El día de la bestia

Holy schmoley! How did this movie ever escape me? - I couldn't believe that it was made 17 years ago, and I've never even heard of it. Thank goodness for Pirate Bay or I never would have. What a great blend of story, characters, humor, and of course being on "a mission from God!" I'm buying this one. I wonder why it hasn't been picked up yet by American producers. You know, like they did with "The Grudge", "Dark Water", and a host of others. I'm kinda glad they didn't. They would probably screw it up. - Along with the priest the fabulous sidekick Jose Maria. - I'd love to see these two together again. - Anyway, it you haven't seen this yet, hunt it down and enjoy. If you don't it might just be the "end of the world."

I have become increasingly dissatisfied with most of Hollywood's output, horror or otherwise. Too many movies are either highly cynical commercial products, aimed at teenagers with no discernment or real love of movies, compromised messes that please no-one, stale rehashes of previous works, or just plain STUPID. 'The Day Of The Beast' is none of these things! I was almost put off by the packaging with it's description of a "horror action comedy", expecting some kind of juvenile 'Army Of Darkness' crap (a movie I have no time for). Surprisingly, it DOES have horror, action and comedy, but blends them in original and exciting ways Hollywood hasn't dreamed of. Just compare this to recent supernatural themed thrillers like the brain-dead 'End Of Days' or 'Stigmata', and you'll see that director Alex de la Iglesia is working on a much more intelligent and provocative level.

'The Day Of The Beast' concerns a naive priest's attempts to summon Satan so that he can try and prevent the birth of the Antichrist and Armageddon. He befriends a hilarious acid-gobbling Metal fan (the wonderful Santiago Segura), and with the reluctant assistance of the host of a TV show dealing with the paranormal, the two comrades bumble through a series of adventures while trying to complete their task. The whacky humour and general silliness is balanced with a genuinely dark vision of Madrid and this is what gives this movie such a unique flavour. It juggles comedy, horror and social criticism marvellously, and never loses sight of it's themes of faith, evil and moral responsibility.

I can't recommend this movie highly enough as the antidote to the onslaught of contemporary asinine horror and fantasy movies. Make sure you track down the original undubbed Spanish version to fully appreciate it. 'The Day Of The Beast' ranks up with Mexico's 'Cronos' and Canada's 'Ginger Snaps' as one of the most imaginative and original horror movies of the last ten years. Don't miss it!

On rare occasions, a movie appears that successfully mixes elements of comedy with those of horror without being silly, cheesy or vulgar. Alex De la Iglesia's superb "El Día de la Bestia" is definitely one of those movies.

With an interesting plot, very likable characters, good SFX(considering the low budget) and a great cast, this formidable movie from Spain turns instantly in a cult classic by it's own merits.

Alex Angulo stars as father Angel, a priest who is also a scholar of theology, and that has discovered that John's revelation contains encoded the date and place for the birth of the Antichrist: Christmas Eve of 1995 in Madrid. With that knowledge, he decides to turn himself into a satanist in order to discover the exact place of the birth. With the aid of metal-head Jose Maria(played by Santiago Segura) and the fake psychic Professor Cavas(played superbly by Armando De Razza), he goes on his quest to kill the baby before the anti-Christ's reign begins.

The story is filled with very dark humor as the priest has to sin in order for him to be convincing enough as a satanist. Alex Angulo really carries the film and gives a great performance, but is Armando De Razza who steals the show; Cavas and his girlfriend(played by beautiful Maria Grazia Cucinotta) have a great scene and Maria shines on her small role as the dumb blonde who dates Cavas.

De la Iglesia takes us on the roller-coaster that is this movie, as it never drags and goes on with a fast-paced rhythm. A great camera-work makes the film even better and the bizarre beauty of it's photography, contrasting the colorful Christmas with the dark gritty violence of the streets of Madrid.

Overall a near-perfect film, "El Día de la Bestia" will keep you entertained with it's irreverent(some would say blasphemous) dark humor.

10/10. Very recommended.

A complete cult film in Spain.

I think Alex is one of the most original talents in nowadays cinema. And not only in Spain, all over the world.

You have to realize what it means to issue such a film, and what a danger you take. How he uses black humour and keeps tension on every scene is incredible. And he has shown that in every one of his films, specially in The perfect crime (a pearl of how to use black humour), 800 bullets and Common Wealth. These are films to take with an open mind, no previous thoughts of what are you going to find. I'm still surprised at each one of his new films.

A masterpiece, but not a film for everybody.

When you consider all the elements that have gone into this movie, it's hard to deny that it really shouldn't have worked. Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia has put together a film that fuses ideas of the apocalypse and the antichrist with heavy metal and one of the blackest streaks of humour that I've ever seen. Day of the Beast starts off with a string of blackly comic happenings, which see such things as a man crushed by a cross and a priest pushing a performer off his perch. Amazingly, the director manages to keep the laughs coming throughout, while at the same time ensuring that the apocalyptic tones aren't lost to the comedy side of the film. Personally, I didn't think that much else could be done with the idea of the antichrist - but I've been well and truly proved wrong by this totally unique horror flick! The plot follows a priest who believes that he has found a secret code of some sort, and that he has to commit evil acts in order to get an audience with Satan himself, so that he can kill the Devil's child, which he believes will be born on Christmas Eve. Aiding him in this quest is a drug-taking heavy metal fan, and the host of a paranormal TV series...

I've got to say that I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Álex de la Iglesia's films, as this guy has an absolutely great sense of humour; and even though this movie is only half a comedy, it's far funnier than many films designed only to make its audience laugh. The laughs are very dry indeed, and are guaranteed to appeal to people who appreciate jokes that are aimed at offending people. Aside from a great sense of humour and an interesting storyline, Day of the Beast also benefits from a plethora of great performances from a talented cast of Spanish actors. Álex Angulo, Armando De Razza and Santiago Segura are brilliant as the central threesome, and offset each other nicely with their defined and very different characters. While the film definitely is a comedy, it's obvious that Álex de la Iglesia is a horror fan; as the atmosphere is morbid and suspenseful, and many scenes are extremely suspenseful and well laid out. The special effects are hokey in true demonic horror style, and the light use of them ensures that they work well when used. Overall, I don't hesitate to call this a masterpiece. Day of the Beast is everything you could want from a cult horror movie and more!