100+ Euro Cult Classic Exploitation B-Movies (Categorized by Topics)

This is a list of European cult classic fims, mostly from the 70s, that I watched and liked. I categorized them not only by topics, but also considering the shades of mood each movie gave me.

I acknowledge that the following selection is somewhat subjective, but I hope it can still be helpful for someone who is exploring low budget "Eurotrash"/"Grindhouse", looking for new gems of a particular subgenre or even a specific topic.

The titles highlighted as bold belong to films that I liked most. I can say right away that so far I haven't seen anything more charming than Fascination (Jean Rollin, 1979). I decided that it would not hurt, and would even improve the list if I include different films in more than one category at a time, when a film is relevant to several topics.

1) Blashemy, Witchcraft, Devil-Worshiping Sects

I discuss many films on this topic in more detail in my article List of the Best Movies About Satanic Cults.

Nadia Henkowa - the High Priest of a Sect of Satanist Vampires

Nadia Henkowa & Natasha Michnowa (?) in Vampire Ecstasy (The Devil's Plaything / Veil of Blood) - Joseph Sarno, 1973

1972 - Erotic Witchcraft (La Goulve) (Mario Mercier) (France)
1973 - Vampire Ecstasy / The Devil's Plaything / Veil of Blood (Der Fluch der schwarzen Schwestern) (Joseph Sarno) (Germany)
1974 - Nude for Satan (Nuda per Satana) (Luigi Batzella (Paolo Solvay) (Italy)
1978 - Satan's Blood (Escalofrío) (Carlos Puerto, Juan Piquer Simón) (Spain)
1982 - Black Candles (Los ritos sexuales del diablo) (José Ramón Larraz as Joseph Braunstein) (UK)
1984 - Pandora (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1986 - Dance Macabre (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1994 - Heaven Is Only in Hell (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1973 - The Reincarnation of Isabel / Black Magic Rites (Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel trecento...) (Renato Polselli) (Italy)
1972 - All the Colors of the Dark (Tutti i colori del buio) (Sergio Martino) (Italy)
1974 - A Woman Possessed (La Papesse) (Mario Mercier) (France)
1971 - The Devil's Nightmare (La plus longue nuit du diable / La terrificante notte del demonio) (Jean Brismée) (Belgium)
1973 - Baba Yaga (Corrado Farina) (Italy)
1976 - Satan's Slave / Evil Heritage (Norman J. Warren) (UK)
1975 - The Witches Mountain (El monte de las brujas) (Raúl Artigot) (Spain)
1972 - The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (La Malédiction de Frankenstein / Les Plaisirs de la nuit / Les Expériences érotiques de Frankenstein) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France / Spain / Portugal)
1976 - Devil’s Kiss (La perversa caricia de Satán) (Jordi Gigó) (Spain)

This subgenre is one of my favorites, so I created a couple of T-shirt designs with two badass films on this subject.

Shirts (as well as many other clothing types) with these designs printed on them are available at my online B-movie T-shirt store.

Satan's Blood:

Vampire Ecstasy / The Devil's Plaything

2) Creepy Maniacal Aristocrats in Luxurious Residences

However, stories shown in many (if not most of) other films, actually, take place in beautiful locations too: castles, mansions, spooky old villages or in the wild. This is one of the most important reasons I love this kind of films.

Howard Vernon in The Perverse Countess (La Comtesse Perverse) 1974

Howard Vernon in The Perverse Countess (La Comtesse Perverse) - Jess Franco, 1974

1979 - Fascination (Fascination) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1971 - Don't Deliver Us From Evil (Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal) (Joël Séria) (France)
1974 - The Perverse Countess (La comtesse perverse / Les chasses de la comtesse Zaroff) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France)
1973 - A Virgin Among the Living Dead (Une vierge chez les morts vivants / La nuit des étoiles filantes) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain-France)
1981 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (Docteur Jekyll et les femmes) (Walerian Borowczyk) (France / West Germany)
1966 - The Diabolical Dr. Z (Miss Muerte / Le Diabolique docteur Z) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, France)
1962 - The Awful Dr. Orloff (Gritos en la noche / L'Horrible docteur Orloff) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, France)
1972 - Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (Drácula contra Frankenstein) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, France, Liechtenstein, Portugal)
1982 - Revenge in the House of Usher (La Chute de la maison Usher) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, France)
1970 - The Blood Rose (La rose écorchée) (Claude Mulot) (France)
1976 - Seven Women for Satan (Les week-ends maléfiques du Comte Zaroff) (Michel Lemoine) (France)
1973 - How to Seduce a Virgin (Plaisir à trois) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France)
1970 - Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, West Germany)
1973 - Eugénie de Sade (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France, Liechtenstein)
1973 - The House that Vanished / Scream... and Die! (José Ramón Larraz) (UK)
1969 / 1970 - The House That Screamed (La residencia) (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador) (Spain)
1970 - Scream of the Demon Lover (Il castello dalle porte di fuoco) (José Luis Merino) (Italy-Spain)
1973 - Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (Terror! Il castello delle donne maledette) (Dick Randall as Robert H. Oliver) (Italy)
1976 - Devil’s Kiss (La perversa caricia de Satán) (Jordi Gigó) (Spain)

One my favourite representatives of this subgenre is The Perverse Countess by Jess Franco.

For the fans of this movie, I also made two T-shirt designs for my online B-movie shirt shop.

The Perverse Countess (1974 film) print T-shirt

The Perverse Countess (1974 movie) print T-shirt

3) Vampires (Wannabe and True)

Cruel, Dangerous Vampires

Ulrike Butz & Marie Forså in Vampire Ecstasy (Devil's Plaything / Veil of Blood), 1973

Ulrike Butz & Marie Forså in Vampire Ecstasy (The Devil's Plaything / Veil of Blood) - Joseph Sarno, 1973

Helga Liné in The Vampires Night Orgy (La orgía nocturna de los vampiros) - León Klimovsky, 1973

1979 - Fascination (Fascination) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1971 - Daughters of Darkness (Les lèvres rouges) (Harry Kümel) (Belgium-France-Germany)
1974 - Vampyres / Daughters of Dracula / Satan's Daughters (José Ramón Larraz) (UK)
1973 - Vampire Ecstasy / The Devil's Plaything / Veil of Blood (Der Fluch der schwarzen Schwestern) (Joseph Sarno) (Germany)
1972 - The Blood Spattered Bride (La novia ensangrentada / La Mariée sanglante) (Vicente Aranda) (Spain)

1973 - The Vampires Night Orgy (La orgía nocturna de los vampiros) (León Klimovsky) (Spain)

1973 - Female Vampire (Jess Franco/Jesús Franco) (France-Belgium)

Ridiculous but Cute and Mysterious Vampires of Jean Rollin

Dominique in 1971 - The Shiver of the Vampires (Le frisson des vampires) (Jean Rollin) (France)

Dominique in The Shiver of the Vampires (Le frisson des vampires) (Jean Rollin, 1971)

Vampires of Jean Rollin in The Shiver of the Vampires 1971

Jean Rollin's Vampires, looking more like Russian alcoholics and American black pimps from 70s blaxploitation movies. Played by Jacques Robiolles (underground film director, actor, and producer) and Michel Delahaye (cinema critic).

1971 - The Shiver of the Vampires (Le frisson des vampires) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1971 - Requiem for a Vampire (Requiem pour un vampire) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1968 - The Rape of the Vampire (Le viol du vampire) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1970 - The Nude Vampire (La vampire nue) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1997 - The Two Orphan Vampires (Les deux orphelines vampires) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1975 - Lips of Blood (Lèvres de sang) (Jean Rollin) (France)
2002 - The Fiancée of Dracula (La fiancée de Dracula) (Jean Rollin) (France)

Speaking of Jean Rollin's vampires, I created these humorous T-shirt designs. T-shirts (as well as many other clothing types) with these designs printed on them are available at my online B-movie T-shirt shop.

Very Weird Vampires

Aura & Agnes Pándy in "Diabolique" (2013), Cosmotropia de Xam

Aura & Agnes Pándy in "Diabolique" - Cosmotropia de Xam, 2013

2013 - Diabolique (Cosmotropia de Xam) (Germany)

African Vampires

1974 - The Night of the Sorcerers (La noche de los brujos) (Amando de Ossorio) (Spain)

Not Too Special Vampires

1972 - The Night of the Devils (La notte dei diavoli) (Giorgio Ferroni) (Italy-Spain)
1972 - Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (Drácula contra Frankenstein) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain, France, Liechtenstein, Portugal)
1972 - Daughter of Dracula (La fille de Dracula) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France-Portugal)
1969 - Fangs of the Living Dead (Malenka la vampire) (Amando de Ossorio) (Spain-Italy)

4) Living Dead

These films feel too different from classsic American zombie films like "The Dawn of the Dead". They are more bizarre and naive, so the name of the topic is a bit misleading. Not a fan of this genre, so the list is short.

Brigitte Lahaie in The Grapes of Death (Les raisins de la mort) - Jean Rollin, 1978

1978 - The Grapes of Death (Les raisins de la mort) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1982 - The Living Dead Girl (La morte vivante) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1981 - Zombie Lake (Le lac des morts vivants) (Jean Rollin, Julian de Laserna) (France / Spain)
1984 - Pandora (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1986 - Dance Macabre (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1988 - Half Past Midnight (Wim Vink) (Netherlands or Denmark?)
1976 - Devil’s Kiss (La perversa caricia de Satán) (Jordi Gigó) (Spain)

To honour this genre, I made this T-shirt design. Shirts (and other clothing types) with these and other living dead on them are available at my online B-movie T-shirt shop.

Zombie Lake (1981 movie by Jean Rollin) T-Shirt

5) Fantasy and Thriller

Films that are interesting because of their enigmatic plot and/or otherworldy vibe.

The society of maniacal ladies in "Fascination" - Jean Rollin, 1979

Brigitte Lahaie & Myriam Watteau in "Fascination" - Jean Rollin, 1979

Mansion of the Living Dead (La mansión de los muertos vivientes) - Jess Franco, 1982

6) Savages and Cannibals

1974 - The Night of the Sorcerers (La noche de los brujos) (Amando de Ossorio) (Spain)

1980 - Cannibal Terror (Terreur cannibale) (Alain Deruelle (as Allan W. Steeve)) (France-Spain)

7) Nunsploitation

1981 - The Other Hell (L'altro inferno) (Bruno Mattei)

The Other Hell (L'altro inferno) - Bruno Mattei - 1981

Blashemous Films About Lustful, Violent and Devil-Possessed Nuns

1978 - Behind Convent Walls (Interno di un convento) (Walerian Borowczyk) (Italy)
1979 - Images in a Convent (Immagini di un convento) (Joe D'Amato) (Italy)
1973 - The Demons (Les Démons / Die Nonnen von Clichy) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France-Portugal)
1981 - The Other Hell (L'altro inferno) (Bruno Mattei) (Italy-Spain)
2000 - Sacred Flesh (Nigel Wingrove) (UK)
1989 - Visions of Ecstasy (Nigel Wingrove) (UK)
1977 - Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (Die Liebesbriefe einer portugiesischen Nonne) (Jesús Franco)

For the nunsploitation film lovers, I created these T-shirt designs with nuns from various films.

T-shirts (and other clothing types) with these designs printed on them are available at my online B-movie T-shirt store.

8) Erotic

Most of exploitation films contain a significant amount of erotic and even pornographic scenes, whether it's a mystic horror, Giallo or a comedy. But here are the films in which the whole plot is built around characters' sexual issues.

Sirpa Lane in "The Beast" (La Bête) - Walerian Borowczyk, 1975

Sirpa Lane in Immoral Tales / Contes immoraux, 1973 (the scene was later reused in The Beast / La Bête, 1975) by Walerian Borowczyk

1973 - Immoral Tales (Contes immoraux) (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)
1979 - Immoral Women (Les héroïnes du mal) (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)
1975 - The Beast (La Bête) (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)
1985 - The Alcove (L'alcova) (Joe D'Amato) (Italy)
1983 - Macumba sexual (Macumba sexual) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Spain)
1980 - Tender Cousins (Tendres cousines) (David Hamilton) (France / West Germany)
1973 - Les gloutonnes (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco, as Clifford Brown) (France)
1974 - Yuka (Maciste contre la reine des Amazones) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco, as Clifford Brown) (France)
1972 - I Am Frigid... Why? (Je suis frigide... pourquoi?) (Max Pécas) (France)
1987 - Love Rites (Cérémonie d'amour) (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)
1972 - Dolls for Sale (Les Ébranlées / La maison du vice) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco, as Clifford Brown) (France)
1976 - Doriana Grey (Die Marquise von Sade) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Switzerland, Germany)
1975 - The Seduction of Amy (Phantasmes) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1977 - Sexy Sisters (Die Teuflischen Schwestern / Deux sœurs vicieuses) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Germany)
1973 - Diary of a Nymphomaniac (Le journal intime d'une nymphomane) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France)
1971 - She Killed in Ecstasy (Sie tötete in Ekstase / Mrs. Hyde) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (West Germany / Spain)
1973 - How to Seduce a Virgin (Plaisir à trois) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France)
1977 - Blue Rita (Das Frauenhaus / Le Cabaret des filles perverses) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France, Switzerland)
1972 - Nightmares Come at Night (Les cauchemars naissent la nuit) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (Belgium (?))
1979 - Private Collections (Collections privées) (Just Jaeckin/Kyoka Izumi/Walerian Borowczyk) (France / Japan)

I especially love the films by Walerian Borowczyk, so I decided to make shirt designs for them too.

T-shirts (as well as many other clothing types) with these designs printed on them are available at my online B-movie shirt store.

The Beast or Immoral Tales film by Walerian Borowczyk 1973

The iconic shot of horrified Sirpa Lane in the story about the Gévaudan beast from Immoral Tales, 1973 (reused in the 1975 feature film The Beast / La bête)

Immoral Women 1979 film by Walerian Borowczyk (Marina Pierro)

A shirt to honor the beautiful actress Marina Pierro. A shot from Immoral Women / Les heroïnes du mal, 1979

Immoral Tales 1973 film by Walerian Borowczyk (Paloma Picasso as Countess Bathory)

Paloma Picasso as Countess Bathory in Immoral Tales / Contes immoraux, 1973.

Silly Erotic Comedy

1975 - Les chatouilleuses (Jess Franco/Jesus Franco as Clifford Brown) (France)

1974 - Celestine, Maid at Your Service (Célestine... bonne à tout faire) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco)(France)

1980 - Les contes de la Fontaine (Jose Benazeraf) (France)
1975 - Le jouisseur / L'Homme le plus sexy du monde (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France)

1974 - Prickly Problems / Q (Jean-François Davy) (France)
1974 - Le bordel, 1ère époque; 1900 (Jose Benazeraf) (France)

1975 - Les Onze Mille Verges (Éric Lipmann) (France)
1973 - Schoolgirl Hitchhikers (Jeunes filles impudiques) (Jean Rollin) (France)

1974 - Les grandes emmerdeuses / Les emmerdeuses (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco as Clifford Brown) (France)
1976 - French Undressing / The Body Shop / Baby Love (Et si tu n'en veux pas) (Jacques Besnard) (France, Belgium)

1971 - Good Little Girls / The Granddaughter's Model (Les petites filles modèles) (Jean-Claude Roy) (France)
1974 - The Devil in Miss Jonas / Der Teufel in Miss Jonas (Erwin C. Dietrich) (Switzerland)
1974 - What Really Happened to Miss Jonas / Was geschah wirklich mit Miss Jonas? (Erwin C. Dietrich) (Switzerland)

1976 - Weekends of a Perverted Couple (Introductions / Les Weekends d'un couple pervers) (Jean Desvilles (as Georges Fleury)) (France)

1986 - Dressage / Éducation perverse (Pierre B. Reinhard) (France)
1974 - Vous intéressez-vous à la chose ? (Jacques Baratier) (France, Germany)
1977 - Bilitis (David Hamilton) (France)

1974 - Young Casanova (Sexuellement votre) (Max Pécas) (France)
1978 - Tire pas sur mon collant (Michel Lemoine) (France)

Nunsploitation

1978 - Behind Convent Walls (Interno di un convento) (Walerian Borowczyk) (Italy)
1979 - Images in a Convent (Immagini di un convento) (Joe D'Amato) (Italy)
1989 - Visions of Ecstasy (Nigel Wingrove) (UK)
2000 - Sacred Flesh (Nigel Wingrove) (UK)

9) Drama

Films that are actually interesting because of the plot, rather than exploitation elements. Some of them aren't really exploitation films. Most of them are tragic stories with a sad end.

Jeanne Goupil in "Marie, the Doll" (Marie-poupée) - Joël Séria, 1976

1971 - Blanche (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)
1976 - Marie, the Doll (Marie-poupée) (Joël Séria) (France)
1980 - The Night of the Hunted (La nuit des traquées) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1973 - The Demons (Les Démons / Die Nonnen von Clichy) (Jess Franco / Jesus Franco) (France-Portugal)
1981 - The Escapees (Les paumées du petit matin) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1997 - The Two Orphan Vampires (Les deux orphelines vampires) (Jean Rollin) (France)
1977 - Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (Die Liebesbriefe einer portugiesischen Nonne) (Jesús Franco) (Germany-Switzerland)

1980 - Lulu (Walerian Borowczyk) (France)

1971 - Frustration (Jose Benazeraf) (France)

10) Jean Rollin

There is one more 'genre' in European cult classic cinema—Jean Rollin. Most of his films look especially naive and ridiculous, even in comparison to other B-movies. There is something special in his cheaply and awkwardly-made scenes—I find it cute and funny. These moments, when I feel that a scene is played and filmed unprofessionally, by a small group of amateur actors, make me smile and give me a kind of a cozy feel. But the most important feature of Jean Rollin's films is their dreamy, otherworldy vibe.

For those who aren't much familiar with this director and need advice on choosing a film to start with, I wrote a whole guide to Jean Rollin's best films.

1979 - Fascination (Fascination), Jean Rollin, Title Screen

I tried to sort them from the most to the least preferred:

1979 - Fascination (Fascination)
1980 - The Night of the Hunted (La nuit des traquées)
1978 - The Grapes of Death (Les raisins de la mort)
1971 - The Shiver of the Vampires (Le frisson des vampires)
1971 - Requiem for a Vampire (Requiem pour un vampire)
1968 - The Rape of the Vampire (Le viol du vampire)
1974 - The Demoniacs (Les démoniaques)
1982 - The Living Dead Girl (La morte vivante)
1981 - The Escapees (Les paumées du petit matin)
2007 - The Night of the Clocks (La nuit des horloges)
2009 - The Mask of Medusa (Le masque de la Méduse)
1973 - The Iron Rose (La rose de fer)
1989 - Lost in New York (Perdues dans New York)
1981 - Zombie Lake (Le lac des morts vivants) (Jean Rollin, Julian de Laserna)
1975 - The Seduction of Amy (Phantasmes)
1984 - The Sidewalks of Bangkok (les Trottoirs de Bangkok)
1993 - Killing Car (La femme dangereuse)
1997 - The Two Orphan Vampires (Les deux orphelines vampires)
1970 - The Nude Vampire (La vampire nue)
1975 - Lips of Blood (Lèvres de sang)
2002 - The Fiancée of Dracula (La fiancée de Dracula)
1973 - Schoolgirl Hitchhikers (Jeunes filles impudiques)

________________________________________

Unique films count: 122 (this may be slightly inaccurate).

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Escapist's Advisor⁠ | Gene Willow's Blog

100+ Euro Cult Classic Exploitation B-Movies (Categorized by Topics)

1) Blashemy, Witchcraft, Devil-Worshiping Sects

2) Creepy Maniacal Aristocrats in Luxurious Residences

3) Vampires (Wannabe and True)

Cruel, Dangerous Vampires

Ridiculous but Cute and Mysterious Vampires of Jean Rollin

Very Weird Vampires

African Vampires

Not Too Special Vampires

4) Living Dead

5) Fantasy and Thriller

6) Savages and Cannibals

7) Nunsploitation

Blashemous Films About Lustful, Violent and Devil-Possessed Nuns

8) Erotic

Silly Erotic Comedy

Nunsploitation

9) Drama

10) Jean Rollin

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