"Budget, plot, continuity, suspense, action and drama are nonexistent. Absurdity abounds, and only Franco’s staunchest admirers will think the “comedy” is deliberate."

Thats from a review of a Franco b-movie. Dude, I think only a small handful of films weren't comedic. He worked in absurdism, deadpan, dark satire, spoof and slapstick from the very start of his career. He just learned to direct dramatically thanks to Welles. I would argue this is true of a lot of "serious" arthouse or cult directors. They are humorists.

Franco's running joke is similar to "The Aristocrats". He shows horror, immorality, insanity, transgression and personal themes of evil with the punchline that its always a mirror to society's collective Id. This he learned from Marquis de Sade and other bleak satirists like Voltaire and horror writers like Poe. Odd how so many decipher the lyrical quality of his films for biographical merit but don't see the obvious social commentary, philosophy and political-religious protest. These are the preoccupations of lifelong artists, so its beyond all critics.