‘The Sinister Dr. Orolff’ Experiments on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro on Nov. 14

The Sinister Dr. Orolff

(1984 — Spain)

Stars: Antonio Mayans, Howard Vernon, Tony Skios, Rocio Freixas, Raf Smog, Juan Cozar, Teo Santander.

With his 1962 film “The Awful Dr Orlof,” director Jess Franco laid the ground work for the Spanish horror boom that was to follow later in that decade. The film’s mixture of sex, surgery and gothic horror was a game changer in many ways. Twenty years on, he revisited his classic to create this chilling and macabre follow up; the film features the original doctor, played by Howard Vernon, with Antonio Mayans as his son, Alfred. The film is set amongst the bright neon lights and gaudy tourist attractions of Alicante, on Spain’s Costa Blanca. Alfred Orloff cruises the bustling night-time streets, seeking out women, whom he takes back to his empty apartment. There he drugs them and has his blind brother, Andros, carry them off to a secret laboratory where Orloff has created a bizarre mind transference machine, hoping to transplant the consciousness of the captive women into the body of his comatose mother. Orloff’s father becomes aware that his son is starting to enjoy these murderous night games and decides that he must stop the deadly experiments that are being conducted in his name. But when Inspector Tanner’s wife becomes the next victim, events take a tragic and unexpected turn. This is the film’s first ever US release and a world premiere on Blu-ray. Brand new 4K transfer from film negative, digitally restored.

Formats: Blu-ray.

Extras: Interview with actor Antonio Mayans; interview with writer Stephen Thrower;
audio commentary from Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.

(Mondo Macabro).