The Awful Dr. Orloff (Spanish: Gritos en la noche, lit. 'Screams in the Night'; French: L'Horrible Docteur Orloff) is a 1962 horror film written and directed by Jess Franco. A co-production between Spain and France, filmed in Madrid, it is the first horror film directed by Franco, and is considered to be the earliest Spanish horror film.
In 1912, five beautiful easy women are kidnapped and the efficient Inspector Tanner, who is engaged to ballerina Wanda Bronsky, is assigned to the case. The person responsible for the abductions is Dr. Orloff, a former prison doctor, and his deformed assistant Morpho Lodner, who was a prisoner sentenced to death and revived by Dr. Orloff, who brings the women to the Hartog Castle to remove their skin and use it to repair the face of his daughter that was burned in a fire. When Wanda decides to help her beloved fiancé to find the criminal, she becomes the next victim of Dr. Orloff. Now Inspector Tanner's last chance to find Dr. Orloff relies on the lead of the drunkard Jeannot.
Tropes:
- Antagonist Title: Dr. Orloff is a former prison doctor who abducts beautiful women from nightclubs and tries to use their skin to repair his daughter's fire-scarred face.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: After encountering Dr. Orloff, Wanda writes a note for Inspector Tanner with her lipstick and gives it to the flower seller to deliver.
- Creator Cameo: Director Jess Franco appears uncredited as the cabaret pianist.
- The Dog Bites Back: After discovering Irma's dead body, Dr. Orloff's abused assistant Morpho attacks his master and kills him.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Dr. Orloff is a former prison doctor who abducts beautiful women from nightclubs and tries to use their skin to repair his daughter's fire-scarred face.
- Faking the Dead: Morpho was a prisoner sentenced to death but revived by Dr. Orloff. Orloff filled out a death certificate for Morpho and arranged a fake burial, and spirited Morpho away to become his Igor. After finding Morpho's fingerprint at a crime scene, Tanner and his assistant dig up Morpho's grave and discover it is empty.
- Grave Robbing: After finding Morpho's fingerprint at a crime scene, Tanner and his assistant dig up Morpho's grave to see if he is really dead and discover it is empty.
- Human Resources: Dr. Orloff, a former prison doctor, abducts beautiful women from nightclubs and tries to use their skin to repair his daughter's fire-scarred face.
- Identical Stranger: Inspector Edgar Tanner's fiancée Wanda Bronsky is identical to Dr. Orloff's daughter Melissa.
- The Igor: Dr. Orloff is assisted by the slavishly loyal Morpho; a deformed monstrosity who delights in biting his victims.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Orloff's name is variously spelled as 'Orloff' and 'Orlof'.
- Mad Doctor: Dr. Orloff is a former prison doctor who abducts beautiful women from nightclubs and tries to use their skin to repair his daughter's fire-scarred face.
- Man Bites Man: Morpho, The Igor to Dr. Orloff, is a deformed monstrosity who delights in biting his victims. He kills the pianist in the cabaret by biting his throat out.
- Playing Drunk: Orloff meets Wanda in a private room and wines and dines her as part of his plan to abduct her. Wanda pretends to get drunk, which allows her to spot him Slipping a Mickey and perform a Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo.
- Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: Wanda sees Orloff spiking her champagne in a Revealing Reflection. Playing Drunk, she asks him to buy her some flowers, then swaps their glasses while his back is turned.
- Revealing Reflection: While playing drunk, Wanda pretends to be fixing her hair in the mirror and sees Orloff's pouring a powder into her champagne. This allows her to perform a Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo.
- Serial Killer Baiting: Inspector Tanner's fiancée Wanda decides to help him find the killer who is abducting women from nightclubs by going undercover as a cabaret singer.
- Slipping a Mickey: Dr. Orloff spikes Wanda's champagne when he is planning to abduct her. Wanda sees what he is doing in a Revealing Reflection and performs a Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo.
- Suddenly Sober: After reading Wanda's note, Inspector Tanner hunts out the drunkard Jeannot in the tavern, and demands that he guides him to Orloff's castle. Jeannot is falling down drunk, but sobers up instantly when Tanner throws a pitcher of water in his face.
- Water Wake-up: After reading Wanda's note, Inspector Tanner hunts out the drunkard Jeannot in the tavern, and demands that he guides him to Orloff's castle. Jeannot is falling down drunk, but sobers up instantly when Tanner throws a pitcher of water in his face.
