THE DAY OF THE BEAST (1995): Alex de la Iglesia’s Groundbreaking Satanic Horror Comedy

THE DAY OF THE BEAST (El Dia de la Bestia) (1995) d. Alex de la Iglesia (Spain)

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Father Ángel (Alex Angulo) believes he has decoded the Book of Revelation and discovered that the Antichrist will be born in Madrid on Christmas Eve, 1995. Convinced that committing evil acts will help him commune with Satan and locate the child, Ángel does his best to descend into moral chaos, with hilariously mixed results.

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (1974): ZOMBIES FROM SPAIN!!!

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (aka THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE) (1974) d. Jorge Grau (Spain/Italy)

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A hidden gem overshadowed by the myriad flesh-eating flicks that followed in its wake, director Jorge Grau took his given assignment of creating a spiritual sequel to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and conjured a minor classic all its own. Blending social commentary (environmentalism) with shocking moments of jaw-dropping gore, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (or whatever title you happen to discover it under) remains a worthy entry in the undead canon.

ESTIGMA (aka STIGMA) (1980) Blu-ray review

Estigma (aka Stigma) (1980) d. Jose Larraz (Italy/Spain) (86 min)

Angry young man Sebastian (Christian Borremeo) has powers and, as such, he has problems. Whenever he gets angry at people, tragedy befalls them and, well, being an angry young man, he is surrounded by a lot of tragedy. Are these all coincidences or is he actually causing these deaths? If the latter, is there any way he can control his emotions so that he doesn’t murder everyone he comes in contact with, knowing they will eventually disappoint him?

VERONICA (2017) movie review - Cinepocalypse 2017

Veronica (2017) d. Plaza, Paco (Spain) (1st viewing)

Our titular teen protagonist (Sandra Escacena) does not have what many would consider an easy life. Her father recently died in a tragic accident, her mother works all hours to keep a roof above their heads, and she is tasked with caring for her three younger siblings, everything from breakfast to homework to bedtime baths. One day, knowing that the rest of the class will be outside observing a solar eclipse, she and two friends sneak downstairs to the school’s basement to try to contact her passed-on papa via a Ouija board; predictably, things do not go as planned and dark spirits begin to slip into every darkened corner of Veronica’s life, threatening her and everyone close to her.

SLUGS (1988) movie review

Slugs (1988) d. Simon, J.P. (Spain)

Simon, the maestro behind the gut-busting splatter flick Pieces, delivers another heaping helping of the red sauce, this time with toxic waste-fed gastropods doing the honors. While the line readings and WTF moments are not as abundantly plentiful, there’s enough head-shaking banana boat wackiness to keep guts chuckling and gruesome sequences to keep lunches buckling.

HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (1973) review

Hunchback of the Morgue, The (1973) (2nd viewing) d. Aguirre, Javier

Naschy plays the titular walking infirmity as a sensitive, lovelorn suitor who brings flowers every day to his favorite fatally ill female patient, the only person to show him kindness. After she expires, he secrets her corpse away from prying eyes, but mad scientist Alberto Dalbés promises to resurrect her in exchange for a few body parts here and there. You see, Dalbés is creating a new species of life form in his underground lair, a bubbling, bellowing beastie whose offscreen cries recall a wicked encounter with undercooked Spanish cuisine (BLEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!) The results are an energetic and gory good time, unless you happen to be one of the many rats that Naschy & Co. set ablaze for their squealing production value. There is no doubt animals were harmed in the making of this film.

SLEEP TIGHT (2011) review

Sleep Tight (2011) (1st viewing) d. Balaguero, Jaume (Spain)

A sociopathic doorman/desk jockey/maintenance man (Luis Tosar) at a Spanish apartment complex antagonizes those around him in supremely subtle, sinister ways. His most calculated measures, reserved for a beautiful young tenant (Marta Etura), should have most single females climbing the walls with a case of the skeeves. This glimpse at the man behind the friendly smile, the one we pass every day, resonates deeply on the creepy scale, perhaps because there is no tangible cause for his casual maliciousness. The problem with Balaguero’s and screenwriter Alberto Marini’s approach – if it is a problem – is that Tosar is too despicable to generate any real viewer empathy. We’ve been given menacing monsters as our protagonist before, but either an explanation for their psychosis is provided or they exude enough raw charm that we root for them in spite of their depravity. Here, we desperately want Tosar to get caught, the tension generated because he continues to elude detection. It’s a strange, if effective, dynamic but one that, especially in the final act, left me feeling a bit unclean. Maybe this is the filmmakers’ intention, to leave us stewing in our discomfort and helplessness, but seems purely mean-spirited in the final analysis.