Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Leonor

  • 1975
  • PG
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
520
YOUR RATING
Leonor (1975)
DramaFantasyHorror

A female vampire rises from her crypt every night in search of children as her victims.A female vampire rises from her crypt every night in search of children as her victims.A female vampire rises from her crypt every night in search of children as her victims.

  • Director
    • Juan Luis Buñuel
  • Writers
    • Roberto Bodegas
    • Juan Luis Buñuel
    • Jean-Claude Carrière
  • Stars
    • Michel Piccoli
    • Liv Ullmann
    • Ornella Muti
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    520
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Juan Luis Buñuel
    • Writers
      • Roberto Bodegas
      • Juan Luis Buñuel
      • Jean-Claude Carrière
    • Stars
      • Michel Piccoli
      • Liv Ullmann
      • Ornella Muti
    • 11User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 10
    View Poster

    Top cast29

    Edit
    Michel Piccoli
    Michel Piccoli
    • Le Seigneur Richard
    Liv Ullmann
    Liv Ullmann
    • Leonor
    Ornella Muti
    Ornella Muti
    • Catherine
    Antonio Ferrandis
    Antonio Ferrandis
    • Thomas Vanette
    José María Prada
    José María Prada
    • L'homme Mystérieux
    • (as José Mª Prada)
    José Guardiola
    José Guardiola
    • Bernabé
    Jorge Rigaud
    Jorge Rigaud
    • Fusoris
    José María Caffarel
    José María Caffarel
    • Le Médecin
    • (as José Mª Caffarel)
    Piero Vida
    Piero Vida
    Tito García
    Tito García
    • Un Ami de Richard
    Francisco Nieto
      José Moreno
      José Moreno
      • Arnaud - le Majordome
      Carmen Maura
      Carmen Maura
      • Jeanne
      Ana Gasber
      Francisco Balcells
      Loreta Tovar
      Manuel Sierra
      José Antonio Ceinos
        • Director
          • Juan Luis Buñuel
        • Writers
          • Roberto Bodegas
          • Juan Luis Buñuel
          • Jean-Claude Carrière
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

        User reviews11

        5.6520
        1
        2
        3
        4
        5
        6
        7
        8
        9
        10

        Featured reviews

        10matheusmarchetti

        Dark Romance

        This is probably one of the most underrated, if not, THE most underrated horror film of all time. It has a 4.8 rating on IMDb, yet it deserves at least a 7.8. Never released in theaters in the US, the film eventually showed up on VHS, marketed as a cash-in on The Exorcist, under the title "Mistress of the Devil", and it was a huge disappointment, mainly because the two films have absolutely nothing in common. The story here, which recalls the works of Poe, follows a man who makes a pact with the Devil to have his dead wife, played by Liv Ullmann, back from the grave. She does come back, but as vampire who preys on young children. Stylishly directed by Luis Bunuel's son - Juan Bunuel, the film is a slow-burn, but never really boring, and it is actually pretty scary at times, while being romantic and touching as well, including some of the most heartbreaking scenes in horror cinema. The beautiful cinematography, courtesy of Suspiria's Luciano Tovoli, and the gorgeous locations at the Spanish countryside, add to the film's brooding Gothic atmosphere. Ullman gives an amazing performance as usual, and is one of the most gorgeous vampires out there IMO. Ennio Morricone's fantastic score perfectly captures the gloominess and foreboding atmosphere of this tragic love story. Overall, 10/10 for me.
        9ScarletSpider87

        Excellent Adaptation of "Wake Not the Dead"

        This film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Gothic short story "Wake Not The Dead" by Ernst Raupach (which is misattributed to Ludwig Tieck in many sources, including the opening credits of this film). Definitely read the source material before you watch the film, and your enjoyment of the film will be much greater. Of course, as is often the case, the short story is better, and the few ways in which this film diverges from the original story are detrimental to the film. Nevertheless, it is overall very faithful to the tone and message of Raupach. It has a lovely Medieval setting and Gothic tone.
        5ofumalow

        A misfire

        The combination of "slow," "arthouse," "surreal" and "horror" is very appealing to me, so it was disappointing upon finally seeing this mid-70s flop to find out that it does actually deserve its rep as something of a lifeless slog. The problem isn't the lack of overt "horror" content (at least that's not a problem for me), though if you're expecting more, it will no doubt be disappointing that Ullmann's quasi-vampiric slayings of children are no more explicit than her enfolding them in her cloak. But the film simply lacks style and atmosphere, as well as verve, so the human aspects are as limp as the supernatural ones.

        We only meet Leonor on her deathbed, so we get no sense of her (before her revival from the dead), or the Piccoli character's supposed great love for her. It's a bit hard to believe in the latter, as the very day she's buried he demands to marry young Ornella Muti, to the bafflement of her, her father, and the viewer. Nor does he express any notable emotions (beyond eventual impatience and hostility) towards his new bride, either. Ergo we feel nothing about the passion that supposedly leads him to resurrect one wife and neglect, then destroy another. He's a selfish, combative, unappealing character. That element might have provided its own social commentary, but the film doesn't seem to be saying anything in particular with it. The two women are beautiful, but their considerable acting skills are put to little use here. (Nor does it help that both are dubbed by others in the English language version I saw--it's particularly weird to be deprived Ullmann's familiar voice.)

        The film is not so much badly as indifferently made, which is odd considering the director's pedigree (and the fact that it was his debut feature). It's watchable, but stubbornly refuses to become hypnotic, frightening, insightful, or any of the other things you might hope for. I saw the longer original cut, presuming it would be better than the shorter (by about 15 minutes) U.S. version, which was very poorly received. But I suspect the shorter edit simply made the story less comprehensible, without making it any livelier, and the long version isn't exactly dull, just very flat. If a director with more visual and atmospheric flair, say anyone from Bava to Herzog, had made this around the same time, it might have turned out brilliantly. But the best you can say about Juan Bunuel's handling is that it is technically competent if uninspired--not what you want from a film about a love that defies death itself.
        8Hey_Sweden

        Not bad at all.

        Michel Piccoli plays Richard, a nobleman whose wife Leonor (Liv Ullmann) dies fairly young. Some years later (although the film doesn't make this clear), he impulsively marries a much younger woman, Catherine (the luscious Ornella Muti). But he simply cannot get over the memory of Leonor, entering into a forbidding bargain with a charismatic stranger whom he meets near a bridge. The ramifications of the resurrected Leonor are chilling, as the local children start perishing. And all of this while The Plague is decimating the populace.

        The fact that director Juan Bunuel is the son of the legendary Luis Bunuel will ensure that curiosity is raised among many interested viewers. The result here is one of those slow, stately foreign films that straddles the line between art house cinema and (not so traditional) horror stories. It has plenty of atmosphere and a very melancholy feel, so it's not something that one can just easily dismiss. Its wonderful international cast is very easy to watch, especially the enchanting Ms. Muti, whom many people will likely know best for the 1980 "Flash Gordon" feature film. Antonio Ferrandis is also excellent as the despairing Father Thomas.

        "Leonor" is provocatively designed (by Enrique Alarcon), photographed (by Luciano Tovoli), and scored (by the great Ennio Morricone). It makes for rather potent entertainment, but people should be aware that the cheesy poster art does not really indicate the nature of the story. This is something far more serious and portentous. The bottom line is that if one admires the European art / horror films of the 1970s, they will find much to enjoy here. Leonard Maltin may have saddled it with his bottom-of-the-barrel "BOMB" rating, but in no way does it deserve that level of scorn.

        Eight out of 10.
        lazarillo

        Excellent film that has regrettably fallen into the cracks between art and horror

        Although not strictly a vampire film, this is one of those interesting European combinations of horror and art, typified by "Daughters of Darkness" in the 70's or "Let the Right One In" more recently. The plot involves a a 14th century nobleman who loses his young wife (Liv Ullman) to a horseback-riding accident (and to primitive medical practices of the era). He re-marries and has children, but remains mired in grief and unable to forget his first wife (even though his new wife is played by a Ornella Muti, who would make most men forget their own name). Finally, in a kind of "Monkey's Paw" scenario he manages to actually will her back from the grave, but she's not the same, and a lot of local children begin to mysteriously disappear and it isn't long before his new family is threatened. . .

        This is more an art film than a horror film, not surprisingly since it was directed by Luis Bunuel's son and features Ingemar Bergman's frequent lead actress and muse. It's more serious than a lot of Euro-horror films, realistically set against the background of the Black Death plague and seriously commenting on the prevailing superstitions of the time (i.e. the fool-hardy medical practices, the witch-burnings). The vampiric element is present mainly in the undead Ullman's predations on peasant children, which recalls the "Bloofer Lady" that the undead Lucy Westeridge becomes in Bram Stoker's original novel "Dracula", an element that has been left out of almost all the subsequent movie adaptations because it't just too disturbing. It's also really quite heartbreaking to see the maternal instinct so corrupted, and to see undying love gone so horribly wrong.

        This movie has, unfortunately, kind of fallen through the cracks between art and horror. It is not as exploitative as Jean Rollins sex-and-blood-soaked vampire films, on one hand, but it is not quite as self-consciously arty as something like Ingemar Bergman's "Hour of the Wolf" either (if Bergman or the Bunuel father had simply put their NAME on this movie, it would no doubt be much more well-known today) . It deserves better though. Ulman and Piccolo are very good as the star-cursed lovers, and Ornella Muti is amazing (if WAY too beautiful to be forsaken for a dead woman). It is ripe material for a DVD release.

        More like this

        The Blood Spattered Bride
        6.2
        The Blood Spattered Bride
        The House with Laughing Windows
        7.0
        The House with Laughing Windows
        The Devil Rides Out
        6.9
        The Devil Rides Out
        They're Coming to Get You!
        6.6
        They're Coming to Get You!
        Swing Time
        7.4
        Swing Time
        Murder in a Blue World
        5.7
        Murder in a Blue World
        The Wailing
        6.1
        The Wailing
        Come Home and Meet My Wife
        7.0
        Come Home and Meet My Wife
        Cebo para una adolescente
        4.8
        Cebo para una adolescente
        The Psychopath
        6.0
        The Psychopath
        Experiencia prematrimonial
        5.2
        Experiencia prematrimonial
        Pure as a Lily
        4.5
        Pure as a Lily

        Related interests

        Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
        Drama
        Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
        Fantasy
        Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
        Horror

        Storyline

        Edit

        Top picks

        Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
        Sign in

        FAQ14

        • How long is Leonor?Powered by Alexa

        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • September 1977 (United States)
        • Countries of origin
          • Spain
          • France
          • Italy
        • Official site
          • Official site
        • Languages
          • Spanish
          • French
        • Also known as
          • Leonor, the Devil's Mistress
        • Production companies
          • Arcadie Productions
          • Films 66
          • Goya Producciones Cinematográficas S.A.
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Tech specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          • 1h 41m(101 min)
        • Color
          • Color
        • Sound mix
          • Mono
        • Aspect ratio
          • 1.85 : 1

        Contribute to this page

        Suggest an edit or add missing content
        • Learn more about contributing
        Edit page

        More to explore

        Recently viewed

        Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
        Get the IMDb App
        Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
        Follow IMDb on social
        Get the IMDb App
        For Android and iOS
        Get the IMDb App
        • Help
        • Site Index
        • IMDbPro
        • Box Office Mojo
        • License IMDb Data
        • Press Room
        • Advertising
        • Jobs
        • Conditions of Use
        • Privacy Policy
        • Your Ads Privacy Choices
        IMDb, an Amazon company

        © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.