Satan's Blood

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!

Not sure how, but it slipped my mind that I'd seen this before, though it started coming back to me as I was watching.

After an opening scene of a black mass, Andy and his four months pregnant wife Ana (who shows no visible signs of being pregnant) are out for a drive with their dog Blackie, when they come across a couple in another car who claims to know Andy. He doesn't remember the guy from school, and thinks some of the other things the man says are wrong (Last Year in Marienbad?), but they agree to join them for a drink at their house. The dog doesn't like the couple, and Andy has second thoughts when the drive to the house turns out to be over an hour over dirt roads in the middle of nowhere, but they do enter the couple's large gated estate. Once there, various things conspire against them leaving....

Really well made sleaze/satanic horror. As is said in the novel The Crying of Lot 49, "True pornography is given us by vastly patient professionals."

The documentary on satanism and satanic horror included on Mondo Macabro's DVD is well worth watching.

It can be awkward when we are approached by a couple who swear they know us and we haven't a clue who they are. It must be a good deal worse if we accompany these people to their home to 'catch up' and we realise they are a couple of perverted demon worshippers who have some very grisly plans. This is exactly what happens to Andres (José María Guillén) and his pregnant wife Ana (Marianna Karr). Pretty soon their lives have taken on an extraordinary turn for the worse.

Directors Carlos Puerto and (an uncredited) Juan Piquer Simón make sure we're just as unnerved and anxious as the unfortunate pair. True to its 'euro-sleaze' trappings, the foreboding atmosphere is heavily punctuated with lingering scenes of sex that drag things down a little - but developments come thick and fairly fast. It's a tension-filled rollercoaster and a good way to spend 82 minutes.

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.

It would appear that Spain is actually a more prolific producer of horror films than I had first thought. This film isn't very well known, and that's a real shame as it's undoubtedly one of the best that the country ever produced. Satan's Blood handles the ever popular horror film theme of devil worship, and it does it with a lot of style, blood and nudity; all of which ensure that the film is more than just your average satanic slice of exploitation. The way that the plot is put forward is fascinating as director Carlos Puerto keeps the action simple, and by concentrating on just a handful of characters, it's easy to buy into the sex-laden plot line. The story follows a young couple; Andres and Ana, who decide to travel with another couple they have just met to their lovely home in the country. The man of the pair says that he knows Andres from school; although Andres can't remember him, and there's a reason for that, as they've never met before and the couple whose home they're going to are keen disciples of the devil!

The film features a lot of interesting diabolical elements, from things such as Ouija boards to mass orgies on top of a pentagram. The more sordid elements of the film don't stop the director from telling an interesting story, however, as Puerto uses them to his advantage and the sordid elements help rather than hinder the film from a storytelling perspective. It is true that the film loses tension at times because of the breaks to show another sex scene, but many people will be tuning into this film to see sleaze; and they certainly won't be disappointed. Director Carlos Puerto also implements several things such as a creepy porcelain doll into the proceedings, which help to give the film more of a horror edge. There's a lot more nudity in this film than there is gore, but what there is in the way of blood is well used, and one scene in particular; which involves the couple's dog, is particularly nasty and liable to offend. Overall, even though Satan's Blood is heinously underseen, I personally wouldn't hesitate to rate it as a first class slice of Euro-horror, and it comes highly recommended.