By Tadhg Bentham – fandppod.bsky.social

When I saw the call for pitches under the theme of Aliens, I wanted to approach this prompt from a perspective of challenging what we mean when we say “Alien”. I believe that I am safe in my assumption that what most people associate with the word “Alien” in relation to horror and genre cinema, is an Extraterrestrial being that poses some form of threat to a human protagonist. While this definitely makes up a large proportion of the films that we see, I want to push back against the framing that this is the only way to understand that which is “Alien”. In this essay, I am going to discuss why I feel the film Shining Sex (1976) is using a plot involving interdimensional beings (a different form of Alien) to invite the viewer to be a voyeur to a variety of erotic forms of intimacy that subvert heteronormativity. In the realm of eroticism, what is alien is simply unknown, and what is unknown is a path to freedom.

This compulsion to challenge our collective understanding was a large motivation behind my desire to discuss Shining Sex (1976), which is an underseen and underrated film by the oft-maligned and misunderstood Spanish filmmaker Jess (Jesús Franco). Franco is a filmmaker who is synonymous with the Eurosleaze era of cinema. These were films that had a large focus on nudity (both artistic and pornographic), and Shining Sex (1976) is no different. This film, in a similar vein to many of Franco and his Eurosleaze counterpart’s films, is one where surrealism and strong visual imagery take precedence over a dialogue-heavy plot. In some ways, as this is a film that has a lot of explicit nudity, and puts plot secondary to visuals, that could feel alien to a lot of film watchers, as it challenges expectations. Franco was a filmmaker who felt compelled to always be filming, to always be creating. It was in the 1996 Film Comment journal that Franco is quoted as declaring himself to be ‘a pure voyeur, not just of fucking, but of everything. I’m a voyeur of ships crossing the sea, of horses stampeding across the prairie…To be a director of cinema, how could you not be a voyeur?’*

In his film Shining Sex (1976), Franco uses the cinematic language of voyeurism to put the viewer in the position of voyeur, so that there is no separation between camera and viewer. This orienting of the viewer into the act of voyeurism is what encourages the subversion of heteronormativity. Every time the camera is focused on some form of erotic intimacy that exists outside the realm of heteronormative eroticism, it is asking the question “Why is what is alien automatically something to be feared?”.

The central character of this film is Cynthia, a charismatic and fun sex worker, brought to life by Franco’s long-time muse, and eventual life-partner Lina Romay. The opening shot of the film is Cynthia applying her makeup while the text of “Love Is Her Work” crawls across the screen. This first shot is already the film calling into question normative assumptions that the viewer may hold. The film makes a clear statement that sex work is work, but also that sex is only one element of sex work. Cynthia is informed by an employee of the club that a couple who are attending her show have made a special request to see Cynthia after the show. The next scene is Cynthia’s burlesque act which she calls ‘Shining Sex’, as the name derives from the body glitter that the camera shows her applying, and the metallic lingerie that she wears. During Cynthia’s performance, the camera removes the barrier between film and viewer, you are no different from the people in the club, you are a collective audience to the art of Cynthia’s seduction. 

When Cynthia’s act is finished, she finds the mysterious couple and joins them for a drink. While Cynthia is excitedly talking to the couple, there is a shot where the camera focuses on the man’s sunglasses to show his view of Cynthia using the reflection. This specific visual motif will be a recurring theme throughout the film, and this is another way for Franco to separate the divide between camera and viewer, once again orienting the viewer into the seat of the voyeur to what is occurring in the scene. We soon learn that the couple’s names are Alpha and Andros, and the couple invites Cynthia back to their home. This is one of the first instances of the film where Franco is using the developing plot to put the viewer into a position of confronting heteronormative beliefs, namely that sex should only ever be a monogamous activity.

What I really appreciate about Franco as a director, is that he rarely relies on dialogue to raise questions, rather,  it is through his pursuit of pure voyeurism. He will show the viewer different scenarios, and force the viewer to sit with the question of what they are seeing. The normative beliefs of our society would declare that the intimate relationship of a couple is a sacred sanctum, and by showing something that is considered alien, Franco is challenging the viewer to question the beliefs that they may hold about the sanctity of the couple. 

Following the arrival at the home of Alpha and Andros, Cynthia is led up to the bedroom by Alpha, whilst Andros is moving the car. Once inside the room, Alpha comes across as incredibly aloof and unsure how to act, remaining cold, silent, and almost stationary. Cynthia being a skilled sex worker picks up on Alpha’s energy, and she takes the charge. Cynthia leads Alpha to the bed, unzips her curve-hugging jumpsuit, and then sensually moves Alpha’s hand between her legs. Alpha reacts immediately and pulls herself away before Cynthia calmly reassures Alpha that everything is okay and that she just needs to sit back and let her take control. This sequence illustrates two normative assumptions being called into question in a symbiotic dance of eroticism. Even as I write this piece, there is still a large societal belief that women should not take charge sexually. By showing Cynthia so effortlessly taking charge sexually, the film is asking the viewer to reckon with why this is considered alien behaviour.

Not only does the scene show a woman taking charge sexually, but it also focuses on sapphic intimacy. This will be one of many scenes in the film Shining Sex (1976) where women explore sexual intimacy with each other. Erotically charged scenes between women on screen are not something novel or unexpected during this era of filmmaking, however, I think that Franco’s inclination towards pure voyeurism adds an extra element to these scenes. I have watched a lot of the films of the aforementioned Eurosleaze era of cinema, and with most of those films, there was always an undercurrent of titillation being the driving force of those films. Whilst Franco’s camera does focus on the nude body with prolonged slow shots, it never feels leery, it has the feeling of pure voyeurism, of admiring everything that falls under the gaze of the camera. This changes how the sapphic scenes in Shining Sex (1976) play out, the camera is taking a removed stance of simply showing, and thus this alters the viewer’s relationship with the scene. The film uses sapphic intimacy, both to further the character’s development throughout the film and also to ask the viewer to consider why same-gender sexuality is another thing that society wishes us to fear. 

The film reveals that it was during the sex scene between Cynthia and Alpha that Cynthia was infected with an interdimensional virus which makes her fall under the psychic control of Alpha, but also makes sex with her deadly. The loose plot that follows is that Alpha has concocted a plan to use Cynthia as a sexual weapon by seducing Alpha’s enemies and killing them by having sex with them. The film moves quickly from this point on, as we follow Cynthia on her path of destruction. An interesting element to this is that Cynthia is fully aware of herself at all times, but also knows she is unable to resist the control which Alpha has over her. We are also introduced to the character of Dr. Seward (played by Jess Franco himself), who informs Cynthia that the interdimensional virus she is infected with is wholly incurable. The realisation that Cynthia is both aware of everything she is doing, and her impending doom adds an element of fatalism to the rest of the film, which I think further supports my claim that the earlier moments of the film are Franco showing us what is considered alien, and calling that into question. 

The character of Alpha is an interdimensional being, an alien who is not Extraterrestrial, but rather one that is from a different version of Earth. Franco uses an alien antagonist to centre a plot that revolves around sex and how intoxicating it can be. This film showcases a variety of sexually intimate scenarios which would be considered alien by societal heteronormative standards. With a strong fatalistic narrative for the character of Cynthia, I believe this is why the film Shining Sex (1976) is Franco’s argument for why we are both drawn to that which is alien, but more significantly, why we should pursue it. I think that underneath the loose plot of an interdimensional alien striving to survive, is a powerful message reminding us that life is finite and that death is inescapable.

I write this piece coming to the end of the year 2024, when globally as a society we are far more entrenched in late-stage capitalism than we were when Franco made this film. This to me makes the thematic messaging of this film far more profound. Life is finite, and death is inescapable, but our capitalist system wants to keep us trapped in its clutches so we never contemplate the finitude of our lives. The heteronormative norms of our society want to keep us in a perpetual cycle of feeding the capitalist system that strives to keep us shackled. The erotic allure of the alien for me is that it represents something which we all have within us. I believe it is a drive to embrace the freedom of the unknown, to boldly reach out for a way of living, which celebrates existence in acknowledging that we only have it for a fleeting moment in the river of time. Every act of seeking out the alien and the unknown is a courageous act of rebellion, of choosing to live life on one’s own terms and to reject a system that only offers conformity. I think my own takeaway from writing this piece is that I will strive to always channel my inner Cynthia, to take charge and still be present in the moments when I know I am at the whim of a system that I cannot fully escape from.