and Muller is extraordinarily creepy.Kudos, also, are due to the films' fantastic score, another shot out of the park by the most excellent Bruno Nicolai--a perfect marriage of image and sound. Like Eugenie herself, it suggests both innocence and corruption, and makes no judgments on the proceedings.The atmosphere in this one is stifling, at times, and I imagine some would feel the need for a shower after watching it. One shouldn't feel too dirty, though; this is great movie-making.

The_Void Jess Franco has almost 200 directorial credits to his name, so with that in mind; it's not surprising that the vast majority of them are rubbish. Jess Franco certainly does know how to make a bad movie, but clearly he knows his way around a good one too, and while they're in a minority in the man's vast filmography; there are some very good Jess Franco films, and Eugenie de Sade is one of the very best of them! This is one of seven films that Franco directed in 1970 (the second titled 'Eugenie', no less) and it's a film that could almost be considered a shame; because it proves that Franco can be great if he put his mind to it, and I'd rather have ten films like than a hundred cheap and rushed sex flicks. Anyway, the main focus of the plot is the title character; Eugenie is a young girl who falls in love with her stepfather Albert; a writer of erotic fiction, after reading one of his books. It's not long before he notices and despite the incestuous implications of their relationship, he entices Eugenie to join him in his sick sex games that stretch into murder.I have to admit that the main reason I was so keen to see this film was due to the fact that it stars the amazing Soledad Miranda. This actress made a number of films with Jess Franco (including two of his best, Vampiros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy) and it's a real shame that she died prematurely as she was a good actress and a pleasure to watch on screen. I have not seen many of her movies unfortunately, but from the ones I have seen - she is at her best in this one. She fits in brilliantly with the sordid tone of the film and creates just the right balance between innocence and sadism. The style of the movie is very European and Franco obviously valued how important it was to ensure that the film is erotic. There are several standout scenes; the best of which sees Soledad Miranda and Paul Muller entertain an Austrian hitchhiker that they picked up in the middle of nowhere. The film is apparently based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade; not having read any of his material, I can't say how faithful it is but there is plenty of sadism in this movie. The plot is strong for the duration and Franco manages a satisfying ending too. Overall, this is among the cream of Franco's crop and comes highly recommended to all Eurocult fans!

Macabro The first Jesus Franco movie that I saw was Vampyros Lesbos. I liked it very much... it was different, strange and almost hypnotic. I must admit that I liked his style, but the main reason that I continued watching his movies was that in several of his movies he casted Soledad Miranda; a gorgeous Spanish actress that lived in the 70's and that played lead roles in some of his movies. Her screen presence was so powerful, mysterious and unlike any other Hollywood actress today.Anyways, Eugenie is a story of sex, crime, love and devotion. Miranda plays Eugenie, a quiet young girl that lives with her stepfather in Europe. The stepfather is a famous writer with a secret and perverse dark personality. As the movie develops, Eugenie gets involved with her stepfather in his second personality becoming devoted to his malevolent desires.The score of the movie blends perfectly with the atmosphere and the characters. The camera work in some scenes is unique and experimental. The movie might seem absurd to many viewers because not everyone is ready for a movie of this class. Overall the movie is good in the style of Jess Franco. Anyone wanting to experience a Franco movie should definitely start with Vampyros Lesbos, as it stands unquestionably as his masterpieces.