Jesus Franco

Jesus Franco dies, Deadline reports. Franco, the Spanish director who was responsible for a number of banned ‘video nasties’ in the 1980s, passed away in Malaga, after suffering a stroke, the report reveals. In his lengthy career, he had directed over 180 films, many of which went on to become cult horror or B-movies.

Franco began working in the movie industry in the 1950s. Amongst his best-known films were Vampyros Lesbos and Venus In Furs, as well as The Mansion of the Living Dead and The Blood of Fu Manchu. Three of his movies, Women Behind Bars, Devil Hunter and Bloody Moon were banned in the 1980s, after being included on the infamous ‘video nasties’ list. He worked frequently with some female actresses, including Lina Romay, who began as his muse and later became his wife. She died in 2012, having starred in movies such as Jack the Ripper and Barbed Wire Dolls . He also often worked with Soledad Miranda and Christopher Lee.

In 2009, Franco won an honorary Goya award, to recognize his body of work, having gained a reputation in underground cinema for his unique brand of erotic (and often exploitative) horror. His latest movie Al Pereira vs The Alligator Women was released just last month, in Spain.