EXORCISMO: DEFYING A DICTATOR & RAISING HELL IN POST-FRANCO SPAIN (1970-1985)
10-Disc Blu-ray Box Set
Severin Film's latest must-own box set is the 19-film, 10-disc Blu-ray set Exorcismo: Defying a Dictator & Raising Hell in a Post-Franco Spain (1970-1984), a collection of previously rare and obscure Spanish films collected in one mind-boggling set of wild exploitation cinema. These were subversive, boundary-pushing exploitation films that emerged during General Franco’s authoritarian rule of Spain, as well as the post-Franco era when the "adults only" Clasificada “S” rating emerged, bringing these sleazy and wildly entertaining flicks to the masses. This deep-diving set is chock full of rare and previously impossible to find flicks, some of which have never even seen the light of day on home video in decades! Among the nineteen films you will find lesser-known films from well-known Spanish directors like Eloy de la Iglesia, León Klimovsky, and Eugenio Martín, plus the 2024 documentary Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" directed by Alberto Sedano, who also helped curate this magnificent set.
Disc 1: Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" / Far from the Trees (Lejos de los árboles)
EXORCISMO:
THE TRANSGRESSIVE LEGACY OF CLASIFICADA "S" (2024)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 122 Minutes 59 Seconds
Audio: Spanish 5.1 or Spanish/ English 2.0 DTS-HD MA with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Alberto Sedano
The box set starts off with this terrific documentary, directed by Alberto Sedano, and narrated by punk-icon Iggy Pop, it does excellent work laying the groundwork, from the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and and the rise of fascist Franco regime and it's censorship, highlighting directors who worked prolifically during this era, like José Ramón Larraz, Jess Franco, and Eloy de la Iglesia, who were able to skirt censorship rules by creating multiple versions for other territories outside of Spain, and how when Franco died in 1975 there was an explosion of creativity, which lead to the "S" classification for adult oriented content, allowing for more visceral violence, sex, and alternative lifestyles to be shown in Spanish cinemas. Talking heads throughout the doc include Álex de la Iglesia, Carlos Puerto, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Alejandro Melero, Gaspar Noé, Jack Taylor, Luis Parés, Antonio Mayans, Vinegar Syndrome's Joe Rubin, and Severin's David Gregory, as well as many others, with plenty of clips from the films on the set and others that are not, that draw you in, some of these I've never even heard of, let alone seen. Its a terrific primer for the set, setting expectations of salacious and boundary pushing cinema that often were ripe with biting social commentary. I appreciated the talking heads getting into the how subversive these film were as I am not always picking up on biting social commentary when I watch a film, I'm more in the moment and not really dissecting the socio-political context, and the doc really gave me a much deeper appreciation of what was happening beneath the surface, and just exposing me to dozens of films I knew absolutely nothing about previously. .
Special Feature:
- Trailer (1:40)
FAR FROM THE TREES (1972)
aka Lejos de los árboles
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 103 Minutes 32 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: B&W 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 2K scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Jacinto Esteva Grew
Next up is Jacinto Esteva's mondo-documentary Far From The Trees (1972), made pre "S" classification era and delayed from release for years after being shot in the 1969, it's a stark black and white shot doc that starts off with young people of the 60's dancing in a club to rock n' roll, before exploring different catholic practices and rituals in different area, from metropolitan areas to deep rural areas, some of the rituals are pretty shocking, including the mistreatment and slaughtering of different animals, as well as more mundane Catholic practices, showing the difference between the social classes. Personally I found this one a bit of slog at 103-minutes but it does have some striking imagery and it a noteworthy curio of the pre "S" classification era.
Special Features:
- None
Disc 2: The Bell from Hell (La campana del infierno) / Creation of the Damned (El refugio del miedo)
THE BELL FROM HELL (1973)
aka La campana del infierno
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 97 Minutes 31 Seconds
Audio: Spanish or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 4K scan of the 35mm Internegative
Director: Claudio Guerin Hill
Cast: Renaud Verley, Viveca Lindfors, Alfredo Mayo, Maribel Martín, Nuria Gimeno, Christina von Blanc
Of all the film on the set this was the one I had heard the most about, it's been on a hand-scrawled list of film to-see I've had in my wallet for years, and I never did happen upon it, but thanks to this terrific I have seen it! The Bell from hell (1973) is directed by Claudio Guerin Hill, who fell to his death from from a bell tower on the last day of filming! The film was completed in post-production by director Juan Antonio Bardem (The Corruption of Chris Miller). In it a peculiar young man named Joh n (Renaud Verle, The Damned) is released from an asylum, hops on his motorcycle and returns to his home, now occupied by is Marta (Viveca Lindfors, Creepshow), and her three daughters, Esther (Maribel Martín), Teresa (Nuria Gimeno), and Maria (Christina von Blanc), whom he feels have been complicit in robbing him of his rightful inheritance, deciding to make their lives, and others miserable in the process. Early on he tales a job at a slaughterhouse, which later proves a vital part of his diabolical plan for his family members he feels wronged him. This is a deliciously perverse slice of macabre, it has a unique look it it, feeling very Gothic it's execution but with some terrifically interesting lensing and editing that adds a surreal edge to it. There's an investees tone to his dealing with his female cousins as well that is off-putting, and the his state of mind is never something you can never be certain of - was he done dirty by his aunt or is he truly insane? I wouldn't say it was gory, but there is some truly potent imagery, including an eye-going that graces this box set's cover, a cattle-themed human slaughter scene, and a tasty swarming bee-sting scenario - though be forewarned the scenes of animal slaughter are potent, and could prove upsetting.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness
- Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett, Film Historian And Co-Host Of NaschyCast, And Robert Monell, Writer And Editor Of I'm In A Jess Franco State Of Mind
- Censorship And Curses – Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil On THE BELL FROM HELL (30:11)
- Trailer
- LUCIANO (1965) – Short Film Co-Written/Directed By Claudio Guerín, Director Of THE BELL FROM HELL (39:26)
CREATION OF THE DAMNED (1974)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 95 Minutes 57 Seconds
Audio: Spanish or English Dual-Mono DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 2K Scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: José Ulloa
Cast: Craig Hill, Patty Shepard, Teresa Gimpera, Fernando Hilbeck
Creation of the Damned (1974) is directed by José Ulloa, A Spanish post-apocalyptic flick set in the U.S. where two couples, we have Bob (Craig Hill, The Bloodstained Shadow) and his often drunk wife Margie (Teresa Gimpera, The People Who Own the Dark), their teenage son Chris (Pedro Mari Sánchez), and a second couple by way of Arthur (Fernando Hilbeck, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) and Carol (Patty Shepard, The Witches Mountain). We don't ever learn what lead tot he nukes falling, but things in their apartment shelter are getting dire, air and food supplies are running low, tempers flare, libidos go out of control, and the untenable situate quickly escalates, not even the cat is safe as it ends up skinned and part of the food chain at one point! A solid chamber piece with plenty of nudity, melodrama and tension, perhaps a bit light on action, but still a gripping subterranean post-apocalyptic slice of paranoia, and a pretty interesting post-Covid watch.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Author Of Spanish Horror Film
- I'm Proud Of My Films – Interview With Director José Ulloa (11:26)
- Being There – Interview With Camera Assistant Paco Marín (9:18)
- Trailer (3:25)
- Still Gallery (51 Images)
Disc 3: The Devil's Exorcist (El juego del diablo) / After... Part One: You Can't Be Left Alone?
THE DEVIL’S EXORCIST (1975)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 83 Minutes 30 Seconds
Audio: Spanish or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K Scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Jorge Darnell
Cast: Jack Taylor, Inma de Santis, Maria del Puy
The Devil's Exorcist (1975) is directed by Jorge Darnell, and it is not quite the Exorcist knock-off you might be thinking, r wanting, but it is a devilishly well-made a creepy tale of possession. After a trip to a wax museum Catholic school girl Sheila Roberts (Inma de Santis, The Killer of Dolls) begins to behave rather oddly, plagued by visions of a man who bares an uncanny resemblance to Phantasm's Tall Man, which lands her at the hospital where Dr. Liza Green (Maria del Puy, Slugs) and Dr. Jack Morris (Jack Taylor, Pieces) begin to treat her, but it's pretty obvious this young girl has some serious possession issues, becoming more and more sinister by the day, putting her mother in mortal danger, even a child at the hospital is not immune from her corruption, when she cuts off his air supply killing him, even killing a dog. The film is well-shot and has some terrific atmosphere. I thought young Maria del Puy was terrific in the role of the possessed child, both sympathetic at times and chillingly sinister in others, another highlight are the surreal sequences, including some gorgeous church stained glass, and the terrific percussive soundtrack by José Nieto.
Special Features:
- Play Film With Alternate Opening
- Audio Commentary With Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Author Of The Spanish Fantastic, And Film Critic/Educator Simon Laperrière
- A Daring Film – Interview With Actor Jack Taylor (9:20)
- Horror Comes From The Church – Interview With Cinematographer José Luis Alcaine (9:34)
- Sound Experiments – Interview With Composer José Nieto (4:44)
- Trailer (2:28)
- Alternate Opening (0:25)
AFTER... PART ONE: YOU CAN'T BE LEFT ALONE? (1983)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the OCN
Director: Cecilia Bartolomé, José Juan Bartolomé
Next is the 1983 documentary After... Part One: Can't You Be Left Alone? aka Después de... Primera parte: No se os puede dejar solos?, directed by Cecilia Bartolomé and José Juan Bartolomé that documents the two year period from 1975-1976 following the death of Franco, beginning with footage from his funeral. This features interviews with a wide swath of Spanish citizens from different backgrounds discussing their feelings on Franco and how they suffered under his rule, and how the country should proceed, offering a contextual look at a country in turmoil after decades of oppressive rule.
Disc 4: The People Who Own the Dark (Último deseo)
THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK (1976)
aka Último deseo
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 99 Minutes 57 Seconds (Spanish Cut) / 83 Minutes 2cSeconds (U.S. Cut)
Audio: Spanish (Spanish Cut Only) / English (U.S. Cut Only) DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 1.66:1 (Spanish Cut Only) / 1.85:1 (U.S. Cut Only) - Both from a New Restoration
Director: León Klimovsky
Cast: Nadiuska, Alberto de Mendoza, Teresa Gimpera, Emiliano Redondo, Julia Sali, Tomás Picó, Diana Polakov, Antonio Mayans, Leona Devine, Ricardo Palacios, Maria Perschy, Paul Naschy
Easily the best-known of all the film on this set is León Klimovsky's The people Who Own the Dark (1976), wherein a group of secretive and wealthy men, Prof. Fulton (Alberto de Mendoza, Horror Express), Dr. Messier (Emiliano Redondo, Christina), Dr. Robertson (Ricardo Palacios), Victor (Tomás Picó, The Case of the Scorpion's Tale), Vasily Seriakov (Antonio Mayans, The Sinister Dr. Orloff) and Borne (Paul Naschy, The Howl of the Devil) have gathered inside a rural castle for a weekend of ritualistic sex shenanigans, with lovely-looking prostitutes Berta (Teresa Gimpera, Naked Girl Killed in the Park), Marion (Julia Saly, Inquisition), Tania (Diana Polakov), Luna (Leona Devine), Anita (Estela Delgado), Clara (Nadiuska, Conan the Barbarian) and Lily (Maria Perschy). While gathered in the basement donning masks it looks like the orgy is about to begin when a rumbling shakes the basement, disrupting the horny happening, and it is discovered that the maid who was upstairs during the event has been stricken white-eyed and blind. It seems she witnessed the flash of a nuclear explosion inthe distance. Panicked the men make the choice to drive into a nearby village and plunder the food resources, whose inhabitants unprotected have all gone blind. One of the men murders several of the villagers in the process when they protest the thievery of their resources, and the group return to the mansion. Later the blinded townsfolk, lead by a man who was blind prior to the detonation, find their way to the mansion and lay siege with deadly consequences.
Klimovsky's film is dark and quite pointed about the upperclass's douchebaggery towards the lower-class, and the ending is both bleak and darkly comic, it's quit a wonderful film, and this release offers both the superior 100 minute Spanish Cut and the shorter 83 minutes U.S. Cut.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn, Film Historians/Co-Hosts Of NaschyCast (Spanish Cut Only)
- Joking On Set – Interview With Actor Antonio Mayans (9:25)
- A Unique Iconography In Spanish Terror – Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival, On THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK (18:09)
- Trailer (1:51)
Disc 5: Battered Flesh (Carne apaleada) / The Priest (El sacerdote)
BATTERED FLESH (1978)
aka Carne Apaleada
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 98 Minutes 42 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 4K restoration of the 35mm OCN
Director: Javier Aguirre
Cast: Sandra Alberti, Barbera Rey, Tota Alba, Esperanto Roy, Jesus Alcaide, Trini Alonso
Next, we get a nice change of pace with the women-in-prison film Battered Flesh (1975) directed by Javier Aguirre (Count Dracula's Great Love), a true story about a lower-class woman named Berta Costaleta (Esperanza Roy, A Candle for the Devil), who is imprisoned for repeatedly passing bad checks, which she says she had do do just to survive. While in prison she takes note of the poor treatment of the female inmates, and starts a lesbian love affair with unstable inmate Senta (Barbara Rey, The Night of the Sorcerers). For a WIP flick this is pretty tame stuff, but the melodrama and core story are quite gripping, the performances are strong, and the cyclical ending is rather grim and shocking, even more so because this is based on a true story.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Author Of The Spanish Fantastic, And Spanish Cinema Professor/Scholar Alejandro Melero
- A Spain To Break – Interview With Actress Sandra Alberti (15:09)
THE PRIEST (1978)
aka El Sacerdote
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 100 Minutes 6 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - HD Master provided by Grupo M Asociados
Director: Eloy de Iglesia
Cast: Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Martín Garrido Ramis
When this set was announced my curiosity was piqued with the inclusion of this film, Eloy de Iglesia's The Priest. de Iglesia is a Spanish filmmaker I knew from early DVD releases of Cannibal Man, but in the last few years Severin have really stepped up to the plate to get his films into the cinematic consciousness again, with the release of No One Heard the Scream, The Glass Ceiling, The Creature, and his QuinQui films, which have been terrific discoveries for me. With this one you can expect nothing less than more signature de Iglesia transgressiveness, this time we are following a Madrid based Catholic priest named Father Miguel (Simón Andreu, The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion). He gets into a spot of trouble when he has an affair with married woman Irene (Esperanza Roy, Return of the Evil Dead), causing him to lose his parish position, demoted to teaching children, uh-oh. It's while teaching the children he is overcome with thoughts of sex, even the bare thighs of children cause him to become aroused, and while he does not act on these impulse, he confides his impure thoughts to his superior. He continues to struggle with his impulses, even seeking satisfaction from a prostitute, leaving him to contemplate a rather drastic action, trimming his manhood with a pair of garden shears. The film is decidedly pointed in regard to the Catholic church, coming of as a tense religious melodrama with some potent imagery, especially the final reel, which is absolutely wild.
Special Features:
- The Socialist Priest – Interview With Actor Emilio Gutiérrez Caba (14:31)
- A Provocative Filmmaker – Interview With Actor Martín Garrido Ramis (8:30)
- EL OTRO LUIS (1975) – Short Film By Eloy De La Iglesia’s Friend And Collaborator Alejo Loren (21:24)
Disc 6: Sins of a Nympho (Bacanal en directo) / Dimorfo
SINS OF A NYMPHO (1979)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 84 Minutes 56 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 4K scan of the OCN
Director: Miguel Madrid
Cast: Azucena Hernandez, Fernando Martin, Victor Petit, Carla Celis
Sins of a Nympho (1979) is directed by Miguel Madrid (The Killer of Dolls), it's a wildly orgiastic slice of exploitation with not only plenty of horny nudity, but plenty of social commentary, too. In it movie producer Fabian (Fabián Conde, Murder in a Blue World) host a party at his rural estate, inviting a bevy of young people under the guise of celebrating his upcoming movie. The night becomes an orogastric celebration of drugs and sex, the young people are uninhibited and further fueled by a desire for film careers, but the partakers are initially unaware that the whole mansion has been rigged with hidden cameras so that a group of elite aristocrats, who eventually become dulled by the sex, start to demands that the hosts makes things more violent, with party guests Stela (Azucena Hernández, The Night of the Werewolf) and Fermín (Fernando Martín) starting to take note of the unusual happenings. This was an interesting slice of horny exploitation with a somewhat crowbarred attempt a social commentary that thankfully doesn't detract at all from the stylish orgiastic voyeurism of it all, plus it has a terrific soundtrack as well.
Special Features:
- I Regret Nothing – Interview With Assistant Director Alejo Loren (19:08)
Trailer (3:04)
DIMORFO (1980)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes 57 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) - 4K scan of the OCN
Director: Manuel Rodriguez Jara
Cast: Manuel Rodriguez, Alex Fontsa, Akira Valer, Juan Orta
Dimorfo (1980) is directed by Rodjara aka Manuel Rodriguez, who also stars in the film as Salomon, a Jewish hermit fleeing the persecution of the Nazis in a remote mountainous area. he takes shelter in a home he thought was abandoned, but it is inhabited by woodsman Aleja (Alex Fontsa) and his attractive wife Ana (Akira Valer), as well Rebeca (J. Caracuel), who appears to be the woodsman's mother. He becomes a part of the household which is quite strange, he's attracted to Ana, who is left cold by her closeted homosexual husband, who is also attracted to Salomon, as is Aleja's strangely masculine mother. When Aleja catches Salomon and Ana in the sack she blackmails Salomon into marrying her. Things get even stranger from here as Ana dies giving birth to a child, and the increasingly horny woodman keeps trying to sleep with his new father stepfather. This was a wonderfully oddball watch, it feels like a real passion project for the director who also stars, the tone is off kilter and weird, and the finale is memorable to say the very least.
Special Features:
- The Haunted Cartoonist – Spanish Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil On The Films Of Rodjara (30:18)
- Alternate Credit Sequences (5:01)
Disc 7: Bloody Sex (Sexo sangriento) / Morbus
BLOODY SEX (1981)
aka Sexo sangriento
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 81 Minutes 26 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 4K scan of an Archival 35mm Print
Director: Manuel Esteba
Cast: Ovidi Montillor, Mirta Miller, Diana Conca, Rosa Romero
Bloody Sex (1981) is directed by Manuel Esteba (Vicious and Nude) wherein a lesbian couple Laura (Diana Conca, Bloody Sect) and Andrea (Vicky Palma) join their new acquaintance Norma (Rosa Romero), whom they've just met at a witchcraft convention, on a weekend parapsychology venture to an abandoned village in an isolated area. They get stuck there when they encounter car troubles, but the village is not as empty as it first appeared, and the sole inhabitants, painter Maria (Mirta Miller, Bolero) and her mute son (Ovidi Montllor, El Pico) invite the attractive trio to stay a few days until the car can get repaired. They are later joined by Maria's lover Mario (Carlos Villafranca), and then the bodies start piling up! A sort of Gothic-tinged slashery thriller that looks terrific, has some great atmosphere, oodles of lesbian sex and nudity, and some solid, vicious kills and a tasty Goblin-esque score.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Babylon Blue: An Illustrated History Of Adult Cinema
A Bohemian Life – Interview With Producer Gloria Sancho (11:43)
- Lobby Card Gallery (11 Images)
MORBUS (1983)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 86 Minutes 58 Seconds
Audio: Catalan DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Ignasi P. Ferré
Cast: Carmen Serret, Ramona Ferre, Joan Borras, Victor Israel, Sonny Young
Next up, the super-weird horror/sex-comedy mash-up Morbus (1983) from director Ignasi P. Ferré, which starts off with a pharmacist (Joan Borràs) and his ditzy assistant working on a top-secret serum that he says will reanimate the dead, an elixir he is quite sure will win him the Nobel prize! After perfecting the serum he breaks into a morgue and tries it out on a cadaver, Re-Animator style, inadvertently causing a zombie outbreak. The story then abruptly changes to focus on high-class prostitute Anna (Carmen Serret, The Gypsy) who we find with a client in the woods, he's got some seriously weird kink, but his joy is cut short when they are attacked by the undead. She escapes but passes out and wakes up in the woodland home of science-fiction writer Juan (Roman Ferré, Bloody Sex), who lives with his peculiar foreign butler Shiu Shi (Victor Israel, Horror Express). He does not believe her story but he is quite attracted to her, making advances on her while she tries to convince him that there are zombies in the nearby woods, which he refuses to believe. Even after several more women with similar stories arrive on his doorstep, becoming convinced that there is some sort of elaborate ruse being perpetrated upon him. It's a very silly flick, a send-up/parody of the "S" classification softcore and horror flicks, and I found it quite a fun watch. It looks great with some terrifically garish lighting set-ups and plenty of atmosphere, and some corny undead ghoul make-ups. The tone is a bit all over the place by design, but the real secret sauce here is Victor Israel as the cackling pervert of a butler, a total nutter who steals the spotlight in this bonkers horror/sex-comedy mash-up!
Special Features:
- Sex And Horror – Interview With Director Ignasi P. Ferré (15:32)
- A Well-Deserved Recognition – Interview With Actress Carmen Serret (9:16)
- THE EVIL FACES OF VĺCTOR ISRAEL (2010) – Archival Documentary (1:00:30)
Disc 8: Faces (Rostros) / Triangle of Lust (Desnuda ante el espejo)
FACES (1978)
aka Rostros
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 93 Minutes 33 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Juan Ignacio Galván
Cast: Carmen Sevilla, Juan Pardo, Bárbara Rey, Trini Alonso, Heinrich Starhemberg, Julián Ugarte
Rostros (1978) is directed by Juan Ignacio Galván (Ella (Trágica obsesión)), and concerns a famous sculptor Juna (Juan Pardo) who has achieved acclaim in the artworl,d but who seems to be suffering a sort of creative block, he's become increasingly alienated from friends, and has seemingly lost the ability to see people's faces, those around him appear with featureless, smoothed over features. Its while on a plane he meets a mysterious woman (Carmen Sevilla, The Glass Ceiling), whose face he can see clearly, enraptured by her cold beauty he invites her back to his island home, where she becomes is muse and lover. She's quite secretive about her identity and he enlists the help of a friend named Teresa (Barbara Rey, Battered Flesh) who dabbles in the occult to help identify her, but her presence seems to lead to others death on the island, and Juan is plagued by morbid visions of death. This is a pleasantly dreamy slice of arthouse horror, it's slowly paced but hypnotic, and quite an interesting meditation on artistic inspiration, obsession and existential themes of life and death. The volcanic island location looks fabulous, and the film has a terrific score as well that underpins the existential themes quite nicely. This is a serious rarity, it never even had a VHS release, so it's great to have it on this set, which is chock full of obscure Spanish cinema.
Special Features:
- An Unclassifiable Movie – Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival, On FACES (16:59)
- Trailer (3:11)
TRIANGLE OF LUST (1978)
aka Desnuda ante el espejo
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 90 Minutes 43 Seconds
Audio: English or Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) - 4K Scans of a Spanish and German 35mm Archival Prints
Director: Juan Ingnacio Galvan
Cast: Trini Alonso, Henry Gregor, Beatriz Savon, Julian Ugarte
Triangle of Lust (1978) is directed by Hubert Frank, and is arguably the sets most sleazy and straight-up trashy flick on the set, totally the opposite side of the coin as it's dreamy disc eight compadre Faces. In it the sexy Susi (Patricia Adriani) has embarked on a plane trip with her sugar-daddy lover/pilot, when the small prop plane experiences engine trouble over the ocean he gives her a parachute and tells her to jump out of the plane to save her life. Unbeknownst to her the engine trouble is a ruse, and the parachute he gave her has been sabotaged - it turns out that he's just trying to kill his mistress. Susi is none the wiser and jumps from the plane, but through a twist of fate in her favor she survives the plunge. She washes up on the shore an jungle island where she is taken prisoner by a group of bank robbers who are hiding out on the island. The horny crooks include Henno (Jose Antontio Ceinos, Leonor), Wim (Miguel Angel Godó, Hitler's Last Train), Silvia (Barbara Rey, Rostros, Battered Flesh) and Brit (Manuela Wondratschek, Hard To Remember). The flick is dripping with nudity and rape, and a convoluted plot that involves the duplicitous married couple pondering the fate of Susi, while she herself endures rape and violence at the hands of the bandits, while also getting caught up in a kidnapping plot, and then some bikers show up and all Hell breaks loose. It's the trashiest of all the films on this set, thoroughly silly, fun exploitation in the vein of a lower-tier Jess Franco picture.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Babylon Blue: An Illustrated History Of Adult Cinema
- Extended/Alternate Scenes (10:32)
Disc 9: That House in the Outskirts (Aquella casa en las afueras) / Supernatural (Sobrenatural)
THAT HOUSE IN THE OUTSKIRTS (1980)
aka Aquella casa en las afueras
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 100 Minutes 55 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Eugenio Martino
Cast: Javier Escrivá, Silvia Aguilar, Alida Valli, Carmen Maura
Disc nine is a director Eugenio Martino (Horror Express, The Fourth Victim) double-feature, offering a pair of his later films that have been quite rare till now, starting off with the psychological thriller The House in the Outskirts (1980) wherein Nieves (Silvia Aguilar, The Beast's Carnival) and her wealthy new husband Joaquín (Javier Escrivá, Forbidden Love Game) move into a emote mansion on the outskirts of Madrid. Upon arriving at their new home which she's never seen, Nieves is overcome with a disorienting sense of deja vu, only to realize that it was once a shady abortion clinic where she received services a few years earlier before she met her husband. She does not share the revelation with her husband, out of guilt and shame, but as the film progresses she starts to have a bit of a breakdown as she worries that either he will discover the truth, or perhaps already knows the truth and is playing some sort of mind games with her. Also onboard are the home's caretaker Isabel (cheshire-grinned Alida Valli, Suspiria), who bonds herself to Nieves, but proves to be a dark influence, and a young social worker (Carmen Maura, Witching and Bitching) who comes around looking for the whereabouts of an escaped mental patient who formerly worked at the abortion clinic. It's a terrific psychological thriller, it's not very bloody, but it's atmospheric and tense, a very interesting meditation on guilt and the taboo subject of abortion, and the cast is terrific, especially Silvia Aguilar as the sympathetic star and Alida Valli as the cracked antagonist. The film is quite handsomely shot and has a terrific score a swell, certainly a highlight of this set.
Special Features:
- A Very Strong Character – Interview With Actress Silvia Aguilar (4:23)
- Trailer (2:14)
SUPERNATURAL (1981)
aka Sobrenatural
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 89 Minutes 58 Seconds
Audio: Spanish or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: Eugenio Martin
Cast: Cristina Galbo, Maximo Valverde
Next up is Eugenio Martin's Supernatural (1981), which as the title implies, is more of a supernaturally charged slice of cinema than That House in the Outskirts. After the death of her controlling/cheating husband by car accident Julia (Cristina Galbó, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) lives alone with her maid and her dog. Not long after her husband's death she hears strange noises around the home and starts to believe that his restless spirit is haunting her. When her maid is violently attacked by what appears to be a ghost she summons the help of Dr. Victor Valdes (Maximo Valverde, Hotel Fear) who arranges for a seance, which does nothing to quell the increasingly potent spiritual disturbances. They even go so far as to exhume his grave just to verify the bastard did not fake his death. Is she going crazy, is someone trying to drive her crazy, is her dead husband haunting her from beyond the grave? The flick does good work keeping you on your toes, the narrative is a bit repetitive, but the film excels with great atmosphere, some vintage in-camera haunting effects, and a terrifically charged score that kept me rapt.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary With David Flint, Editor Of Desperate Living
Supernatural Effects – Interview With Actor Máximo Valverde (19:00)
- English Title Sequence (1:56)
- Trailer (2:16)
- TV Spot (0:33)
Disc 10: Poppers / After... Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well (Después de... Segunda parte: Atado y bien atado)
POPPERS (1984)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 83 Minutes
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K Scan of the 35mm OCN
Director: José Mario Castellvie
Cast: Augustin Gonzalez, Conrad San Martin, Alfredo Mayo, Manuel de Blas, Luis Suarez
José María Castellví's Poppers (1984) opens with musician/singer Santos (Miguel Ortiz, The Devil's Backbone) performing with his band at a nightclub when he intervenes in a dispute, and ends up in prison for manslaughter. Upon release he discovers that he has been forced into a The Most Dangerous Game scenario, the wealthy father of the man that was murdered whisks him away to a private island where he will be hunted for sport, with he promise that if he survives he will earn his freedom and riches. A wildly 80s flick with garish neon lighting, new wave fashion, and music of the era, this film arrived at the end of the Spanish exploitation era, a last gasp of exploitation wherein a group of corrupt, wealthy old people, including Franco Mayo from The Bell from Hell, intend to exploit a young guy, but having underestimated the vicious resourcefulness of their prey they become the hunted, as he gets his revenge on the wealthy oldsters, with an assist from a sympathetic youngh woman named Lola (Giannina Facio, The Ibiza Connection).
Special Features:
- A Bold And Delirious Movie – Interview With Art Director Javier Fernández (18:24)
- A Film Like No Other – Interview With Assistant Director Eduardo Campoy (17:04)
- Trailer
AFTER... PART TWO: TIED UP AND TIED UP WELL (1983)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 102 Minutes 38 Seconds
Audio: Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) - 4K scan of the OCN
Director: Cecilia Bartolomé, José Juan Bartolomé
After... Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well is the second part of the documentary directed by Cecilia Bartolomé and José Juan Bartolomé, covering the years of 1979-1980, offering a streel level view of the political unrest in the country after the death of Franco, with on-the-street interviews as people talk about their fears of the military and political violence and terrorism, as well as their views on the role of the Catholic church. Again, the sequel doc does excellent work contextualizing the era in which these films were made, which informs the social commentary that some of these films are dripping with.
Audio/Video: The majority of the films present on this set are sourced from 2K and 4K scan from the original negatives and generally look terrific with filmic grain intact, warm colors and pleasing depth and clarity - with a couple of notable exceptions. The Priest is sourced from an HD master supplied by Grupo M Asociados and looks like it's been excessively digitally filtered removing grain and texture, while Bloody Sex is sourced from a theatrical print and looks soft but filmic otherwise. The roughest looking of the bunch is Triangle of Lust, which was sourced from both Spanish and German theatrical prints, showcasing plenty of print damage and scratches, so it has the most grindhouse patina of any of the films on the set, which honestly doesn't hurt it any in my opinion, it might actually elevate it. As I said, the majority of these are receiving new 2K and 4K scan and look terrific in 1080p HD. Audio comes by way of Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono, and 5.1 in the case of the Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S" doc, with optional English subtitles. English audio options are also included for Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S", The Bell from Hell, Creation of the Damned, The Devil's Exorcist, The People Who Own the Dark (U.S. Cut only), and Triangle of Lust.
This 10-disc set arrives with a sturdy Rigid Slipcase adorned with images from The Bell From Hell, The Priest and inside is the Digibook Packaging, with each of the heavy cardstock pocket-pages featuring key artwork for the films. `Also tucked away inside is a dense 168-page Illustrated Book with loads of new essays, these include "Freedom Shall Not Be Decreed" by Alberto Sedano, "Sexual and Political Otherness in S-Classified Cinema" by Alejandro Melero, "Beyond Spanish Horror: National Trauma and Other Demons" by Alex Mendibil, "The Good, the Bad, the Beautiful, the Devilish: The Women of Spanish Horror and S-Classified Films" by Rowan-Legg, plus "Rated S: Softcore Pornography and the Spanish Tradition to Democracy, 1977-1982" by Daniel Kowalsky.. The book also includes a wealth of movie poster, stills and lobby cards, as well as film credits and technical information for each of the films, and a list of special features.
This is far and away one of my favorite box sets from Severin - and that's no small boast, they have a metric shit-ton of cool box set to choose from, but this one in particular really appealed to my personal cinematic tastes. Pound for pound there is so much wildly entertaining Spanish cult-cinema gold on this set, a veritable treasure trove of rare and obscure Spanish exploitation, with over 21 hours of extras to pour through - trust me, you need this one!
Screenshots from the Severin Films Blu-ray Set:
Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S"
Far from the Trees (Lejos de los árboles)
THE BELL FROM HELL
Extras:
Creation of the Damned
Extras:
After... Part One: You Can't Be Left Alone?
The Devil's Exorcist
Extras:
The People Who own the Dark
Extras:
Battered Flesh
Extras:
The Priest
Extras:
Sins of a Nympho
Dimorfo
Morbus
Extras:
Bloody Sex
Faces
triangle of Lust
The House in the Outskirts
Supernatural
Poppers
Extras:
After... Part Two: Tied Up and Tied Up Well
Buy it!
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