crystallogic I really wanted to like this more than I do. It's atmospheric, eerie, and somewhat erotic. It's also got a plot so thin it's almost invisible, and is so very slow. I know that latter is probably deliberate (see what I did there?), and yes, the stately pace of proceedings doubtless contributes to the creepy, morbid atmosphere. Maybe it's just that I watched this right after a much more exciting film (The Big Bird Cage, if you want to know), but I surprisingly failed to really connect with this one.The satanism is pretty cool though. It's exciting when the lady of the house gets all hot and bothered reading all those blasphemies from her satanic book. This film kind of subscribes to the old idea of satanists being a bunch of bored decadents. But these guys aren't harmless, I guess; they indulge in cannibalism and all sorts of morbidities. Yet, I can't escape the fact that this film kind of has a mundane feeling. The stakes are small and maybe that's part of the point, but at times, despite all the darkness, the whole thing feels like a childish game, and nothing more.I do like the dichotomy this film nicely slots into. It's got one of those stern professorial types at the beginning telling us of the dangers of black magic and satanism, which are of course alive and thriving in our cozy urban worlds today. Classic exploitation technique, and it still works. Then, when we get on to the nudity and bloodshed, we get that classic primal-level confusion about what the film is really trying to tell us. Are we supposed to indulge and enjoy ourselves, or feel bad? Of course, it's both, and that's the beauty of it! Mostly though, just enjoy ourselves, I think, and transgress, because we can. Remember that this film was released in 1978, and that Franco (the fascist Franco, not the film director who smartly got all his films financed in other countries) and his government had imposed strict censorship on the country's art. Such transgressive iconography would have been utterly forbidden a mere few years earlier. And I'm sure this is exactly the freedom the film-makers were revelling in. So, even though I confess that I didn't entirely "get it", and that as a horror film I thought this was kind of a failure, I still commend the effort and think it's worth seeing for anyone into devilish cinema. Oh, and despite what i said above -- they get props for the ending, which was, after all, rather fitting in its cyclical nature.

Scott LeBrun "Escalofrio", a.k.a. "Don't Panic", a.k.a. "Satan's Blood" was made at a time in Spain when ratings restrictions had become more lax, so filmmakers were quick to capitalize on this. While this particular movie never received an American theatrical release, it did get released on tape under those alternate titles. Now we can enjoy it on DVD for the shameless smut it is. It's spiced up with so much delectable nudity and sex (including one memorable moment of group sex!) that a trash fan can't help but like it, and its writing is so insane as to be delicious.A couple named Andres (Jose Maria Guillen) and Ana (Mariana Karr) are on an outing, with their dog in tow, when a stranger, Bruno (Angel Aranda) and his wife Berta (Sandra Alberti) confront them, Bruno claiming that they're old college buddies. Despite the fact that Andres just can't remember Bruno, and that his memories don't jibe with Bruno's, he and Ana willingly go along with Bruno and Berta to their isolated country mansion, where matters of the occult, including the use of a ouija board, await them."Satan's Blood" will have the viewer likely laughing in appreciation, at least if they are anything like this viewer. It's just such a hoot, with some graphic bits of violent business, a respectably creepy enough atmosphere, and good music by Librado Pastor. The little doll is a good touch. The movie is mainly worth watching for all the bare skin; one bathroom scene is fun to watch, and Alberti *literally* has a smoking hot body in this thing. From start to finish, this is endlessly entertaining stuff, with oddball characters on the fringes of the action, such as a would be rapist, an ominous gate keeper, and a suspicious doctor.Andres and Ana act like so many other dumb horror movie characters, refraining from getting out while the getting is good, which may infuriate some people watching, but for others, seeing these two dolts just stick around and stick around becomes repetitive enough to be a riot. Fans of Euro trash horror are well advised to give this one a look.Trivia note: Juan Piquer Simon, the man who gave us such classics as "Pieces" and "Slugs", is the art director, executive producer, and (uncredited) co-director. While watching, keep an eye out for a poster of "Star Wars"!Eight out of 10.

MARIO GAUCI While not especially impressive (and possibly the least of the 6 Mondo Macabro titles I watched during the last few days), the film works because of its genuine eeriness and some undeniably effective moments: a portrait of Christ bursting into flames of its own accord; the equally unexplained (indeed irrelevant) presence of a devil-doll; the two nasty scenes in which the young couple surprises their Satanist hosts (with their backs to the camera) nibbling voraciously at something as if they were wild animals, which seems to be tied to the growling noises they make when aroused; the woman, who's also a medium, speaking on occasion with another deeper voice (most scary when the hero goes to check if she's really dead!). The film's pounding score is also notable.The plot offers nothing new for the most part, though the last third of the film descends unexpectedly into black comedy with the Satanist couple doing everything in their power - resorting even to faking their own suicides! - to stop their bewildered and frightened guests from leaving the sinister mansion (where the majority of the action takes place). The climax - relocating to the young couple's apartment building - bears strong traces of ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), followed by a supernatural coda (actually a reprise of the incident which set the plot in motion to begin with!). Though the film features quite a bit of nudity (the two women are gorgeous, particularly the shapely and voluptuous blonde Satanist), it isn't any more graphic than your average 70s Euro-Horror; even so, SATAN'S BLOOD was awarded the "S" (for Sex, of course) Certificate by the newly-relaxed Spanish censor!Still, I was disappointed by the film's curiously drab look (considering the flamboyant subject matter) - which, however, seems to be synonymous with the latter phase of the "Euro-Cult" style; I felt this particularly strongly when comparing it to the vivid colors of SATANICO PANDEMONIUM, made four years earlier and which I had just watched the previous day! The accompanying featurette on the DVD - in which a high-ranking member of the Church of Satan takes the viewer through the genesis of the 'religion' and its 'doctrine' - is interesting for its very uniqueness, but comes off as somewhat condescending in the way it basically downplays the various activities usually associated with Satanism!

emrio-1 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.