DANZA MACABRA VOL. THREE: THE SPANISH GOTHIC COLLECTION

I'm very excited about this set! And not just because I'm on it. CROSS OF THE DEVIL is an amazing film and I've wanted to be able to introduce people to it for years. 

4 RESTORED CLASSICS.

8+ HOURS OF SPECIAL FEATURES.

LO MEJOR DEL HORROR GÓTICO ESPAÑOL.

 

Spain’s tradition of Gothic Horror – particularly during the Franco dictatorship – was characterized by daring concepts, lush visuals, extreme sexuality and a startling aesthetic all its own. These four classic shockers from the 1970s represent the genre at its most audacious: In NECROPHAGOUS, the debut feature by writer/director Miguel Madrid, a fractured family in a crumbling castle conceals a grisly graveyard secret. The anthology film CAKE OF BLOOD – never previously available outside of Spain – presents a quartet of supernatural tales by four young filmmakers. Hammer Films director John Gilling brings his inimitable style to the occult thriller in CROSS OF THE DEVIL. And a terminally ill woman is enticed by eternal life in León Klimovsky’s vampire masterwork, THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD. Each film in this collection has been scanned from its original negative – with over 8 hours of Special Features – for the first time ever in America.

 

Disc 1: NECROPHAGOUS (1971)

 

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. Frank Braña (PIECES), Victor Israel (THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED) and Beatriz Elorrieta (BLOOD HUNT) co-star in this debut feature by writer/director Miguel Madrid (THE KILLER OF DOLLS) – also known as THE BUTCHER OF BINBROOK and released in America by Independent-International as GRAVEYARD OF HORROR – now scanned in 4K from the recently discovered negative for the first time ever.

 

Disc Specs:

 

Runtime: 87 mins

English Mono, Spanish Mono / Closed Captions

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

 

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

Disc 2: CAKE OF BLOOD (1971)

 

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). Never available outside of Spain, CAKE OF BLOOD is now scanned in 4K from the original negative for the first time ever.

 

Disc Specs:

 

Runtime: 90 mins

Spanish Mono / English Subtitles

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

 

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

Disc 3: CROSS OF THE DEVIL (1974)

 

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. Carmen Sevilla (NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM), Emma Cohen (THE CANNIBAL MAN) and Eduardo Fajardo (THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN) co-star in Gilling’s final film as director, now scanned in 4K from the negative with English subtitles for the first time ever.

 

Disc Specs:

 

Runtime: 97 mins

Spanish Mono / English Subtitles

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

 

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

Disc 4: THE NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD (1975)

 

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. Carlos Ballesteros (José Ramón Larraz’ THE VOYEUR) and Barta Barri (THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE DARK) co-star in this sexy/stylish/violent shocker – also known as STRANGE LOVE OF THE VAMPIRES and ripe for rediscovery after decades of edited prints and bad transfers – now scanned in 2K from the negative for the first time ever.

 

Disc Specs:

 

Runtime: 88 mins

English Stereo, Spanish Stereo / Closed Captions, English Subtitles

Region Free

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

 

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