Synopsis
Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977) follows a young woman in Inquisition-era Portugal who is compelled to enter a convent after a priest condemns her alleged misconduct. As she endures humiliation, manipulation, and strange rituals within the institution, she discovers that the convent conceals disturbing abuses of power and sinister religious practices. This West German-Swiss horror film blends nunsploitation imagery, religious corruption, and erotic Gothic themes in a provocative exploration of repression and authority.
Criticism
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This is, superficially at least, one of Jess Franco’s ‘classiest’ pictures, with a thoughtful script, sober camerawork, hordes of extras in period dress, and a suitably 18th century inflected score. Underneath the trappings, however, it’s as perverse and twisted as ever. … Like Jack the Ripper, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun shows what Franco is capable of when he’s given some decent money and the chance to take a little time on a project.
Stephen Thrower, Flowers of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco, Volume Two (Strange Attractor Press, 2018)
Selected disc options for Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun
| Extras | Delirium BD-A/US 2026 | Ascot Elite BD-ALL/DE 2014 | Full Moon DVD-1/US 2016 | VIP DVD-0/CH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth | has extra | |||
| DVD Production Report | has extra | |||
| Memories of a Portuguese Nun - Interviews with Producer/Co-Writer Erwin C. Dietrich, Director Jess Franco, Actors Herbert Fux and Lina Romay, and Cinematographer Peter Baumgartner | has extra | has extra | has extra | |
| Franco, Lina und Fux im Filmmuseum München - Q&A with Director Jess Franco, and Actors Lina Romay and Herbert Fux | has extra | has extra | has extra | |
| Interviews with Producer/Co-Writer Erwin C. Dietrich, Director Jess Franco and Actor Herbert Fux | has extra | |||
| Franco, Bloody Franco [Ascot Elite] - Archival Audio Interview with Director Jess Franco | has extra | |||
| Franco, Bloody Franco [Full Moon] - Archival Audio Interview with Director Jess Franco | has extra | |||
| Still Gallery [Ascot Elite] | has extra | |||
| Stills Gallery [Delirium] | has extra | |||
| Stills Gallery [VIP] | has extra | |||
| Biography: Actor Herbert Fux | has extra | |||
| Biography: Actor William Berger | has extra | |||
| Biography: Actress Ana Zanatti | has extra | |||
| Biography: Actress Susan Hemingway | has extra | |||
| Biography: Director Jess Franco | has extra | |||
| Biography: Producer Erwin C. Dietrich | has extra | |||
| English Video Trailer | has extra | |||
| German Theatrical Trailer | has extra | has extra | has extra | |
| Vintage Jess Franco VHS Trailers Reel | has extra |
Notes
- Delirium’s Blu-ray includes trailers for Barbed Wire Dolls (1976), Doriana Gray (1976), Love Camp (1977) and Satanic Sisters (1977).
- Ascot Elite’s Blu-ray includes trailers for: Downtown (1975), Jack the Ripper (1976), Die Marquise von Sade (1976), Weisse Haut auf schwarzen Schenkeln (1976), Frauen im Liebeslager (1977), Greta - Haus ohne Männer (1977), Der Ruf der blonden Göttin (1977), Die Sklavinnen (1977), Die teuflischen Schwestern (1977), Frauen für Zellenblock 9 (1978) and Frauen ohne Unschuld (1978).
- Full Moon’s DVD “VHS Trailers Reel” extra includes trailers for: The Invisible Dead (1970), The Screaming Dead (1972), Erotikill (1973), A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973), Demoniac (1975) and The Oasis of the Living Dead (1982).
- VIP’s “The Official Jess Franco Collection” DVD includes trailers for: Barbed Wire Dolls (1976), Doriana Grey (1976), Jack the Ripper (1976), Blue Rita (1977), Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977), The Devilish Sisters (1977) and Porno Shock (1977).
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Ultimate Edition
Combine the best digital presentation with a selection of choice extras for the ultimate edition.
| Presentation |
Delirium BD 2026
|
|---|---|
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Ascot Elite BD 2014
|
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| Extras | Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth Delirium BD |
| DVD Production Report VIP DVD | |
| Memories of a Portuguese Nun - Interviews with Producer/Co-Writer Erwin C. Dietrich, Director Jess Franco, Actors Herbert Fux and Lina Romay, and Cinematographer Peter Baumgartner Delirium BD | |
| Franco, Lina und Fux im Filmmuseum München - Q&A with Director Jess Franco, and Actors Lina Romay and Herbert Fux Delirium BD | |
| Interviews with Producer/Co-Writer Erwin C. Dietrich, Director Jess Franco and Actor Herbert Fux VIP DVD | |
| Franco, Bloody Franco [Full Moon] - Archival Audio Interview with Director Jess Franco Full Moon DVD | |
| Still Gallery [Ascot Elite] Ascot Elite BD | |
| Stills Gallery [VIP] VIP DVD | |
| English Video Trailer Delirium BD | |
| German Theatrical Trailer Delirium BD |