Kiss Me Monster (1969)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Sadly Over-hyped

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

RELEASED IN 1969 and written & directed by Jesús Franco, "Kiss Me, Monster" stars Janine Reynaud (Diana) & Rosanna Yanni (Regina) as detective duo The Red Lips who seek the missing Doctor Beltran who has concocted a formula for super-human clones with the mental capacity of canines. Key informants keep winding up dead so the girls go undercover as a nightclub act on an island off the coast of Spain where they charm the mogul, Eric Vicas (Adrian Hoven), whom they suspect has something to do with the killings and the missing doctor. Quickie filmmaker Franco released 7 movies in 1969, including this one, which was shot in 24 days in August/September, 1967. It's the second of a duology featuring the detective pair; the first being "Sadist Erotica," which was released earlier in the year. Being thrown together so quickly, the plot is virtually incomprehensible unless you're aware of it up front (as described above). Another problem is the lousy dubbing, which (1.) doesn't fit the lips of the characters and (2.) isn't congruent in tone with what's happening on screen.But, if you can get past those flaws, there are several things to enjoy in this spy parody/adventure, which comes across as a melding of late 60's flicks like Raquel Welch's "Fathom" (1967) and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970), but worse than both due to the issues noted above. Some highlights include the Spanish coastal locations, the groovy percussion-oriented soundtrack, the late 60's chic and a few good-looking 60's babes. Speaking of which Reynaud was 37 during shooting and Yanni 29. Neither do much for me (they're a little too slinky), but I definitely prefer Reynaud as far as sex appeal goes. Unfortunately, with the exception of a couple of outfits, the 60's apparel they're laden with doesn't exactly augment their beauty. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 15 minutes and was shot in Spain with one part in Munich, Germany. ADDITIONAL WRITERS: Luis Revenga & Karl Heinz Mannchen. GRADE: C-

Several years ago I watched the film in which this is a sequel to, namely Sadisterotica (1969). I remember distinctly finding it to be fairly atrocious on the whole. To my pleasant surprise, a fellow, very kind IMDb user sent me a copy of its sequel; so what of Kiss Me, Monster? Well, it has to be said upfront that both movies do sport somewhat cool titles and the basic idea behind them is a pretty encouragingly good one. But from what I can fathom, this sequel is pretty much of a similar standard to its earlier equivalent. And this is not especially a good thing on balance.Once again, it focuses on two slinky female detectives, played once more by Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni. They set out to investigate a new case in which song lyrics from the hand of a dead man leads to an island where a scientist has been creating muscle-bound mutants in red posing pouches. In order to get close to their adversaries, the two women go undercover as an erotic nightclub act. Various people are killed along the way and, well, we get to the finale somehow.In this film, stuff happens. That's as good a way of describing events as any, as the style that has been used to tell the story makes it a little hard to follow at times. Like most films from director Jess Franco, this one has pacing problems. Except in this case the problem is the exact opposite of what it usually is, in that unlike the slow pace of most of his other features this one is paced far too fast for its own good. When the main story thread got underway, it took me some time to realise that it wasn't a flashback I was watching such was the rapidity of events depicted – a bloke pitches up, is killed and the ladies are off and quickly encounter many characters in quick succession. In order to tell this particular plot-driven story Franco would have been better putting the brakes on here and there. Consequently, we hurtle through the narrative in a fast and haphazard fashion, meaning it's not easy to keep fully engaged with events. Similar to Sadisterotica this one also sports dubbing of the bottom of the barrel variety. I don't mind dubbing generally but this stuff just sounds like voice-overs too upfront in the mix that only vaguely connects to the characters on-screen.I couldn't pretend to say I found this to be a good film but it does have definite Euro cult value and its general bizarreness does count for something at least. I reckon though if you need to see a Franco effort in the spy genre then The Girl from Rio (1969) is for me the best he has executed of this type. The very fact that Jess knocked out all three of these spy movies I have mentioned in this review in one year (plus a whole bunch of other flicks also) probably gives you a good idea why the likes of this one seems a little…rushed.

I'm gonna keep this review short and sweet (like the movie).KISS ME MONSTER is nothing but fun. It's campy, it's surely a product of it's time (the late 1960's Europe), and if you like Eurospy spoofs and Jess Franco, you won't really be disappointed here.The plot is whacky, (like it's predecessor, "Two Under Cover Angels", aka "Sadist Erotica"), but this movie really isn't about the plot. What makes it fun is the sharp fast paced witty dialog between the two leads. It comes off almost like a sitcom, paced with a jab or joke almost every other line.So, that's about all there is to it, if you like these kinds of movies, and just want something very light and campy, check it out.

Franco's sequel to his amusingly campy tongue-in-cheek spy romp "Two Undercover Girls" is an even more loopy, playful, and saucy outing that blithely eschews narrative coherence in favor of gloriously giddy and inane all-out lunacy. This time our luscious and vivacious Red Lips dynamic distaff super sleuth duo -- shrewd minx Diana (delicious redhead Janice Reynaud) and cheery airhead Regina (yummy blonde Rosanna Yanni) -- run afoul of a kooky assortment of folks who include masked cultists who resemble rogue Klu Klux Klan members and a team of lesbian feminists who are all after a secret formula for making human clones. Reynaud and Yanni display a positively infectious loose and natural on-screen chemistry; it's a total delight to see these lovely ladies banter and bounce off each other as they find themselves in one crazy situation after another: The gals pose as a sultry saxophone act, wear the wildest clothes, bust a few clunky karate chops, and even perform a smoking hot striptease number. Of course, this being a Franco flick there's the inevitable hilariously gratuitous and protracted nightclub set piece complete with funky uninhibited dancing and insanely blaring music. Why, Jess even tosses in a mild whipping and a decent smidgen of tasty bare female flesh for good measure. The cast have a field day with their broad roles: Adrian Hoven as the sinister Eric Vicas, Chris Howland as inept detective Francis McClure, Michael Lemoine as charming mad scientist Jacques Maurier, Ana Casares as vampy club owner Linda, and Manuel Velasco as affable playboy Andy. The richly saturated cinematography by Jorge Herrero and Franz Hofer gives the picture a dazzling vibrant look. Jerry van Rooyen's exuberant jazz score likewise hits the right-on groovy spot. An absolute wacky blast.