CINEBEATS » Spanish Cinema

My first Blu-ray essay will be published with the limited slipcover edition of Eloy de la Iglesia’s magnificent mondo Kubrick-inspired giallo mash-up, Murder in a Blue World (1973) in March fro...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2022/02/15/eloy-de-la-iglesias-murder-in-a-blue-world-1973/

Tod Browning’s DRACULA (1931) is rightly hailed as a horror classic while the Spanish-language version directed by George Melford was assumed lost and went largely unseen by modern audiences fo...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2020/10/24/dracula-vs-spanish-dracula/

ON VAMPYRES AND OTHER SYMPTOMS (2011) is the clever title of a new documentary directed by Celia Novis focusing on the reclusive Spanish filmmaker, writer, and artist José Ramón Larraz. If Lar...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/on-vampyres-and-other-symptoms-2011/

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (1969) is often cited as one of Spain’s most important and influential horror films but its audience is typically restricted to genre fana...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2019/06/08/the-house-that-screamed-murder-2/

As a film journalist I have often tried to focus my attention on underappreciated films, actors and directors. Unsurprisingly, this has led me to write about a number of gay/LGBT films as well as...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/celebrating-gay-pride/

I recently had the opportunity to view Celia Novis’ new documentary, ON VAMPYRES AND OTHER SYMPTOMS (2011), about the life and work of director José Ramón Larraz. Larraz is one of Spain’s m...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/jose-ramon-larraz-on-vampyres-and-other-symptoms/

At the Movie Morlocks this week I took a sneak peek at Severin Films upcoming DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Package for HORROR EXPRESS (1972). This entertaining Spanish/British production directed by Eugino ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/all-aboard-the-horror-express/

Mod Macabre continues over at The Movie Morlocks today where I take a look at Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s horrific thriller The House That Screamed (1969) featuring a great cast that includes L...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/the-house-that-screamed-murder/

I was gutted by the news of Paul Naschy’s death today due to complications from cancer. He was 75 years old and had a very full and productive life but I didn’t realize he was so ill. Naschy ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/paul-naschy-1934-2009/

Before the Fall (aka Tres días) is a terrific Spanish thriller with an end-of-the-world setting. This thoughtful genre-mixing film takes place in a small Spanish village as the news breaks that ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/modern-mondays-before-the-fall-2008/

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but overall 2008 was somewhat of a lackluster year for new Region 1 DVD releases of 1960s and 1970s era films when compared to the previous two years (See: 20...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/top-20-favorite-dvd-releases-of-2008-part-i/

My love for Jess Franco definitely clouds any objective opinion I have about his work, but I truly believe that The Rites of Frankenstein (aka Les Experiences erotiques de Frankenstein, 1972) is ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/jess-francos-rites-of-frankenstein-1972/

Despite its somewhat misleading title, Scream… and Die! aka TheHouse That Vanished (1973) is a fascinating film directed by José Ramón Larraz that’s well worth a look if you enjoy unusual E...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/jose-ramon-larrazs-scream-and-die-1973/

Pierre Clementi in Belle de Jour (1967) “He had a legend, the aura of genius, a friend to the mysterious and the strange. I arrived full of holy terror and mad hope all at the same time. I was ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/ode-to-marcel/

Critics and film scholars have spent countless hours analyzing Luis Buñuel’s film Belle de Jour (1967) and the mysterious Asian box that appears in one of the movies most memorable and erotic ...

https://cinebeats.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/whats-in-the-box/