The Touch of Her Flesh (1967)

Directed by: Michael Findlay | 75 minutes | drama, thriller, erotica | Actors: Suzanne Marre, Angelique, Michael Findlay, Vivian Del Rio, Peggy Steffans, Ron Skideri, Rit Dexter, Sally Farb

According to the DVD cover, ‘The Touch of her Flesh’ is “one of the grossest, craziest sexploitaition films ever made”, but those who expect a hardcore sex fest, with a lot of gruesome or explicit violence, will be disappointed. Yes, the film is misogynistic and the amount of nudity is substantial, but this is the case in many of these Grindhouse films. Perhaps in ‘The Touch of her Flesh’ a woman is seen more as an object or piece of meat than “usually”, but it is not at all controversial or shocking. Rather boring due to the practical absence of a story and the monotony of the nude scenes.

‘The Touch of Her Flesh’ is the first film in what would later become a triptych, about misogynist and serial killer Richard Jennings. Probably not because there was still so much untapped territory in his character or the story, but, presumably, given the amount of money the first part had brought in. However, the question arises as to what was so great about this film at the time, which does not have much more to offer than the average erotic film. Even less. Strangely enough, sex hardly occurs in the film. What the film is in particular is, as the Dutch top band The Vengaboys so aptly described it years ago, a “tietenparade”. Breast fetishists – and, admittedly, to a certain extent this applies to every (straight) man – are well catered for with this film, but the film cannot often be called erotic or provocative. Although it often starts out “promising”. A couple starts having sex, and the tension builds. But then the main character starts groping the breasts and continues doing this for about ten minutes. Knead, rub, squeeze, and start again. And preferably taken in (extreme) close-up. It’s nice for a while, but at some point you know. Of course there are more annoying screensavers to think of, but it is not very interesting.

Tricky are two other scenes in which a woman performs a sexy dance; one of which is an exciting striptease act and the other an energetic dance in the style of Josephine Baker, with only a skirt as a garment. Furthermore, the appearance of Jennings himself is still amusing, who in a wheelchair and with black patch over his eye as a kind of Dr. Strangelove picks and looks at his victims.

However, it is by no means exciting or interesting. Lovers of full breasts, who appear large and frequently on screen, may have above-average pleasure from ‘The Touch of her Flesh’, but the rest of the viewers can safely ignore this Grindhouse film, despite its “good” reputation.