I think the best starting point would be his late 60s works, especially:Finch wrote:Any films of his you'd recommend to the uninitiated like me?
The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966)
Succubus (1968)
Venus in Furs (1969)
Eugenie...The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion (1970)
(all out on DVD)
I think with these you'll get a good sense if you want to dig deeper into his (ridiculously long) filmography.
All of them represent what I think is the "essence" of Franco while being more slick and "well made" (in a traditional sense) than the cheaper and cruder flicks he did from the 70s onwards (even if I personally prefer them).
I'm a long time lurker, first time poster: Hi, everybody!