Spanish Horror Month Quick Picks and Pans

The Lorely’s Grasp (1973) What if Hammer produced a movie in Spain? It might look something like The Lorely’s Grasp, from Amando de Ossorio (Tombs of the Blind Dead). Set in Germany (but filmed mostly in Spain), Lorely (Helga Liné), a legendary, centuries-old creature emerges from the lake to feast on the hearts of its victims. When an all-girls boarding school appears to be the creature’s primary target, the schoolmaster hires the experienced hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) to track down and destroy it. Helga Liné is appropriately enticing as the siren-like Lorely, who transforms into a hideous beast at night. The rubbery monster is nothing to write home about, but the film makes up for any deficits with heaps of gothic atmosphere. Great fun! 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi   

Howl of the Devil (1988) Director/co-writer Paul Naschy’s love letter to the Universal monsters of yesteryear is a twisted tale of obsession, imagination gone awry, and death. Naschy plays Hector, the psychologically unbalanced brother of a famous, deceased character actor, Alex (also played by Naschy). While Hector partakes in bizarre sex games, his nephew Adrián lives in a world of his own. He’s watched over by Hector’s comely housekeeper, Carmen (Caroline Munro), who dreams of taking Adrián away. Adrián holds imaginary conversations with several monsters (including Waldemar Daninsky, the Wolf Man, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Phantom of the Opera), which naturally gives Naschy a golden opportunity to revisit these characters. While it’s hard to justify some of the plot’s sleazier elements, it’s a treat to see Naschy in his element. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray 

The Baby’s Room (aka: Películas Para no Dormir: La habitación del Niño) (2006) In this intriguing film from director/co-writer Álex de la Iglesia, a young couple with an infant son move into an old house. Not long after they begin renovating the place, Juan and Sonia (Javier Gutiérrez and Leonor Watling) experience a number of strange occurrences, with Juan insisting there’s an intruder watching over their baby. Rather than a ghostly presence, signs point to parallel universes at work, with the house as their focal point. Although it may not quite deliver on such a fascinating premise, The Baby’s Room is worth a look. 

Rating: ***. Available on DVD (part of The Horror Anthology, Volume 1) and Tubi

Edge of the Axe (1988) In this standard slasher from director José Ramón Larraz, an axe murderer in a creepy mask stalks women in a a small Northern California town. Mostly shot in Spain, Edge of the Axe relies on 2^nd unit footage in California, to remind us where we’re supposed to be. A computer “expert” (the filmmakers apparently had no idea what late ‘80s computers were actually capable of) teams up with one of the locals to locate the killer. An escaped mental patient (or course), proves to be the culprit. Yawn. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray, Prime Video and Midnight Pulp

Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) When your monster movie features Frankenstein’s creation, Dracula and the Wolfman, what can go wrong? Well, if it’s the wildly prolific Jesús (“Jess”) Franco at the helm, plenty. With the help of his homemade monster, Dr. Frankenstein revives Dracula, hoping to create an invincible vampire army to rule the world (just forget about stakes, fire and sunlight). This would-be tribute to Universal’s classic monsters somehow manages to be dull, despite the presence of three horror icons. Featuring sloth-like pacing, non-existent character development, and dollar-store makeup effects, Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein underwhelms from the first reel to the last. If someone told me Franco made this while someone held a gun to his head, I’d believe it. Unless you’re on a masochistic mission to see all 200+ of his movies, skip it.  

Rating: *½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi

Black Candles (aka: Los Ritos Sexuales del Diablo) (1982) After she learns about her brother’s untimely death, Carol (Vanessa Hidalgo) travels to England to visit her sister-in-law Fiona (Helga Liné) in her farmhouse. All is not as it seems, as Carol stumbles onto a satanic cult, falling into Fiona’s trap. The paper-thin plot is mostly an excuse to depict one sleazy escapade after another (including a sex scene with a pig). More unpleasant than scary, Black Candles is a must-miss. 

Rating: *½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD