She Kills in Ecstasy and Drives at Dangerously High Speeds: The Death Cult Stardom of Soledad Miranda

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    This chapter analyses the legacy of the late Spanish actress Soledad Miranda, who up to her violent death in 1970 was considered as a ?dark star? of European popular cinema. She is best remembered for titles such as Eug�nie de Sade, She Killed in Ecstasy and Vampyros Lesbos, which paired her with the jazz musician turned director Jes�s Franco. In these films, Miranda was cast as either an undead, dying or revenge driven heroine who recounts past transgressions involving sex, violence and retribution. For an actress whose onscreen career was devoted to the macabre, perhaps such a violent demise, (met speeding along a Lisbon highway in a near identical manner to the finale of her last film) seems inevitable. The article explores how collaborations between Franco and Soledad Miranda function as a bridge between her fictional and the fatal last performances, as well as considering the dead star?s subsequent reception by film critics and online fans.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Films of Jess Franco
    EditorsAntonio L�zaro-Reboll, Ian Olney
    Place of PublicationDetroit
    PublisherWayne State University Press
    Pages290-314
    Number of pages25
    ISBN (Print)9780814343166
    Publication statusPublished (VoR) - 23 Jul 2018

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