Shooting is reportedly underway in Málaga, Spain on two new Jesus Franco directed pictures which are to be shot back-to-back over the next three weeks. The titles are not definitive, though some sources are quoting 'Sister Vampire' and 'The Case Of The Frightened Lady'(based on a tale by Edgar Wallace) as working titles.

The octogenarian Spanish film maker, who received a 'Lifetime Acheivement' Goya Award in 2009 shows no signs of lightening his workload despite his age, his recurrent health problems and the recent death of his life partner, the actress Lina Romay.

One of the two films currently shooting  is said to be more 'conventional' and narrative driven than is usual in the Spaniard's  eclectic ouevre and will see the return of one of Franco's favourite characters, the detective and ex-Interpol agent Al Pereira, a part previously played by Eddie Constantine in 'Attack Of The Robots' (1966). This time the part will be played by veteran actor Antonio Mayans, who is also acting as production manager - a function he fulfilled on several of the director's 1980s films

Antonio Mayans (left) with Paul Naschy in 'Empusa'

The second movie is reported to be in the 'erotic-experimental' vein essayed by Franco in his latter day DV films such as 'Paula Paula'. It will be a coproduction between the director's own company Manacoa Films and the Catalonian outfit Pellicules et essai.

At the same time, 'Uncle Jess' has recovered the practically unseen footage of two of his productions made in 2007  'La Cripta de las Mujeres Malditas' (The Crypt of the Cursed Women) parts 1 and 2. The filmed material was seen briefly at a screening at the  French Cinematheque in París back in the summer of 2008. The maestro has added new footage, trimmed some sequences and totally replaced the original soundtrack. The re-edited films will likely be premiered, depending on the outcome of current negotiations, 'at the principal Spanish  film festivals in Autumn this year' under the new titles 'La Cripta de las Condenadas' and 'La Cripta de las Condenadas II'.

Apart from these projects, a new documentary on the life and works of Jesus Franco is being made by director Pedro Temboury, one time AD on Franco's films who made his debut feature in 2001 with 'Karate a muerte en Torremolinos' and followed up in 2005 with 'Ellos Robaron la Picha de Hitler' inspired by the title of punk group Angry Samoans song 'They Saved Hitler's Cock'. Both films featured Franco cameos. The documentary is being made for the French production company Eurociné, who were responsible for backing some of Franco's more notorious movies of the 1970s including 'A Virgin Among The Living Dead' and 'Eugenie De Sade'.