Satan's Blood

I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that, Carlos Puerto, the obscure director of this Spanish horror semi-classic was actually a pseudonym for the more famous Spanish/English director Jose Larraz. Puerto is apparently a real guy, even though his film is eerily similar to many of those of Larraz with its plot of an innocent couple being lured to a remote house in the wilderness and being preyed on by a satanic coven of sexual degenerates.

The good news though is that this tends to eerily resemble a good Larraz film like "Symptoms" or "Vampyres" rather than a bad Larraz film like "Whirlpool" or "Black Candles". The bad news is that this suffers from the same problem of many (especially latter-day) Larraz films and many other films of the post-Franco "destapa" period--the emphasis on softcore sex and gratuitous nudity at times brings the story to a complete standstill and threatens to overwhelm any suspense or tension the story has built up. Luckily though the film is fairly skillfully done and the acting is good (I don't know who any of these actors are, but they're better than almost anyone Larraz ever worked with).

The ending is especially non-sensical even as far as Eurohorror goes, and dog lovers might not like the movie much, but it's still one of the better Spanish horror films I've seen from this period and the new DVD is widescreen and looks really good. Mirala!

With Franco dead the Spanish could let rip and this one certainly goes at a pace. There are many sex and Satanism films that barely get round to either sex or Satanism, this one revels in it throughout. Just when it gets a bit silly towards the end, it gets very silly and builds to a great finale. In fact much of the film is really good, as well as almost constant bare flesh from the ladies and the gents there is blood and gore AND a really creepy atmosphere aided by the strange antics of the main protagonists. Whenever we see them in the deserted kitchen they seem bent over some dog bowl, and when they are in bed together they growl and pair like two animals. Granted an 'S' for sex certificate upon it's Spanish release and it certainly deserves it, though it also deserves a 'V' for violence and 'G' for gore. Excellent stuff - and not over long!

This is a very good spanish horror film made in the franco era. Its erotic sleazy and as its made in mid winter, it has nice chill feeling about it.See it, don't expect the ground to tremble but its workman like and spanish horrors of the seventies are nearly always worth watching.

I know that I should not have found anything good in this film. I know that it is just shy of an X-rating (at the time of its release.) I know the script was atrocious and the acting pretty darn bad. I know that its surprises were observed a mile away coming. But... I confess. I liked it.

A young, expecting couple depart for a weekend getaway when they are lured to a country villa by another couple under the guise that the male of the latter recognizes the younger man as an old college acquaintance. After some Ouija board dabbling gone awry, the young couple find themselves stranded by a storm and reluctantly agree to spend the night with their hosts. An orgy, dead dog, murder, suicide, and a couple of "return from the deads" later, our two protagonists successfully flee their captors only to find the nightmare may not be over after all.

"Escalofrío" aka "Satan's Blood" has some extremely erotic scenes, primarily so because of the lovely Mariana Karr who plays the young, mother-to-be wife. There are also a few disturbing scenes involving cannibalism and sexual sacrifice, not to mention poor Blackey's fate.

If you're a fan of Spanish horror, especially the 60-70's vintage, you will probably enjoy this film because it is the epitome of its ilk. If you're looking for the next "Silence of the Lambs," look elsewhere.

People who enjoy this film because of it's nudity and sex scenes should really consider if they are film goers or not. I don't mind watching a sex scene here or there but the movie is classified as horror! There were a couple of terrifying moments but they didn't last, then, the sex scene once again.

This is not film making at it's best. Spain has produced some "GREAT" films in the past but this one does not come anywhere near good.

You want to sell your films to people who enjoy watching nude women flaunting their bodies, then go and direct porn. For me, a good film needs a storyline and good acting and not have to resort in a film to have sex scenes and naked woman all through the film.