The Sinister Dr. Orloff
- Year: 1984
- Country of origin: Spain
- Genre: Horror
- Director: Jesús Franco
- Length: 87 min
Critical Perspective
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El siniestro doctor Orloff borrows the basic story outline of The Awful Dr. Orlof, shifts agency from the infamous surgeon onto his psychotic son, and infuses the mise-en-scène with cut-price retro sci-fi, harking back to Dr. Orloff’s Monster and La venganza del doctor Mabuse. Sadly, as a return to the site of former glories it substantially lacks the charm of its forebears. What emerges is a pale shadow of the classic original, lacking any of its atmospheric seductiveness. … This is a film of missed opportunities and, for a supposed horror project, a lack of interest in terror that borders on contempt. … While it’s marginally better than the talky and tedious Los ojos siniestros del doctor Orloff and at least give us a chance to see Howard Vernon back in the role that made him a horror icon, El siniestro doctor Orloff simply cannot hold a guttering candle to the Orloff films of the 1960s.
Stephen Thrower, Flowers of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco, Volume Two (Strange Attractor Press, 2018)
The Sinister Dr. Orloff Blu-ray editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Mondo Macabro BD-ALL/US 2023 |
|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson | |
| Antonio Mayans, the Wild Years with Jesús Franco - Interview with Actor Antonio Mayans | |
| Interview with Stephen Thrower |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Mondo Macabro’s “Limited Edition” Blu-ray includes a 20-page booklet with writing by Francesco Cesari and Roberto Curti (“Reflections on Orloff”). Reissued as a standard edition without booklet (2023/11/14).
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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Antonio Mayans, the Wild Years with Jesús Franco (26:43) -
Interview with Stephen Thrower (38:56)
| Editions | |
|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson Mondo Macabro BD |
| Antonio Mayans, the Wild Years with Jesús Franco - Interview with Actor Antonio Mayans Mondo Macabro BD | |
| Interview with Stephen Thrower Mondo Macabro BD |