Review | Countess Perverse | Blu-ray Authority

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Plot: What’s it about?Video: How does it look?Audio: How does it sound?Supplements: What are the extras?

Plot: What’s it about?

On a lush, exotic island, a wealthy couple has created their own paradise, albeit one soaked in blood. The island is home to a sport more brutal than any other, as beautiful young women are hunted one after another. After the prey is killed, they’re cooked and served to more young ladies, who are then hunted themselves. This vicious cycle of death is perpetuated thanks to the hired help of a mainland couple, who find gorgeous young women and lure them to the island. A feast is then presented to the women, who are then told that they have eaten human flesh and the next meal will come at their expense. This insane game of death has played out over and over, but the blood lust is never satisfied. But will the vile Countess be able to continue her murderous ways unpunished, or will one of her hunted women be able to turn the tables?

Who better to craft a movie about naked women in a desperate battle to the death than Jess Franco, right? Countess Perverse has it all, aristocrats with blood lust, a naked woman with a bow & arrow, cannibalism, lesbianism, and tons of sex. I’d never been able to find Countess Perverse before this release, but I’ve read that Franco was never satisfied with the versions released around the world at the time. So for this release, we have the original director’s cut and that is of course excellent news. I’m not sure what was changed, but odds are a metric ton of sex was reinstated. I say that because Countess Perverse is loaded with sex and naked bodies, at a volume that is high even by the Jess Franco scale. The signature Franco sleaze and surreal are here in spades, leading to a wild, off the rails experience. If you’re a Franco fan or just can’t resist cinema’s more outlandish offerings, Countess Perverse is well worth checking out.

Video: How does it look?

Countess Perverse is presented in full frame, as intended. This is one of the best standard transfers I’ve seen, simply an incredible visual presentation. The print is crystal clear and looks like brand new, which allows rich depth and remarkable detail in the images. I found colors to be bright and bold, contrast is dead on, and no errors or other concerns surface. This is just one of the best looking transfers you’ll find on DVD.

Audio: How does it sound?

This French soundtrack is quite good and of course, has English subtitles. The track isn’t going to be your new demo, but it sounds good and remains clear of most age related issues. I heard no hiss or distortion, while harshness was limited to a couple minor instances. A lot of these low budget movies from this era have hissy, hard to endure soundtracks, so I was pleased to find this one sounds so clean.