If you’re savvy enough to pick up a copy of Severin Films’ release of She Killed In Ecstasy (1971) before it goes out of print, then you’ll also be getting the 24 track compilation of Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab’s music for three films by Franco. This compilation was originally issued in 1995 on the Lucertola Media label and has since become quite the collector’s item. In both the original and reissues this compilation collects the soundtracks from She Killer In Ecstasy, Vampyros Lesbos (1971), and The Devil Came From Akasava (1971). The year 1971 marked a high point for Franco’s career in the field of erotic horror and all three of these films feature Soledad Miranda in the lead.
Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab’s music is pure acid jazz. Psychedelic sounds abound in mixes that are thick with fuzz guitar, heavy bass, and twinkling keys. The music is as iconic as the images of a nude Soledad Miranda, a rare achievement among soundtracks. One of the best tracks, Necronomania, from Vampyros Lesbos, transcends the film it was written to accompany in terms of its modern evocation of Gothic themes.
The price of the Severin Blu-Ray of She Killed In Ecstasy would cover just the bonus CD for pure value. 3 Films By Jess Franco is essential for any soundtrack library, but especially for those collectors drawn to euro-sleaze and Giallo soundtracks. The sonic qualities of Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab’s compositions bridge the gap between sixties pop and the more formal experiments of Klaus Schulze. In fact, there’s a easily detectable connection to be made from Necronomania and Schulze’s soundtrack for the Lasse Braun porno Body Love (1977).
