Kiss Me Monster (1969)

Touches You

So much average

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

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.

I am a big Fan of Jess Franco, who is, with over 180 films as a director, quite possibly the most prolific filmmaker alive. There is no doubt that the man's impressive repertoire includes some masterpieces ("Miss Muerte", "Venus In Furs"), many highly entertaining flicks and many stinkers ("Sadomania") alike. While "Küss Mich, Monster" of 1969 is certainly not one of the highlights in Franco's career, it is yet a camp and quite fun to watch little spy-spoof that fans of Franco and amusing kitsch in general should enjoy. Even though the film has a certain macabre humor, this is easily one of the tamest films from this highly prolific exploitation director. Of course, the year is 1969, and it is obvious that the film is not gonna be the sleaze-fest that Franco's 70s and 80s productions were. While I did expect 60s sexploitation, however, the film has some kinky parts, but is overall a pretty harmless little black comedy. Janine Reynaud's bared breasts are the most nudity the viewer will get to see in this film, and the violence is also very tame for Franco standards. Yet, this does in no way lessen the film's value as a likable and amusing (if terribly silly) little comedy that should not leave its viewers bored. This is a sequel to the (supposedly better) "Rote Lippen, Sadisterotica" from the same year. It follows two sexy female spies, Diana (Janine Reynaud) and Regina (Rosanna Yanni), on their investigations, which mainly include flirtations, skimpy outfits, eccentric villains and bizarre situations. This is certainly no highlight of any sort, but camp humor and the sexy female cast make it a worthwhile time-waster. Recommended to my fellow Jess Franco fans.

Unfortunately the version of 'Kiss Me Monster' I watched was the 75 minute, badly dubbed version. I'm blaming most of the movie's inadequacies on that. I enjoyed 'Sadisterotica' as a change of pace for Jess Franco - a campy spy thriller rather than his more typical erotic nightmares on film - but this is nowhere near as good.The 'Red Lips' detective team (Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni) return, as do a few Franco regulars. The plot this time around is paper thin. Some sheet music leads the girls to an island where a missing scientist has been experimenting on people. They pose as saxophonists (!) while they investigate the mysterious goings on there, which somehow involve a secret cult. There's all the usual double crosses, plot twists, skimpy outfits, and a totally gratuitous go-go dancing sequence, but the emphasis this time around is more on humour ("humour" - it isn't the least bit amusing) rather than action. Not Franco's best effort, and certainly not a good introduction to his oeuvre. 'Vampiros Lesbos' and 'Succubus' are still the best way for newcomers to begin.