A man brusquely escorts a fur-clad clad woman who appears to be the same one later washed up on shore. The couple begins to kiss then suddenly another man and woman enter, grabbing the first woman and stripping off her clothes. The victim struggles as first they whip her and then finally, the man from the second couple, he takes a knife, cuts her from shoulder to neck sucking her blood as if a vampire.

That is how Jesus Franco’s film Venus In Furs begins. Surprisingly, the movie is more an ethereal love story than a dark tale of sexual exploration. Those unfamiliar with his work might be unsure of what to expect from director Jesus Franco. He's a cult filmmaker whose style tends towards erotic horrors. Venus In Furs has all the classic makings of a B-cult film – over-the-top musical scoring and exaggerated acting, extreme camera shots and editing tricks.

Soon after the opening beach scene, our main character heads off to Rio to clear is head. There he sees a woman that looks just like the girl from the sea. How can it be? Is it really her? Is she dead? What does this all mean? His obsession with her leads him on a trip through worlds with which he is unfamiliar.

Some of the questions posed by the plot go unanswered. Those answered are explained only at the climax of the film as if to say the buildup prior has made sense all the way along, although it hasn't.

Shockingly, there was little sex in the film despite the suggestive opening scenes and based upon what little I knew to expect from Mr. Franco. There is nudity, some lesbian action and talk about the events that open the film but that’s about it. This surprised me even more because of the title of the film, which comes from a classic novel about domination and sadomasochism by author Leopold Sacher-Masoch.

That is until I watched an interview with Franco and heard him say that the title was the idea of the people financing the film as a way to get peoples' attention but had nothing to do with his story he wrote.

In my researching the film after the fact I came across another film called Venus In Furs that is much more a direct adaptation of the book. If I can find it I will definitely review it. As for this version, it is fun, but it might be a little too over-the-top, lacking in any real kink and much of the story doesn’t make much sense.