Blu-ray review: DANZA MACABRA Vol. 3 THE SPANISH GOTHIC COLLECTION

 

DANZA MACABRA Vol. 3 THE SPANISH GOTHIC COLLECTION

NECROPHAGOUS (1971)

a.k.a. The Butcher of Binbrook

Directed by:  Miguel Madrid

CAKE OF BLOOD (1971)

a.k.a.  Pastel de Sangre

Directed by:  Francesc Bellmunt, Jaime Chavarri, Emilio Martinez Lazaro, & Jose Maria Valles

CROSS OF THE DEVIL  (1975)

Directed by:  John Gilling

THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD (1975)

a.k.a. Strange Love of the Vampires

Directed by:  Leon Klimovsky

Distributed by:  Severin Films

  If you are a fan of physical media, you are certainly familiar with Severin Films.   They distribute some of the best genre films, and their box sets are always amazing releases.   This new entry into the DANZA MACABRA sets is no different.  You can always expect the best picture quality, special features, and excellent physical packaging when Severin Films is involved. 

  DANZA MACABRA Vol. 3 features 4 more Spanish Gothic films from the 1970's.   Below is a brief synopsis of each film, courtesy of the Severin press release, followed by a few thoughts I had of each one.  

NECROPHAGOUS - The most misunderstood Spanish gothic shocker of the early ‘70s can now be reassessed like never before: A young nobleman (Bill Curran) returns to his crumbling family castle, only to learn that his wife has died giving birth to their stillborn child. But why is her coffin empty? What follows is a uniquely told shocker of grief, lust, dark secrets and the hungers of the grave. 

  

CAKE OF BLOOD - With Spanish cinema still under the oppressive Franco regime, four filmmakers banded together to create a horror anthology that examined classic themes through transgressive perceptions: Directed by José María Vallés, TAROT stars Julián Ugarte (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK) in a grim tale of fanaticism set in the Middle Ages. Eusebio Poncela (THE CANNIBAL MAN) and Marisa Paredes (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) star in VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, a unique take on Mary Shelley’s classic directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED). TERROR AMONG CHRISTIANS, directed by Francesc Bellmunt, is a jolting vampire allegory set during Roman times. Jaime Chávarri – co-writer of VAMPYROS LESBOS and future icon of New Spanish Cinema – directs the twisted ghost story THE DANCE OR EMOTIONAL SURVIVALS starring Luis Ciges (THE CREATURE). 

CROSS OF THE DEVIL - In the early ‘70s, Spanish horror icon Jacinto Molina (aka Paul Naschy) wrote a screenplay for a Knights Templar film to compete with the popular BLIND DEAD series. Meanwhile, Hammer Films director John Gilling – whose hits for the UK studio included THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and THE REPTILE – had retired to Spain. Molina shared his script with Gilling, who took over the project without Molina. The rarely seen result is a sumptuous tale of supernatural horror in which a writer (Ramiro Oliveros of THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE) plagued by violent nightmares investigates the murder of his sister by an ancient occult order.

THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD - Though best known for his collaborations with Spanish horror star Jacinto Molina/Paul Naschy, Argentinian director León Klimovsky also crafted several of Spain’s finest vampire films of the ‘70s, especially this “magnificent” (Taliesin Meets The Vampires) 1975 gothic classic: In a 19th century village ruled by superstition, a vulnerable young woman (Emma Cohen of HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB) is seduced into an aristocratic family of the sensuous undead.

 

  I love discovering old films I have never seen before, and all four of these films fall into that catagory.  All four were entertaining, but a couple did stand out for me.   My favorite film was THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD.   With that title, I was expecting a zombie film, but instead you get a very cool vampire film.   I will say though, that these vampires rose from the graves, so it was very reminiscent of a zombie film.  I liked that aspect and hadn't really seen that in a vampire film before.  CAKE OF BLOOD was my second favorite in this set.   I am a fan of anthology films, as I like getting multiple stories in one watch.  Each short is about 20-25 mins in length which is perfect for my short attention span!   My favorite short from this anthology was "Victor Frankenstein".  It was a very different take on the Frankenstein story, with the "monster"  just looking and acting like a regular guy, although with no capacity to speak.  CROSS OF THE DEVIL was an ok film, but I did find my mind wandering at times, and even though it clocks in at just 92 mins, I felt like it really dragged in several places.   NECROPHAGOUS.....well, I don't even know what to say about this one.  I'm glad I read the plot synopsis from IMDb.com, because that is the only way I would have known what was going on with this one!  This was definitely my least favorite of the films, but the lizard man makeup was pretty funny and gave me a good laugh.  Now that I think of it, that's probably not what the filmmakers were going for here, being a horror film and all. Maybe it was scary at the time, but it definitely did not hold up with today's makeup effects.  

 Overall, this set was a fun watch.  A lot of these old Spanish horror films just have a certain charm to them.  Most are pretty tame by today's standards as well, so don't expect a lot of gore.  Severin has done another great job with this release, and I'll now be tracking down Volumes 1 and 2 for my collection!

  The DANZA MACABRA Vol. 3 Blu-ray set is available now from Severin Films.  Special Features include the following:

NECROPHAGOUS Special Features

*Audio Commentary With Andy Marshall-Roberts, Host Of The Nasty Pasty Podcast

*Something You've Never Seen – Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

*The First Horror Film Festival In The World – Remembrance By Maria Pilar Rafáles, Daughter Of Sitges Film Festival Founder Antonio Rafáles

*Trailers

CAKE OF BLOOD Special Features

*Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett Of NaschyCast And The Bloody Pit, And Dr. Adrian Smith, Co-Author Of Norman J. Warren: Gentleman of Terror

*My Generation – Interview With Actress Marisa Paredes

*I Just Wanted To Have Fun – Interview With Co-Director Jaime Chávarri

*To Whoever Wants To Watch – Interview With Actor José Lifante

*An Arthouse UFO – Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

CROSS OF THE DEVIL Special Features

*Audio Commentary With Kim Newman, Author Of Anno Dracula, And Barry Forshaw, Author Of Brit Noir

*Fascinated By Bécquer – Interview With Screenwriter Juan José Porto

*The Real Templar Knights Movie – Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

*Fantasy And Imagination: The Legacy Of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer – Video Essay By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Author Of Spanish Gothic: National Identity, Collaboration And Cultural Adaptation

THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD Special Features

*Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness

*A Deadly Invitation To Another Dimension – Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

*Leo's Signature – Interview With Writer Juan José Porto

*Dead Man Walking – Interview With Actor José Lifante

*Spain's Cinematic Vampires – Video Essay By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Author Of Spanish Gothic: National Identity, Collaboration And Cultural Adaptation Alternate Spanish Credit Sequence

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the box set