A Virgin Among the Living Dead

A Virgin Among the Living Dead
Directed by	Jesús Franco
Produced by	Franco Gaudenzi Marius Lesoeur
Written by	Jesús Franco
Starring	Christina von Blanc Britt Nichols Howard Vernon Ann Libert Rose Kiekens Paul Muller
Production company	Brux International Pictures
Distributed by	Andrés Salvador Molina
Release dates	1973 (1973)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	Spain^[1] France^[1]
Language	French
Budget	$250,000

A Virgin Among the Living Dead is a 1971 Spanish-French Gothic horror film that was widely marketed as a zombie film.

It was released in France and Italy in 1973 as Christina, princesse de l'érotisme and I desideri erotici di Christine with new inserts featuring Alice Arno added to the film. Jess Franco has said that the original shooting title of the film was The Night of the Shooting Stars / La nuit des étoiles filantes.^[2]

Producer Marius Lesoeur later had horror director Jean Rollin direct some newly filmed zombie footage that was added to Franco's film for its 1981 re-release. At this time, the English dub was also recorded.

Plot

A woman arrives from England to visit her estranged relatives in a small castle for the reading of her dead father's will, she eventually discovers that they are all undead and her decision to live with them turns into a nightmare. She learns that the Queen of the Night has claimed her father's eternal soul because he had committed suicide. Jess Franco himself played a co-starring role in this film as a mindless cretin named Basilio who walks the corridors talking in gibberish to a severed chicken's head.

Cast

Christina von Blanc as Christina Benson
Britt Nichols as Carmencé (as Britt Nickols)
Rosa Palomar as Aunt Abigail
Anne Libert as The Queen of the Night
Howard Vernon as Uncle Howard
Paul Muller as Ernesto Pablo Reiner, Christina's father
Jesús Franco as Basilio (as Jesús Manera)
Nicole Guettard as Female Doctor (as Nicole Franco)
Alice Arno as Princess of Eroticism (erotic inserts only)

Home media releases

The film was released on VHS in the United States by Wizard Video.^[3]

The film was released on DVD in the United States by Image Entertainment in 2003 as part of their EuroShock horror line.^[4] Some DVD releases features an extended version of the film that runs 13 minutes longer than the US and UK releases, because it contains the extra Jean Rollin footage added to the film eight years after its original production.

On August 20, 2013, a Blu-ray Disc edition, containing both cuts, was made available by Redemption.^[5]

Alternate titles include: A comme apocalypse; Among the Living Dead; Christina chez les morts vivants; Christina, princesse de l'erotisme; Christina, Sex Princess; Le Labyrinthe; La nuit des etoiles filantes; Los suenos eroticos de Christine; Zombie 4; and Zombie Holocaust.^[1]

Reception

Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle called it "one of the most infamously mutilated underground favorites" and said the original Franco is the best cut of the film.^[6] Chris Alexander of Fangoria called the original Franco cut "a loose, atmospheric masterpiece of pure cinema".^[7] Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote that the Kino-Redemption release is "a triumph for Franco fans, though unlikely to appeal outside that demographic".^[8] Bill Gibron of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it "a truly unnerving experience representing Franco at his most visually arresting".^[9] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle called it "an atrophied psychological horror, which is over-stylish and impressionistic to the point of incoherence".^[1]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.
↑ "BIFFF 20". DevilDead.com. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
↑ Alexander, Chris (2013-12-09). "EXCLUSIVE: Charles Band Announces Wizard Studios". Fangoria. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
↑ Blumberg, Arnold (2006). Zombiemania. Telos Publishing. ISBN 9781845838171.
↑ "Kino Lorber and Redemption Release Jess Franco's A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Nightmares Come at Night, and The Awful Dr. Orlof on Blu-ray and DVD" (Press release). New York City, NY: Kino Lorber. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
↑ Whittaker, Richard (2013-08-25). "DVDanger: 'Alyce Kills'/'A Virgin Among the Living Dead'". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
↑ Alexander, Chris (2013-08-20). "Jess Franco's "A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD" (Blu-ray Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
↑ Sullivan, Gordon (2013-08-13). "A Virgin Among the Living Dead (Blu-ray)". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
↑ Gibron, Bill (2013-09-17). "A Virgin Among The Living Dead: Remastered Edition". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2015-02-16.

External links

A Virgin Among the Living Dead at the Internet Movie Database

Living Dead films

Romero's Dead series	Night of the Living Dead (1968) Dawn of the Dead (1978) Day of the Dead (1985) Land of the Dead (2005) Diary of the Dead (2007) Survival of the Dead (2009)

Dead series remakes	Night of the Living Dead (1990) Dawn of the Dead (2004) Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) Day of the Dead (2008)

Russo's Dead series	Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition (1999)

Return of the Living Dead series	The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005) Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave (2005)

Unofficial sequels	Zombi 2 (1979) Zombi 3 (1988) Zombi 4: After Death (1989) Zombi 5: Killing Birds (1988) Children of the Living Dead (2001) Day of the Dead 2: Contagium (2005) Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (2007) Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation (2012) Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D (2014)

Parodies	Night of the Living Bread (1990) Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006) Night of the Living Carrots (2011)

Homages	Flesheater (1988) Shaun of the Dead (2004) Fido (2006) Dance of the Dead (2008) Zone of the Dead (2009) Juan of the Dead (2011)

Related topics	Return of the Living Dead (1977) Document of the Dead (1985) Escape of the Living Dead (2005) Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green (2005) City of the Dead (Cancelled) Empire of the Dead (2014– )