Satan's Blood (1978)

6th Jan 10





Plot
Satanist couple lure unsuspecting 'nice' couple to country retreat for a big fat slice of devil pie. And some oily sex.

Review
Satanic horror movies range from the sublime (Rosemary’s Baby) to the ridiculous (The Devil’s Rain), but they’re always reasonably good fun. This Spanish title from our friends at Mondo Macabro was produced by none other than Juan Piquer Simón, the man responsible for the grisly early 80s slasher Pieces, but written and directed by his protégé, Carlos Puerto.

Andy and pregnant wife Anna are waiting at the traffic lights when their attention is distracted by a couple in the next lane – Bruno and Berta. Bruno appears to recognise Andy from college days and invites them both back to their place for cheese and wine. After a very long drive, they arrive at a large house in the middle of nowhere. The isolation is all the more worrying because Andy does not remember Bruno and has only played along so far to be polite. Big mistake.

When Anna picks up a book depicting images of witchcraft she should have realised what kind of weekend they are letting themselves in for. Following some unwise meddling with the Ouija board, it transpires that Bruno and Berta are in fact a couple of rabid Devil freaks, hell bent on luring the unsuspecting couple into their dirty, oiled-up Satanic sex sessions, and by the time they realise escape is the only option, everything has gone very, very wrong.

Satan’s Blood is quite a captivating affair from the outset. Carlos Puerto wastes no time in setting up the central premise and maintains this lean approach throughout. A great virtue here is the micro cosmic cast, comprising only two couples, and the tension is efficiently mounted between them, with this huge, ugly house serving as backdrop to the nefarious proceedings.

Fans of flesh-heaving Euro Trash will surely embrace the sheer sleaziness of Satan’s Blood, which works its way up to a oily foursome halfway through proceedings. Previously, I had no idea that the thorough oiling of boobs played such an important part of Satanism, but you learn something every day I guess.

However it’s not merely the sex that sells this import, because director Puerto successfully weaves in some effective details, such as the magical, sulphurous fire that lights the main room, or the disconcerting manner in which Bruno and Berta keep leaning over the kitchen worktop to chomp at raw meat, hands free, just like animals. Also, when they are making love, the sound of their groans blends into that of wild, vicious sounding beasts, a creep factor that is only overshadowed by one of the creepiest dolls yours truly has ever witnessed.

Although this is admittedly cheap euro trash, it’s more effective - not to mention daring - than similar films from the same time, like Satan’s Slave, but clearly gets a fair amount of inspiration from Rosemary's Baby. There is little, if any, of the ponderous padding that sometimes ruins these matured shockers, which came as a surprise - it just gets stuck in and doesn't let go until the genuinely creepy closure. If sexed-up, retro occult movies are your bag then Satan’s Blood is definitely worth a look.

• Brand new Hi Def digital master
• Newly comissioned documentary - "The Devils Disciples" - Church of Satan priest Gavin Baddely on the history of 20th Century Satanism
• English / Spanish language choice with removable subtitles
• Mondo Macabro preview trailer
• Interactive menus
• Scene access

Posted by
Zomblee



Return to Reviews Index