Satan's Blood (1978)

Andy & Anna are bored and decide to go for a drive in the country. On the way they meet another couple who claim to know them from many years before. They agree to visit their country house and end up staying the night. A simple game with a Ouija board goes badly wrong and the evening begins to turn into a nightmare. Things get worse when Anna is attacked by a mysterious stranger. When Andy goes to investigate he finds that they have strayed into the clutches of a dangerous pair of psychopaths who are planning for them a fate worse than death. In 1970's Spain certain films were released with an "S" classification - S for Sex. These were films with an unusually high number of scenes of sex & sadism. Satan's Blood was one of the first of these "S" films and is still one of the most notorious.DVD Features:Available Subtitles: EnglishAvailable Audio Tracks: Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)Brand new hi-def transfer from original vault elementsWorld DVD premiereNewly comissioned documentary The Devil s Disciples: A History of 20th Century SatanismMondo Macabro preview reelEnglish/Spanish language choice with optional subtitles System Requirements:Running Time 82 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: UNRATED UPC: 843276012397 Manufacturer No: MOD123 Product Description

Far From Mondo Macabro's Best Release

this film doesn't really warrant a lengthy synopsis. it feels like an exercise in patience. the story makes no effort to find any logic in ANYTHING! the scares fail on all levels. the nudity would only excite teenage boys. it's just pretty crappy and every scene feels awfully padded out. there are a few unintentionally humorous bits but not enough to really keep anyone entertained. the end was painfully contrived but mildly interesting visually, when the living dead stab the main characters to death. i give an extra star for this very brief sequence and for the fact that the film makers actually had the balls to kill off the main characters (all though this is only temporary). this is the first disappointing release from Mondo that i've viewed. on that note, they did do a great restoration as expected from this label. too bad the movie sucks. June 11, 2008

A great peice of trash!

5 stars?

You bet! If you are looking for a sleazy, mid-70's horror film chalked full of full-frontal nudity fake blood AND Satanism this is one of the best there is. What more could you ask for? How about poor dubbing, plot holes that you could drive a Buick thru and a consistent level of motivational inconsistency that will drive you to pull out your hair with frustration? Yes, yes and YES!

If you love camp horror films like I do, this little gem will deliver more fun and excitement than 5 Saw-sequels, combined.

And as an added bonus there's a fun little documentary on Satanism.

5-stars? Hell, give 'em 6. October 4, 2007

Surprisingly good Polanski-esque horror film

This Spanish film was made not long after the demise of Franco, when censorship loosened up in Spain considerably. My sense is that this was basically intended as an exploitation flick, but the filmmakers had talent and imagination, and the result is a low-budget horror gem. Very well directed, replete with a sinister atmosphere reminiscent of Polanski films like THE TENANT and ROSEMARY'S BABY and some genuinely strange and creepy touches. A good horror film for viewers with brains and imagination. May 23, 2007

Don't expect too much, unless you're looking for satanic orgies and bad acting.

"Satan's Blood" definitely has that foreign movie feel to it, but it really doesn't have much to offer except a lot of full frontal nudity, some odd Satanic sex scenes, and a poor attempt at a horror movie. This movie is not scary at all, but it does give you a look at an interpretation of the disgusting satanic rituals. The acting is predictably poor and the English dubbing isn't very convincing for sure. Overall, this is a very lackluster horror flick, notwithstanding when and where it was made. Of course, with a horror movie about satanism from Spain made in 1977, what should I expect? That being said, it's definitely not my cup of tea...thank goodness for ebay! March 4, 2007

Satanists, murders, and orgies - what more could you want?

I hate to admit it, but the main reason I bought this movie is because of the cool art on the DVD case. But I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Satan's Blood begins with a scene that can be described as pure exploitation. The opening scene is of a Black Mass. The room is decorated with a huge pentagram on a wall, and black candles light the room. A priest bows before the pentagram, and attends to a woman who has just been brought into the room. She is in a white dress, and everyone else are wearing black ceremonial robes. After a display of full-frontal female nudity, the priest stabs the woman in the back. But I can only assume he stabbed her, because it doesn't actually look like he stabs her. It looks like he slid the dagger underneath her back WITHOUT stabbing her. There are several other stabbings in the movie, and none of them look realistic. Regardless, it's safe to assume the woman was an unwilling human sacrifice. My other complaint about this scene is that the woman doesn't seem to mind being raped. Is a greater degree of realism too much to ask for from the filmmakers?

We are then introduced to the two main characters, Andres and Ana (Andy and Anna in the dubbed version), and their dog Blackie. Ana is four months pregnant. While driving around town they are stopped by another couple, Bruno and Berta (Bruno and Mary in the dubbed version). Bruno claims to have known Andres back in college, but Andres can't recall ever seeing him. Regardless, Andres and Ana agree to go to the mysterious couple's huge country house. Shortly after arriving, Blackie is barking loudly at a freezer, which leads the viewer to think the mysterious couple are hiding something in the freezer - especially when Berta menacingly says "Silence!" to Blackie, and he immediately falls silent. It quickly becomes apparent that the couple store meat in their freezer, after we see Berta hunched over a kitchen table, chomping loudly on a raw piece of flesh. The manner in which the mysterious couple eats is a sight that unnerved me.

One of the movie's highlights is when the two couples sit down to contact the dead. Instead of using a cheap Ouija board that any old department store would sell, the mysterious couple have a beautiful Ouija table! They just haul off the tablecloth, grab a fancy glass, and they're ready to communicate with the dead. But the Ouija reveals some deeply personal information about Ana, which upsets her greatly. You wouldn't think watching people use a 'talking board' (or in this case, a 'talking table') would be interesting, but it is in Satan's Blood. It helps ratchet up the suspense. Keep an eye out for the candle that mysteriously goes out by itself after the spirit spoke to Bruno! The second highlight of the film is an orgy scene. The dim-lighting, the roaring fire in the fireplace, and the ominous background music make the ritualistic orgy scene seem surreal, fascinating, and even frightening. And the picture of Jesus that bursts into flames makes for some incredible imagery. But it's hard to believe that Andres and Ana, who by chance have stumbled upon a naked Bruno and Berta in the middle of a Satanic ritual, would partake in an orgy with them. It's even harder to imagine they would after Berta spoke to them in a rather demonic voice (shortly before the orgy began). Perhaps they were too passive to refuse? Or curious? Or both?

There's lots of cool stuff in this movie. The opening credits show blood dripping, with some rather loud and frightening music playing - so simple, yet so cool. And it's cool how Bruno and Berta like to snarl when they have sex. It makes them seem sinister, and evil. And decades before the weird looking doll in Saw, there was the weird looking doll in Satan's Blood, which makes the same scream as Berta did at the end of a ritual. It's not as cool as the doll in Saw, but I'd say it's pretty cool. And just what was the doll's significance? Was it just thrown into the movie because it's cool? And the sight of the mutilated dog will disturb most people more than what the mysterious couple keep in their freezer. And the part where the doors are slamming shut is cool. And if you look closely you'll notice the squatter is seated at the Satanists' table. That's when it becomes apparent what their nefarious plan was from the very beginning. And in case you didn't figure it out then, it becomes crystal clear in the final scene on the street.

The dubbing for Satan's Blood isn't too great. The main problem I had with it was that the dubbed voice for Bruno sounded too goofy most of the time. It sounded like the new host of America's Funniest Home Videos provided the dubbed voice of Bruno. While the English dubbing wasn't terrible, you'll need to watch it with English subtitles to properly experience and enjoy the film.

The DVD also has an interesting documentary called The Devil's Disciples. Gavin Baddeley talks at length about the origins of the Black Mass, the impact of Aleister Crowley on our common perceptions of Satanism, and the creation of the Church of Satan by Anton LaVey. I found the differences between the devil-worship of yesteryear and modern Satanism to be quite interesting.

It's complicated movies like this where a director's commentary is a good thing to have. Unfortunately, Satan's Blood has no commentary track. I'd like to have someone explain what the significance of Andres' statement about a "feeling of emptiness" meant, supposing it was of any significance at all. And I also have no idea what's up with the weird doll. Regardless, this is a really good movie, and I recommend it. August 13, 2006

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