One of the most provocative films of writer/director Jess Franco’s career has been virtually impossible to experience in its complete and uncut form… until now. Lina Romay is at her most explicitly seductive as an exotic dancer whose body is inhabited by a being from another dimension to explore desire, depravity and death, while Uncle Jess himself portrays a wheelchair-bound psychic obsessed with the paranormal. Shot on location in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, Evelyne Scott (DEVIL’S KISS), Monica Swinn (BARBED WIRE DOLLS) and Olivier Mathot (THE SADIST OF NOTRE DAME) co-star in this 1975 Eurociné production. Previously available only in a shortened French version or as a censor-fogged Japanese bootleg. Now scanned from the original negative for the first time ever anywhere.

Travis’s Take (3 / 5)

All of these Franco movies are running together in my head. Lina Romay being totally nude and graphically writhing and spreading for the camera. Exotic locations. Appearances by Franco. It’s all here. Big difference for this movie is that it actually is science fiction. Now don’t expect any sort of space ships or heady concepts, but at least this promises a new wrinkle that isn’t just on some dude’s beanbag.

I wondered how long it would be before there would be nudity in this entry, as a fun little game working through these discs. Well don’t fret, within seconds there is flaccid foreskin on display. I told you this was going to be different! But before you get nervous, Romay appears and slaps her own fanny while rubbing her pepperonis. The camera is extra lecherous in Shining Sex, and the title ups being truth in advertising because it zooms in on her glistening massive box so close that you can make out all the razor burn. Lina is really expanding her acting skills by yet again playing a club dancer. There are plenty of 70s weirdos watching, in particular a guy with reflective aviator sunglasses. You’ll get to see plenty more of him later, but for the time being Romay goes back to a woman’s apartment for a serious lez sesh.

So it’s a lot of skin for the first 25 minutes or so, when Franco shows up in a wheelchair and acts completely weird like he’s being haunted. This certainly isn’t making much sense yet. The woman brings Romay to a spastic, flopping around climax just in time for sunglasses guy to arrive rocking his full throbbing anteater boner attack. This movie is probably the most graphic of the recent Franco titles, being softcore and just falling sort of insertion shots. Romay’s seizure caused her to question what the hell is going on just like I was, so she heads to a spiritualist for some answers. Of course they end up going at it with some steam cleaning of shag crotch carpets.

Through some exposition we find out the woman from earlier is called Alpha and is some sort of alien? Franco has an assistant that tries to rescue Romay, since the more fooling around she does she starts to get covered in this gray, glittery substance and might be impregnated (or is it a virus?). So there is your sci-fi. Watch out Frank Herbert, someone is gunning for a Hugo award. The sunglasses guy is Alpha’s slave, and Franco is possibly some alien as well…I think. Alpha uses Romay as a potential assassin to go after another investigator who might be onto the alien plot, but of course it ends up in seduction and more sex. The stress of getting her puss stretched out so much and being covered in this glitter eventually takes its toll and Romay succumbs. And that’s that.

This was pretty outlandish and had plenty of “action” scenes to make it a bit more memorable than your average Franco quickie. The direction was done pretty well too which helped to clean up a fairly sleazy affair. The picture and sound were more than adequate for what this was, and the extras are on par with the previous reviews. It makes me wonder if this was ever planned to be a boxset, since there is so much shared supplemental material spread out among these discs? There was a unique one on this release though, called NSFW outtakes. So much for this being softcore! Franco actually did shoot hardcore footage for this! So if you thought maybe you were cheated, watch this extra for all the missing cock suckin’ and pussy fuckin’.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Travis says: Hidden Treasure!

Travis's Take:	(3.0 / 5)
Blu-ray Extras:	(4.0 / 5)
Average:	(3.5 / 5)

• In the Land of Franco Part 3 – Stephen Thrower and Antonio Mayans tour multiple Franco locations in Málaga, Spain.
• Shining Jess – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Murderous Passions and Flowers of Perversion.
• Never Met Franco – Interview with Filmmaker Gerard Kikoine.
• Filmmaker Christophe Gans on Franco.
• Very NSFW Outtakes.
• Franco at Eurociné – Interview with Producer Daniel Lesoeur.
• Commentary with Scholars Robert Monell and Rod Barnett.
• Trailer