Michael_Elliott Fascination (1979) *** (out of 4) Marc (Jean-Marie Lemaire) is a thief on the run from the people he stole from. He ends up taking shelter in a castle where he soon meets Eva (Brigitte Lahaie) and Elisabeth (Franca Mai). The two women come off as incredibly strange but they keep referring to a party later that evening that Marc can't see.Jean Rollin's FASCINATION is without question one of the director's better films, although the final act does take a bit too long to get where it's going. If you're not a fan of Rollin's work then I'd probably recommend that you start with THE LIVING DEAD GIRL or one of his vampire films but once you're used to his work this film will have so many of the director's touches.As you'd expect, there's all sorts of sexuality between both the two women as well as their seduction scenes with Marc. It's really amazing how the likes of Rollin and Jess Franco could milk any scene for all the sexuality that it's worth and it happens here as well. One of the highlights is a sequence where Lahaie goes after one of the men trying to kill Marc. This entire sequence is perfectly directed and contains both the sexuality and violence that you've come to expect from Rollin.Speaking of Lahaie, she easily steals the film with her raging beauty that just leaps off the screen. I've seen several of her movies but the way she looks here is just terrific and I'd argue she's never looked better in any other movie. Both Mai and Lemaire are also good in their roles. FASCINATION has a terrific visual quality and there's no doubt that the locations are put to good use. Fans of Rollin will certainly enjoy this one.

capkronos When people throw out the word "dream-like" to describe a film, I immediately think it will possess three distinct qualities: 1. soft focus or hazy photography, 2. little to no plot or a plot that doesn't make sense, and finally, 3. shots that linger for an eternity to make up for the fact there's little to no plot. After all, *something* needs to fill the time, right? I can't say I'm usually a big fan of these kinds of films unless they're done by very talented directors who are able to use photography, lighting, music, art direction and shot composition to enhance and strengthen the plot. This is also commonly referred to "Making a proper movie." One can actually have it both ways and find that perfect balance. One can be both an artist and a storyteller, which is really what the art of filmmaking is all about. This film I don't think ever finds that balance. In fact, it doesn't really excel at anything. There's next to no plot and, despite this director's reputation as a visual stylist, the material is mostly presented in a surprisingly flat and uninspired fashion. Sure, there are a few nice shots in this 80-minute movie, but not nearly enough to justify sitting through the rest of it.Arrogant thief Marc (Jean-Marie Lemaire) double-crosses a few people, takes the lone female as a hostage and runs off with a bag full of gold coins. The hostage flashes her breasts, kicks him in the crotch and manages to escape. Marc takes off again and finds a secluded mansion that's surrounded by water and accessible only by bridge and sneaks inside. Those he's betrayed see him going in, but decide to lay low for awhile with plans on ambushing him later on that evening when he's not expecting it. Inside, Marc encounters two young women; Elisabeth (Franca Mai) and Eva (Brigitte Lahaie)... and they're odd to put it mildly. For starters, their story keeps changing as to why they're even there. They should be terrified in the presence of an armed thief, but instead act like giggly schoolgirls who joke about letting him rape them and then turn the tables by claiming they want to rape him. Elisabeth and Eva are lovers and the director is kind enough to prove it by shoehorning in a sex scene at an awkward time as if quickly trying to fill some requirement. Eva takes off her clothes and seduces the thief. Elisabeth gets jealous because she's in love with Eva but then claims she's in love with Marc and pleads for him to leave before nightfall. While that's going on, Eva goes outside to meet up with the four people Marc ripped off. She stabs one of the guys during sex with an (obviously retractable) dagger and then takes a scythe to the other three in scenes that have absolutely no impact whatsoever because they're so poorly staged and edited. Night finally falls and another weird woman named Hélène (Fanny Magier) swings by with four other girls talking about some "reunion" and Satan. The ladies reveal themselves to be part of a bourgeois lez cult who drink human blood to keep themselves from becoming anemic (?) because they're sick of drinking ox blood (?!) The women then put on sheer nightgowns and walk around, a couple of people get shot and then the film is over.This isn't art, as real art actually means something. This film means nothing, stands for nothing and ultimately accomplishes nothing. It's really just lazy pseudo eroticism shot at a cool-looking house and with a few attractive actresses in it and that's all. It helps that one of those actresses is Lahaie, who's worth a look even in something as dull as this. She also has the lion's share of the nude scenes, but even gazing upon her fine form from time to time isn't enough to overcome the lumbering pace, meandering non-story and awful dialogue. Apparently they didn't even use a shooting script for this one and just made it all up as they went along... You can tell! Worst of all, this isn't the least bit impressive on a visual level. Your average Friday THE 13TH sequel features more artistry and skillful camera-work than this does. The photography isn't imaginative, the score is forgettable, the editing is terrible, the potentially atmospheric location goes completely to waste, every single "horror" moment is ineptly fumbled and the director seems to have no concept of scene continuity. There's a good reason people always focus on the striking image of a nude Lahaie, clad only in a black cape, holding onto a scythe. That's because it IS the only striking image in this film.This is the fifth effort I've seen from Rollin now and it's one of his most popular and acclaimed works for some reason I can't quite fathom. I much preferred his zombie film THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978) and the oddly compelling THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (1980) to this one.

Leroy Gomm At the turn of the century, doctor's prescribe the drinking of ox blood to put the rose back in the cheeks of anemic ladies. Of course these wealthy women have developed a taste for something more, human blood. Once each year, a coven of elite women gather at a remote castle dwelling, and sacrifice a man to slake their blood thirst. Two women are sent first to find an unwary victim, who here happens to be a well dressed bandit on the run seeking shelter from other bandits. What follows is a series of seductive cat and mouse games between the sexes until the coven arrives at night so a proper ceremony can be made at midnight. Bridgette Lahaie ignites the screen with her seductive feminine charm. With either a knife, scythe, or simply a smile, she is deadly. Rollin's obsessive view of lesbian eroticism is perverse in just the right way, his camera loves everything about women, titillating us with glimpses of flesh seen here and there, all juxtaposed amidst the finest fairy tale like setting one could imagine. His locations are indeed as unique and delightful as the dream like worlds he creates.

Paul Andrews Fascination is set in the year 1905 & starts (properly) when thief Mark (Jean-Marie Lemaire) double crosses a gang of crooks & runs off with a bag full of gold & the crooks in hot pursuit. Mark happens upon a large Château surrounded by water with only one bridge offering access, Mark feels this would make a perfect hiding place until the cover of night. Inside he finds two young attractive women, Eva (Brigitte Lahaie) & Elisabeth (Franca Mai) who just happen to be lesbians. Mark holds them hostage at gunpoint & has sex with one of them. Eva & Elisabeth try to convince Mark to stay for a mysterious reunion that they are having that very night, Mark sticks around, out of curiosity apparently, until the first guest arrives Helene (Fanny Magier). As four more female guests arrive it fast approaches midnight which seems to hold some significance that when Mark discovers what it is he wish he hadn't...This French production was written & directed by Jean Rollin & it didn't do much for me. While I respect other people's opinions that Rollin's films are artistic, dream like & visually stunning I don't think that about Fascination at all. Don't get me wrong there are some very nice shots & imagery in Fascination, Eva wandering around with a long robe & scythe being a particularly memorable scene, the pigeon loft scene is visually unusual & the Gothic Château setting is impressive & adds a great deal to the film, but overall I just felt it was cheaply filmed with Rollin lingering on shots & keeping his camera rolling for far too long, as a consequence at times this slows Fascination down to a virtual stand still. The one area that I do agree with the general opinion is that Rollin isn't particularly interested in story telling or a coherent plot which is a shame because if he put some of the effort that he puts in his visuals into a decent entertaining film than he'd have a winner on his hands. There is virtually no dialogue in Fascination & the plot is basic & somewhat predictable. One more thing I must state at this point is that there are no traditional Vampires in Fascination at all, no fangs, no stakes through the heart & no sleeping in coffins. There is some brief blood drinking but it's not for any sort of supernatural reasoning. I also found Fascination's exploitation elements lacking, maybe I was expecting too much but there is virtually no blood or gore & the sex & nudity seemed very tame, there is one lesbian scene & two sex scenes & that's your lot. Having said that these French women are very pretty & easy on the eyes. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here but I just didn't find anything here to gain any sort of enjoyment from apart from some nice looking locations & a bit of nudity. Finally Fascination commits the fatal mistake of being boring & slow & at just under 80 minutes that's not a good thing to think, I can forgive almost anything as long as a film entertains me & Fascination simply didn't. I just can't imagine any regular modern cinema goer getting much from this arty mess.