She Killed in Ecstasy (4K UHD Review)
Director
Jesús FrancoRelease Date(s)
1971 (March 31, 2026)Studio(s)
Telecine Film/Fernsehproduktion GmbH/Fénix Films (Severin Films)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Made almost back-to-back, or even simultaneously, with Vampyros Lesbos, Jess Franco’s She Killed in Ecstasy (aka Sie tötete in Ekstase) is certainly the less popular of the two films, mostly due to the overt vampiric and lesbian elements of the previous film. Recycling ideas from his earlier work, chiefly Venus in Furs and Miss Muerte (aka The Diabolical Dr. Z), this film is more of a psychological erotic thriller than a supernatural one, focusing on the broken mindset of its central character who goes to great lengths for her deadly vengeance.
Dr. Johnson (Fred Williams) has been conducting secret and controversial experiments, intent on presenting his findings to the scientific community with the support of his loving wife (Soledad Miranda). His work is rebuked for being highly unethical, with the attending scientists—Dr. Houston (Paul Muller), Prof. Walker (Howard Vernon, Dr. Crawford (Ewa Strömberg), and Dr. Donen (Jess Franco)—seeing to it that his lab is destroyed and that his career is ended. Distraught, he commits suicide, leaving his grieving wife behind, who obsessively keeps his body in their bed while she visits each scientist in succession, seducing and killing them as a dogged police inspector (Horst Tappert) attempts to sort out who is behind their murders.
In comparison to Vampyros Lesbos, there’s more of a sloppiness to She Killed in Ecstasy, mostly due to its tonal shifts more so than its performances or its presentation. It’s also filled with the kind of over-the-top jazz score that Franco has used before, but here it feels out of place in a story about woman slowly losing her mind and committing murder. On the other hand, the key to the story actually being engaging is Soledad Miranda’s performance. Like in her previous work with Franco, she’s absolutely magnetic, and it’s clear why she would be appealing to so many people that would also allow her to close enough to them to do them in. At the same time, she’s suffering a traumatic loss and dealing with it the only way she knows how, even keeping her husband’s slowly decomposing corpse in their bed (draw your own conclusions there).
To no one’s surprise, She Killed in Ecstasy is also beautifully photographed, not just in the stylistic interiors, but also the vistas seen along the Spanish coastlines and the local architecture. Soledad Miranda would appear in one more of Franco’s films (The Devil Came from Akasava) before her untimely death. Her character’s demise in Vampyros Lesbos has a very sorrowful feel to it because she died so suddenly, but her death in She Killed in Ecstasy almost mirrors what actually happened to her in real life, making the film’s final moments almost eerie without meaning to. Though it’s considered an essential piece of European genre eroticism, She Killed in Ecstasy is uneven, though Soledad Miranda may have given the performance of her career.
Cinematographer Manuel Merino shot She Killed in Ecstasy on 35mm film with spherical lenses, the results of which were processed photochemically, and finished at the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Severin Films debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. It has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a dual-layered BD-66 disc. The opening and closing titles, likely sourced from an interpositive, are the roughest patches with slight instability and frequent scratches and speckling. There’s also a couple of lower quality inserts from what appears to be a print source that extends one of the more extreme murder scenes. Other than that, this is a beautifully organic presentation that soaks up detail, with impressive textures and grain attenuation. The latter isn’t perfect, being more noticeable on skylines, but it’s fairly solid. Bitrates sit between 90 and 100Mbps most of the time with high levels of detail in every frame. The HDR grades truly support the overall palette, which is a major upgrade from the previous Blu-ray. Colors are boosted, including swatches of red and blue, but most important of all, flesh tones and contrast are improved. There are occasionally minor scratches, but nothing too intrusive as the image is remarkably clean. Above all, this is the most gorgeous and filmic that She Killed in Ecstasy has ever looked on home video.
Audio is included in German 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English. Dialogue is obviously a little loose against the picture, but this is a very pleasant split-channel experience with plenty of support for the various elements, including dialogue. There’s also some nice push for the score and the music, as well. Occasionally there’s some mild distortion and sibilance, but it’s an otherwise problem-free track.
The Severin Films 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of She Killed in Ecstasy sits in a black Amaray case with a 1080p Blu-ray and an insert featuring new artwork by Wes Benscoter. Purchasing directly from Severin’s website will net you an exclusive limited slipcover featuring a still of Soledad Miranda from the film. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- German Trailer (HD – 2:44)
DISC TWO (BD)
- Ecstasy in Rage (HD – 41:56)
- In the Land of Franco Part 13 (HD – 21:07)
- Jess Killed in Ecstasy (HD – 16:56)
- Sublime Soledad (SD – 20:23)
- Paul Muller on Jess Franco (HD – 6:32)
- German Trailer (HD – 2:44)
In Ecstasy in Rage, Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco, talks about the similarities between this film and The Diabolical Dr. Z, the unorthodox score, various aspects of the story, Soledad Miranda and the early end of her career, Franco’s relationship with the other actors and their careers, Franco’s love and use of La Manzanera in Spain, and the film’s final scene and how it relates to Soledad Miranda’s tragic end. In the Land of Franco Part 13 is another entry in Severin’s ongoing series of Stephen Thrower and David Gregory traveling across Europe to find as many of Jess Franco’s filming locations as possible.
In Jess Killed in Ecstasy, Jess Franco talks about the formation of the project, shooting in Spain with the same cast and crew as Vampyros Lesbos but not getting the same results, people being less understanding of his work, his disappointment in Fred Williams and not being able to go as far erotically as he wanted, Soledad Miranda taking the name Susan Korda, having to replace her after her death and his sadness in the aftermath, receiving awards and how he feels about receiving them, and his overall thoughts on his career.
Sublime Soledad features a 2015 interview with Soledad Miranda historian Amy Brown of soledadmiranda.com about the actress, her life, and her body of work. In Paul Muller on Jess Franco, the actor briefly recalls his experiences and his collaborations with the director. Last is the original German trailer, partially re-created with footage from the new restoration.
Not carried over from Severin’s 2015 Blu-ray release is the CD soundtrack, while assorted DVD releases across the globe include various still galleries.
Severin’s UHD debut of She Killed in Ecstasy, as well as Vampyros Lesbos, brings more Franco to the 4K table for more clean and precise consumption than has been possible on home video prior. It’s a great release and belongs in every Franco fanatic’s library.
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)