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Maleficarum

  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
247
YOUR RATING
Maleficarum (2011)
Folk HorrorDramaHistoryHorror

Maria Francisca, a wealthy young heiress and her friend Mariana De Castro, a young protestant widow, are accused of witchcraft and taken before the Spanish Inquisition of Lima, Peru.Maria Francisca, a wealthy young heiress and her friend Mariana De Castro, a young protestant widow, are accused of witchcraft and taken before the Spanish Inquisition of Lima, Peru.Maria Francisca, a wealthy young heiress and her friend Mariana De Castro, a young protestant widow, are accused of witchcraft and taken before the Spanish Inquisition of Lima, Peru.

  • Director
    • Jac Avila
  • Writer
    • Jac Avila
  • Stars
    • Amy Hesketh
    • Mila Joya
    • Roberto Lopez
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.5/10
    247
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jac Avila
    • Writer
      • Jac Avila
    • Stars
      • Amy Hesketh
      • Mila Joya
      • Roberto Lopez
    • 12User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:18
    Trailer

    Photos21

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    + 18
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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Amy Hesketh
    Amy Hesketh
    • Mariana de Castro
    Mila Joya
    • Francisca de la Cruz
    Roberto Lopez
    • Father Francisco Verdugo
    • (as Beto Lopez L.)
    Alejandro Loayza
    Alejandro Loayza
    • Brother Rodrigo de Palomares
    Eric Calancha
    • Torturer
    Omar Aldayuz
    • Prosecutor
    Roberto Carlos Velasquez
    • Torturer's Assistant
    Maria Esther Arteaga
    Maria Esther Arteaga
    • Josefa Maria Flores
    Claudia Moscoso
    • Dona Beatriz de Trejo
    Barbara Dorado
    • Maria de las Nieves
    Manuel Rebollo
    • Diego Ascencio de Vera
    Vanessa Calvimontes
    • Isabel Petrona Arteaga
    Sergio Fernandez
    • Tomás de Araujo
    • (as Sergio Fernández)
    Erika Saavedra
    • Maria Antonia de Castañeda
    Fermin Nuñez
    Fermin Nuñez
    • Don Juan de Gauna
    Gina Alcon
    • Doña Mayor de Luna
    Massiel Dorado
    • Luisa de Catellón
    Ariel Enriquez
    • Tomás de la Puente Vernel
    • Director
      • Jac Avila
    • Writer
      • Jac Avila
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    4.5247
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8ryan_potochnik

    Really Good Film

    To Parents Who Read Info About This Movie Please Read This Since I Cannot Put Anything On The Parental Advisory Part Of This Movie This Movie Contains Graphic And Explicit Scenes Which May Not Be Suitable To All Viewers VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

    I Have Been Since Yesterday Watched A Free Version Of Maleficarum Starring Amy Hesketh And Mila Joya As They Faced Inquisition I Think Mila Joya Should Have Gotten The Same Amount Of Torture As Hesketh But In Spite Of This I Think Its Really Good And Very Realistic I Like To Watch It Over And Over Again In Short I High Recommend It On A Scale Of One To Ten I Give It A Eight Or In The Words Of Ebert And Roper Or Siskel And Ebert I Give It Two Thumbs Up Or In The Words Of Some Other Movie Critic I Give It Four Stars

    And In My Book This Movie Is Rated R For Graphic Violence Nudity Sensuality And Adult Situations
    2grantss

    Poor on every level

    Set in the 16th century, a young woman inherits a fortune after her parents die. In order to get their hands on her wealth, the Catholic Church imprison her and her wealthy female friend, accusing them of being witches. They refuse to confess.

    Quite poor. Though it is has all the trappings of a B-grade exploitation movie, this movie had the potential to expose the horrors and hypocrisy of the Spanish Inquisition. However, it really doesn't go anywhere new.

    Even the gratuitous stuff is badly done, with every scene drawn out to the point of tedium.

    Some pretty laughable performances. A school play would contain better acting than many of what passed for it in this movie.

    Poor and dull. Avoid.
    9clanciai

    Inquisition standard in Lima, Peru, around 1700, probably a true story, made like a documentary.

    This is a very remarkable film for its total restraint in depicting a story of extreme outrage. It brings associations directly to the Danish director Carl Th. Dreyer and his films, especially "The Day of Wrath" 1943, but maybe more specifically to "The Passion of Jeanne d'Arc", since this is also a close-up of the martyrdom of woman, in this instance even doubly so, since there are two. The story in itself is the ghastliest possible, the two young ladies prosecuted by the inquisition for forbidden love being tortured one by one while the other one is forced to look on in increasingly accelerating cruelty to extract a forced confession of witchery. When the confession finally is accomplished, they are subjected to no less severe punishment none the less in a total judicial murder, just because of the greed of the church to obtain the property of the one young ladý who from her parents has inherited the greatest fortune in Peru - this is somewhere around 1700. The film is accompanied all through by the most intimately pleasing chamber music, mainly guitar, which enhances the grotesqueness of the terror proceedings even more.

    The director Jac Avila from Bolivia is also the writer and the producer of the film, and it is definitely a masterpiece, with the vital contribution of Amy Hesketh as the main victim - her acting is quite comparable with Maria Falconetti's in "The Passion of Jeanne d'Arc". Still, the torture scenes, that never cease to get worse and seem more endless each time, must make this film unbearable to many, and it's impossible for anyone, I think, not to look away more often than not. A masterpiece of a genius making a deep and lasting impression - an unforgettable film, that however you would not like to see again. The impression is too strong not to leave you almost as branded as the victims.
    9gillesthibault71

    Maleficarum,,,,

    Many film were produced on behalf of the Holy Iquistion and their extremely brutal ways of obtaining a confession .... Most of them were exploring rather the side of the fault, the trial testimony, judgement, and finally, the punishment! They represented all of it, with very few torture scenes! Jac Avila brings us, with his film Maleficarum (2011), in the depths of dark dungeons and explore more thoroughly the torments inflicted on the victims.

    Each of the torture scenes are incredibly realistic and the acting is excellent and especially that of Amy Hesketh.

    The story of two women in love with each other, falsely accused facing the Holy Inquisition .... A must see movie ....
    2perfectx-71415

    Torturous!!!

    These reviews are obviously being written by cast & crew, friends & family because this movie is absolute trash! Now I'm a fan of torture films as much as the next guy but there's really nothing going on here. It's just girls being whipped to death for practically 2 hours. I get it, this is a fetish for some guys, but to me it's a bit boring. Especially as badly as this story is told. And the talking head segments like it's a reality show is completely perplexing with a time period drama. Comes off quite comical actually. Which seems to be the exact opposite of what this film is going for. Yea this movie is extreme. But its also extremely boring and terribly acted. The only reason to watch this is the nudity, which is plentiful. But so much so it comes off boring as well. Nothing about this flows well, just boring badly scene after another. Don't waste your time with this!

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    Related interests

    Florence Pugh in Midsommar (2019)
    Folk Horror
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film's title, "Maleficarum" is the Latin word meaning 'witchcraft'.
    • Quotes

      Opening crawl: Between 1480 and 1813, more than 100,000 women - Catholics and Protestants alike, were accused of witchcraft, tortured, condemned and executed in what is known as the Christians world. This movie is the story of two of those women.

    • Soundtracks
      O Magun Mysterium
      Written by Tomás Luis de Victoria

      Performed on guitar by Jon Sayles

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Maleficarum?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 31, 2011 (Bolivia)
    • Country of origin
      • Bolivia
    • Language
      • Spanish
    • Filming locations
      • La Paz, Bolivia
    • Production company
      • Pachamama Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $105,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,303
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 42m(102 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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