🎥 Overview
The German erotic thriller film, Sexy Sisters (1977), was directed by the notorious Franco, Jesus. Franco, a Spanish filmmaker known for his expansive collection of exploitation theatre, focused much of his attention on sexploitation, giallo, and horror erotica.
The film falls in line with Franco’s work in the 1970s and is characterized by his obsession with voyeurism and taboo relationships. Super erotic surrealism and Franco’s 70s films are filled with mask fantasies. Sexy Sisters remains prominent in the filmmaker’s work due to its shocking portrayal of emotions and stunning nudity, as well as the psychological conflict in character motives.
🧠 Plot Summary: Sibling Rivalry, Seduction, and Wealth
The film unfolds the tale of half-siblings—the story revolves around Christina and Linda. Together, they share more than just family; a tangled, knowing totally external relationship filled with cruelty, wealth, and lust.
Following the demise of the father, the sisters are to come into a considerable inheritance as their father was wealthy. With money comes corrupt intentions and unresolved conflicts. Christina is composed, emotionally restrained, and elegant. Conversely, undisciplined, sexually liberated, and spontaneous describes Linda. A shimmering, epically slow motion battle for supremacy ensues as both women take turns betraying and seducing in a bid to emerge on top.
The sisters enlist the help of their lovers, servants, and legal consultants, and as they become entangled in their psychological machinations, they sharpen the stakes and the rivalry blurs boundaries between submissive impulses and absolute control.
🎭 Main Cast
Linda, – the younger, sensual, and rebellious sister. Karine Gambier
Christina – Janine Reynaud
Wilhelm Danieli and Eric Falk as Christina’s lawyer and lover entwined with the sister’s inheritance and private life.
Peter Baumgartner in supporting roles.
🎞️ Cinematic Style & Themes
This film features director Jesús Franco’s signature soft-focus cinematography, extensive slow zooms, and ambient musical scoring. The pace is methodical while the focus is on building a mood instead of telling a story. There is a conspicuous absence of dialogue for extended periods filled with vivid storytelling through visuals.
Key Themes:
Sexual Warfare – An investigation of how a person can use sex as both a shield and an offensive tool.
Wealth and Moral Decay – This essay depicts how a sudden windfall undermines personal dynamics.
Incestuous Subtext & Taboo Desire – A recurring high Franco controversy motif.
Psychological Manipulation – A slow reveal of characters twisting perversions, betrayal, and shifting alliances.
Franco’s camera fixates on mirrors, bodies, and sumptuous interiors, accentuating the film’s preoccupation with vanity, desire, and the more concealed aspects of one’s self.
📊 Reception & Legacy
Sexy Sisters came out during the peak of European sexploitation cinema, particularly in West Germany. Like most Franco’s films, this one was also polarizing:
Surreal, dreamlike eroticismy
Daring for its time
Strong visual storytelling
Representative of Franco’s style
Criticized For:
Barely-there plot and lethargic pacing
Shifted lines in dubbing for international versions
Centered focus on sexual scenes at the expense of plot and characterization
Regardless, Sexy Sisters are considered cult classics by the admirers of Jess Franco’s works and enthusiasts of 1970s Euro-exploitation and erotic cinema.
🎯 Should You Watch Sexy Sisters?
Watch it if: ✔ You enjoy old school erotic thrillers
✔ You enjoy cult and exploitation movies
✔ You are wondering what the works Jess Franco and 1970s European eroticism are all about
✔ You admire deep, brooding sensual storytelling
Avoid it if: ❌ You prefer a fast-paced action or well-structured plot
❌ You don’t support explicit sexual themes or taboo topics
❌ You are more inclined to dialogue than mood-driven narratives
🧠 Bottom Line
The film in consideration, Sexy Sisters: 1977, fits the description of chaotically sophisticated, morally appalling yet riveting, Cinéma with boundaries shattering ideas from one of European cult cinema’s most controversial figures. It is not for everyone, but it is an essential audacious piece of European sleazy art-house from the 1970s.