The Hanging Woman

Firstly everyone expecting gory bloodbath will be sorely disappointed,because this film is almost completely bloodless(however there's some mild violence like quick decapitation,but not too much).Secondly,if you like Euro-horror you'll certainly appreciate "The Hanging Woman".Why?Because it's well-made and there are some lovely atmospheric bits.The acting is surprisingly good and Paul Naschy as a necrophiliac servant Igor simply steals the show!The film reminds me early Hammer horror movies,mostly because it features some elements typical for English horror like tunnels,secret passages,tombs etc.There's also a little bit of sleaze(both ladies have a nude scenes),so fans of nudity will not be disappointed.Of course "The Hanging Woman" has its faults:it's overlong,quite boring and some scenes are rather stupid,but if you like Spanish horror give this one a look.

This one combines the old Gothic Horror with a bit of giallo, throws in necrophilia, black magic and weird science and tops it off with zombies. That's called knocking it right out the park, right there. We start off with a mysterious lady rooting around a cemetary, trying to find a certain tomb which contains an old man. Once she finds him, she pulls out a document from his corpse and is immediately set upon by a strange, unseen figure. Wha'gawan?

Shortly afterwards, our hero Serge turns up. He's a big jerk and it's his uncle that's just been buried. Serge can't understand why the locals won't get him a taxi up to the creepy village just because it happens to be on the 'cemetary road'. Serge gives it the old 'pish posh' routine and gets his gun out, stiffens his upper lip and promptly shits himself when he stumbles upon the hanging corpse of a young woman with a look of terror on his face.

Turns out that this woman was his cousin and now that she's dead he's the sole inheritor of the entire estate, which includes of course a huge creepy mansion full of secret passageways. This doesn't make him look too good in the eyes of the police however, who quickly establish that the girl was probably murdered, but then they also suspect that insane graveskeeper that everyone hates (Paul Naschy, doing a lovely loopy turn as Igor). They discover that Naschy is some sort of necrophile who loves taking pictures of dead women, but that's not tasteless enough for this film so hold your horses, because we haven't met the residents of the creepy mansion yet.

There's seemingly innocent maid Doris and her father Prof. Leon and his experiments with electricity. Then there Nadia, highly suspicious stepmother who dresses up as a corpse and tries to get Naschy to get it on with her, leading him to run off and apologise to his corpse collection. That's better. Nadia is an opportunist so it doesn't take long for her to run up Serge's trouser leg like a ferret in order to prevent him selling the mansion. Oh, and she also practices black magic into the bargain.

Long story short - someone's up to something regarding the house and is willing to kill for that undisclosed reason. If it were a straightforward gothic horror it would still work fine, what with the secret passageways and vanishing corpses, and as a giallo it would still work fine, but to throw some zombie action in the last half an hour, that's putting in overtime.

Yes, zombies rise up and we find out all that's going down. Paul Naschy may not be the star here but he still stands out as the (literally) drooling madman who is the key to everything that's happening. This one has been sitting on Youtube for years so it's easily obtainable, and recommended by me, if that means anything at all. Wait - this is meant to be set in Scotland? in toil we krimber

The Hanging Woman takes obvious influence from both the classic Hammer Horror films and Mario Bava's Gothic masterpiece Kill, Baby...Kill. The result is a slightly plodding, though undoubtedly interesting and very atmospheric little horror film. Like many European films from the seventies; this one has a whole slew of titles, which range from those that don't make sense - 'Dracula the Terror of the Living Dead', to cash-ins; 'Zombie 3: Return of the Living Dead', and innuendo; 'The Orgy of the Dead'...but The Hanging Woman is the best on the merit that it actually fits the story. The plot focuses on a man that travels to an old Scottish village in order to claim his inheritance; an old house, currently inhabited by his uncle's science partner. Upon his arrival; a woman is found hanged in a graveyard; though the circumstances are suspicious as she was already dead before the hanging. Things turn a little more awry when the nature of the experiments going on at the house are revealed, and the village may be harbouring a dark secret.

The plot features a number of different elements, which includes black magic, zombies and grave digging. It has to be said that it can be a little messy at times; though nowhere near as much as many films of this ilk and the plot really flows rather well and the various different elements are well used. Undoubtedly the best thing about the film is the atmosphere and director José Luis Merino succeeds admirably in this respect as the atmosphere is thick and foreboding and this helps to further the plot. The film is essentially a mystery with horror elements, and the director keeps our interest with lots of good ideas and some interesting characters. Paul Naschy is the only cast member likely to be recognised by anyone watching the film; but the unknown cast all do well with their roles; particularly Stelvio Rosi and Dyanik Zurakowska. There's not a great deal of blood in the film; but patience is rewarded towards the end with an excellent decapitation sequence. The film is not very well known and I can't say I'm surprised about that; but it's certainly well worth a look and fans of this stuff shouldn't be too disappointed with it.

An Italian and Spanish production of cult Bernard Woolner (you must remember him in `Swamp Women' of Roger Corman) which is directed by Jose Luis Merino (`Altar Of Blood') , who also written the script with Enrico Colombo (`Altar Of Blood') . As you can understand from the title , the film has a lot to do with zombies , who directly are similar to zombies of Amando De Ossorio (Tombs Of The Blind Dead) . You shouldn't think of a gothic atmosphere , because our living dead are very slow , which is a negative point . Although this movie is not considered as a great movie , it stills remains cult , because of her almost – all star cast , which can be taken as a remain of 60's . In this b-movie you can meet Auro De Alba & Dyanik Zurakowska (`Frankenstein's Bloody Terror') , Maria Pia Conte (`The Death Dealer') , Girard Tichy (Mario Bava's `Hatchet For A Honeymoon') , Stelvio Rosi (`Shadows In The Dark') , Carlos Quiney (`Altar Of Blood') , the most classic of all in this cast is Paul Naschy (who has a role – model for many later generations) , as Igor! If this column was marking each movie for its cult worth , then `Beyond The Living Dead' would be marked at least with 9/10 , but this column is marking the whole movie … so , what we got here is … 7/10

"La Orgía de los Muertos" aka. "The Hanging Woman" of 1973 is an underrated and greatly atmospheric Spanish/Italian co-production that should be appreciated by my fellow fans of Gothic Horror. Originally, my main reason to watch "The Hanging Woman" was Spanish Horror/Exploitation icon Paul Naschy, who plays a another really, REALLY demented role here, and the film turned out to be one of the best I've ever seen him in. I've been a great Naschy fan for years, and while most of his films are not necessarily 'good' movies, they are all highly entertaining. Many of the films this prolific Spanish Horror virtuoso (Actor/Writer/Director) was involved in in the 70s successfully merged the Gothic- and the Zombie-sub-genre (most prominently in Carlos Aured's "Horror Rises From The Tomb"). And this moody and delightfully creepy film does so in a great manner (the Gothic part is predominant). Spanish director José Luis Merino, who is also known in the Eurohorror fan community for directing "Altar of Blood" obviously didn't dispose of a huge budget for this film, but he nevertheless managed to create a wonderful Gothic atmosphere and give the film an elegantly eerie look.

Set in a remote 19th century Scottish village, "The Hanging Woman" begins eerily with a funeral. Shortly thereafter, Serge Chekov (Stelvio Rossi), the nephew of the deceased, comes to the village in order to accept his inheritance. Before even reaching his uncle's house, however, he finds the man's daughter, his cousin, hanged in the graveyard... The film was obviously inspired by other European Gothic Horror films, most distinctively by Mario Bava's masterpiece "Operazione Paura" ("Kill Baby Kill", 1966). "The Hanging Woman" is, of course, nowhere near en par with "Kill Baby Kill" (in my humble opinion one of the greatest Gothic Horror film ever made; by Mario Bava, who is arguably THE greatest Horror director of all-time). However, it is an amazingly atmospheric, creepy and intelligent piece of low-budget European Gothic Horror that no true genre lover should miss. The village is elegantly uncanny, with graveyards, tombs, eerie old houses, and tombstones like one would see them in films by Bava or the Hammer Studios. The storyline is clever and quite original and combines great elements such as Black Magic, Mad Science and Resurrection. There are several great gory moments, as well as some sleaze. Paul Naschy, who plays a truly deranged undertaker, is great as always, and I've never seen a role that suits him better than this one. Naschy is, of course, the highlight here, but the cast members all fit well in their roles and deliver good performances. Stelvio Rossi is good in the lead and so is Gérard Tichy ("Hatchet for the Honeymoon"). I liked sexy Maria Pia Conte, who plays the seductive widow, especially. For early 70s Spanish Horror, the film isn't particularly sleazy, but it features a bunch of deranged perversions and both Miss Conte and Dyanik Zurakowska, who plays the part of the innocent Doris, show off some goods. The film mainly profits from a great Gothic atmosphere, genuine creepiness, some really deranged weirdness and, not least, Paul Naschy. Naschy only has a supporting role here, but he is nonetheless the most memorable character in this film which ranks among the best he has ever been in. Highly recommended to Eurohorror fans.