The Loreley's Grasp

Amando de Ossorio is definitely more famous for his excellent 'Blind Dead' series, and while this film is nowhere as good as that series (overall), The Lorelei's Grasp certainly has its moments and the film is mostly fun to watch, although it has to be said that it's a rather long way away from brilliant. The film is very much in the Eurohorror style; although the plot seems to take more influence from classic monster films of the UK and USA (Hammer Horror's The Reptile sprang to mind for me). The story is actually quite a good basis for a horror film and follows the idea of a beautiful woman that turns into a horrible monster known as 'The Lorelei' when the moon is full. She has been living under the Rhine in Germany for centuries, and hunting for human blood at night. However, when The Lorelei decides to kill one too many young girls at the local boarding house, the authorities decide to hire a hunter named Sirgurd to track down and kill the monster.

It's obvious that this film was made with a low budget, but even so; the director manages to create a fabulous Eurohorror atmosphere, and not even the special effects are all that bad. There's a fair amount of gore, and while the monster itself looks silly - that is both to be expected, and kind of fun in its own way. The plot itself is a little choppy, and the film definitely isn't very well paced. Certain plot points seem forced, while others seem more than just a little bit silly - the section with the scientist, for example. I have to say that this film could have been better; I'd have preferred something more along the lines of a Giallo style monster movie. It's odd, considering the nature of the plot, that the film appears to be pretty much humourless; but its serious tone only really comes off as being inappropriate when it comes to actually showing the monster. Overall, The Lorelei's Grasp is a good cheesy little horror film, and comes recommended to Eurohorror fans...just don't go in expecting too much.

This goofy horror movie is about the Lorelai, a mythical demon that collects people's hearts. Its set in a village where young girls are being slaughtered by the beast. They use a lizard costume with a hood for the creature's visage. The murder attacks look fake enough, like the Lorelai is attacking mannequins. It is fast paced, though, and its silly enough to keep trash fans interested. Directed by Amando Ossorio of the Blind Dead fame. Released in 1985 as When the Screaming Starts where they gave out barf bags, although there really isn't anything barf-worthy in this movie. Lots of good looking naked girls though. This film isn't available on DVD yet. I saw it on the When the Screaming Starts VHS.

The iconic Spanish Horror director Amando De Ossorio is doubtlessly best known for his four 'Blind Dead' films starting with "La Noche Del Terror Ciego" ("Tombs of the Blind Dead") of 1971. "Las Garras De Lorelei" (aka. "The Lorelei's Grasp"/"When the Screaming Stops" of 1974 is yet another great little gem in the man's repertoire, which must not be missed by any Eurohorror fan.

The film, which is (very loosely) based on the German Loreley myth and the Niebelungen Mythology, is set in a Village by the Rhine, which is struck by a series of gruesome murders. After a girl has been found with her heart ripped out, some voices claim that the gruesome murder was the deed of the Lorelei, a beautiful woman who turns into a monster by nights and devours human hearts. The hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is assigned as a watchman for a nearby boarding school for (hot) girls, lead by the drop-dead gorgeous teacher Elke (Silvia Tortosa)...

Connecting the fascinating Niebelungen myth with Eurohorror simply must result in great entertainment, especially since the man in the director's chair is Amando De Ossorio. It is undeniable that the film has a strong (and charming) camp-factor, but it has just as many moments of genuine creepiness. While the dialogue is sometimes camp and some characters' actions make little sense at times, Ossorio succeeds once again in creating a rich and menacing Gothic atmosphere. The photography and score are great, and the locations and set-pieces are beautifully gloomy. The female cast is full of beautiful women. The Regular redhead Eurohorror beauty Helga Liné shines in the role of the eponymous she-monster, and looks both incredibly hot and somewhat eerie. Silvia Tortosa, who plays the sexy young teacher, is even more ravishing. Miss Tortosa, who is also known for "Horror Express", must have one of the most impeccably beautiful faces ever seen on screen. The cast includes many regular Eurohorror actors, such as the creepy-looking Luis Barboo, Luis Induni (who also was in many Spaghetti Westerns) and José Thelman ("La Noche Del Terror Ciego"). There is some female nudity, but compared to other contemporary Spanish Exploitation films (such as some by Jess Franco, Paul Naschy,...) the film is rather low on sleaze. As usual for De Ossorio, the gore is very graphic and intense, and very well-made in spite of a low budget.

Besides the "Blind Dead" cycle, "Las Garras De Lorelei" is one of Amando De Ossorio's most memorable films, and an eerie and outrageously entertaining little gem that no fan of European Horror should miss. Highly Recommended!

When the screaming stops?!? The screaming NEVER stops, baby! This sadly obscure and obviously cheap-produced gem is an authentic Spanish exploitation highlight and it's about time it gets the appreciation of real horror fans it deserves! Even though more than 30 years overdue, director Amando de Ossorio finally received the much-earned respect for his "Blind Dead" quadrology and I hope that "Lorelei's Grasp" follows soon, as it's as least as fascinating and memorable as the saga of the Templar-zombies. The basic premise of this film is inspired by a terrific ancient myth and centers on a beautiful girl living in a cave underneath the Rhine. When the night falls, Lorelei mutates into a hideous watery creature and sets out to maul defenseless people, as she needs to eat the hearts in order to prolong her own existence. Considering the brutality of the first killing, the concerned teacher of a nearby girls' school insists on hiring a watchman to protect her students and he – the hunky Tony Kendall – quickly becomes obsessed with the mysterious Lorelei and, of course, romantically involved with the beautiful teacher. As said, "The Lorelei's Grasp" is a magnificent film! Amando de Ossorio masterfully combines old-fashioned tension with stylish eroticism and really graphic gore. The build up to when the Lorelei-monster mangles another victim is atmospheric and creepy, yet the actual kill is nasty as hell! The decors and filming locations are often breathtaking and every woman that walks through the screen is a genuine beauty, especially Silvia Tortosa in her role as the teacher. There's not a single boring moment in the entire film and even the slightly disappointing finale didn't bother me that much. The monster design and some of the bloody make-up effects will probably seem ridiculous to nowadays CGI-horror fanatics, but they won't be searching for this rare film, anyway. To any other fan of vintage 70's euro-horror, "The Lorelei's Grasp" comes with my highest possible recommendation!

This was a nice discovery of a lost or at least unknown movie for me. 'The Loreley's Grasp' was released with a German dubbing for the first time in 2014, and because the director is famous for the 'Blind Dead' series, I bought the Blu-ray disc blindly (no pun intended).

Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is requested to save a boarding school from a mad killer that stalks the village at the Rhine. Elke (Silvia Tortosa, known best for 'Horror Express' with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing) is the young teacher who walks alone in the night a lot, so Sigurd is getting a chance to save her. Of course she could stay inside, knowing that a killer is outside, but then we wouldn't get any chase sequences. A blind musician tells everyone in the village about his suspicion that the killings are related to the Loreley legend, but when Sigurd meets a mysterious woman introducing herself as Loreley (Helga Liné), he is not suspicious at all and falls for her tricks, until it is almost too late...

Not a very clever script, rather dumb characters, cheaply made (the school has about 6 students), very free interpretation of the original myth, but never mind, you get a lot of darkness, a monster with green claws and big teeth, screaming girls and typical 70s sleaze. The killings are rather bloodthirsty - I personally prefer the old-fashioned, black and white 60s style over the graphic violence in the much too colorful 70s style, but it is a sign of the times.