La cruz del diablo

There is some controversy surrounding this film. It was/is a Paul Naschy horror film, but in a strange turnaround, he is not in it.

He asked his friend Hammer director John Gilling to direct. It was Gilling's last film. He did it while he was on vacation in Spain.

Naschy was supposed to star, but Gilling fired him and hired someone else to do rewrites. Naschy still gets writing credits as he wrote the screenplay.

So much for friendship.

Writer Alfred Dawson (Ramiro Oliveros, who was brought in to replace Naschy) is having horrible dreams after smoking hashish. I've had those same dreams after drinking Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend very late at night.

For a horror film, it gets a slow start, absent the dreams. It's more like a telenovela until the very end. You can certainly see the British influence in what is supposed to be a Spanish film.

I have to say that Ines (Silvia Vivó) was a real tease. I kept hoping we would have something to cheer, but she died before we could. Her career was mostly TV, so we will never know what we missed.

The film really doesn't get interesting until the end, when the zombie Templars appear. We are left wondering if there was a real evil or if it was a drug-induced fantasy. Certainly, there was no doubt who killed his sister. I can't imagine a more evil character then Adolfo Marsillach.

No gore, no nudity. It was strictly a TV film.

"La Cruz del Diablo" aka "The Devil's Cross" is based on stories by the 19th century writer Gustavo Adolfo Becquer,who was considered Spanish Poe.The film was scripted by Paul Naschy and directed by Hammer veteran John Gilling.The writer Alfred Dawson has opium visions,in which he sees undead Templars on horses pursuing a woman through a forest.One day he receives a letter from his sister,which instructs him to go to visit her in Spain as she seems to be in trouble since she lost the child she was expecting.Arthur goes to Madrid and finds that his sister was murdered.Then he is stalked by a creepy figure in black hood,who kills his people close to him.The figure is the Devil himself and skeletal zombie Templars wielding swords do appear near the climax.Very atmospheric and extremely obscure Spanish mood piece with competent direction by Gilling,rotting skeletons,drug hallucinations and old crumbling castles.The score is haunting as is the main performance of Ramiro Oliveros.7 out of 10.

To begin with, I only became aware of this one last year: I was immediately intrigued, however, due to director Gilling's involvement (which, apparently, irked Spanish film unions and eventually proved to be his swan-song) but also for being an unofficial entry in the popular Knights Templar/Blind Dead series. The script (adapted from stories by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, a Spanish author of horror tales in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe) was originally supplied by yet another cult figure, Jacinto Molina aka Paul Naschy, who would end up fired by the director (despite the two reportedly having been friends!) both in this capacity and as the film's leading man!!

Anyway, the end result may be slow-starting but it subsequently emerges a gripping effort, not to mention a stylish and (undeniably) atmospheric one; incidentally, as was the case with the recently-viewed THE WOMAN WITH RED BOOTS (1974), there was an unexplained discoloration in the image during fog-bound night-time sequences! Another asset with respect to the film under review is that it is well-cast: this extends to Ramiro Oliveros – who replaced Naschy (the latter would, in any case, have been wrong for the part) – whose novelist hero is forever doubting events due to his copious intake of hashish! Even so, the dominant presence is definitely that of bald-headed, bearded and memorably sinister Adolfo Marsillach (father of Cristina from Dario Argento's OPERA [1987]!): his eventual revelation as the villain of the piece was hardly a surprise, but his true identity still provided a sting in the tail!

Typically effective, too, is Emma Cohen (who actually leaves a more lasting impression than nominal, and top-billed, leading-lady Carmen Sevilla): she had been equally notable in an earlier Naschy vehicle, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1972), as well as the nasty Spaghetti Western CUT-THROATS NINE (1972) and, best of all, Jess Franco's restrained psychological thriller THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR (1973; in which Oliveros also appears). Here, she is actually an apparition, doomed to be constantly pursued by the Templars (right from the opening moments of the film, in fact!)…until 'freed' by the hero at the climax, as he fights off her assailants with a sword she had directed him towards found in the very ruins of a monastery where they rise every All Saints' Day! Also on hand are a somewhat glum Eduardo Fajardo, Fernando Sancho (in unusually servile mode) and Monica Randall in a small but pivotal role (she would also be given prominence in the Naschy-directed INQUISITION [1976]).

Though its pedigree obviously points in the direction of the Hammer, Blind Dead and the typical Naschy films, with a bit of the Giallo (by way of a masked killer on the loose!) thrown in for good measure, perhaps the biggest compliment one can level at THE DEVIL'S CROSS is that it particularly brought to mind Mario Bava's KILL, BABY…KILL! (1966) – not just in the overall look but also the complexity of its narrative (notably the ironic and downbeat coda). In the end, whatever Naschy's contribution was to the finished film, this can surely be counted among the best Spanish horrors out there and, consequently, ought to be more readily available...

Often said to be the unofficial fifth chapter in the "Blind Dead" series, John Gilling's "La Cruz del Diablo" (The Devil's Cross) easily tops his predecessors, and is among the very best horror films to have come out of Spain. The story follows a writer who has a series of drug addicted hallucinations involving the Templars. When he goes to Spain visit his sister, only to find that she died by the time he got there, he decides to investigate, and tries to find a connection between her death and his horrifying visions. While many have called it a mere cash-in on Amando de Ossorio's infamous series, it's actually a much more accurate and throughly superior adaptation of the writings of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, which also served as inspiration for "Tombs of the Blind Dead". Like Béquer, less emphasis is given to the Templars themselves, and the whole affair is more of a character-driven piece, that is not devoid of symbolism and ambiguity. I have to give credit to Ossorio, since his Templars are much creepier than those presented here, but I liked how Gilling went for something different, and kept them more in the shadows. Originally intended as a Paul Naschy vehicle, one can clearly see how this could've become just another 70's Spanish horror, but Gilling's direction makes the total difference. A Hammer Horror veteran, Gilling combines the more sophisticated, polished style of his British contemporaries and combines it with the more raw, grittier appeal of Spanish Gothic. There's a bit of Italian horror in there as well, "Kill Baby ... Kill!" and "Castle of Blood" to be more precise, and one can argue that the black-gloved killer is a nod to gialli. Judging from this combination, it is suffice to say that the visuals are simply jaw-dropping, making great use of the beautiful Spanish locations, which land to the ever-present fairytale-ish aspects of Bécquer's work, as well the use of actual ruins and atmospheric, candle-lit interiors. The sometimes eerie, sometimes romantic score by Ángel Arteaga matches the off-beat yet strangely poetic tone perfectly. The acting is also surprisingly decent, with a cast of familiar faces from the continental horror scene of the 70's. Ramiro Oliveros and Emma Cohen, who already acted together the previous year in Jess Franco's excellent "The Other Side of the Mirror" are particularly remarkable as the drug-addicted protagonist and his ghost lover respectively, although one cannot help but wonder how would Naschy turn out in the former's role. Carmen Sevilla makes for a strong and likable heroine, and Eduardo Fajardo is good too, although he seems to be playing Francis Lehar from "Lisa and the Devil" all over again (ironically, the way his corpse is positioned near the ending is almost exactly the same as in "Lisa". The highlight among the performers is certainly Adolfo Marsillach as the mysterious assistant to Fajardo's character. He has screen presence to boot, and is just so effortlessly creepy in his relatively low-key performance. There are no big flaws in the film as far as I'm concerned, although one could argue to that the final battle between the protagonist and the Templars is somewhat anti-climatic, and the pace might be a little too slow (think "The House with Laughing Windows"). Overall, an excellent and extremely underrated horror film worthy of rediscovery. Fans of Gothic horror and slow-burns just can't afford to miss it.

John Gilling was a filmmaker of no small renown, and having him involved in a production is a fair get. It's to the credit of all involved that this film also boasts excellent production values up to the standards of the time, with superb art direction, costume design, and stunts and effects. One will also observe that like no few other contemporary examples, the picture leans considerably on mystery, and mounting investigation, with only sparing visualization for the preponderance of the length of violence, death, or the dark dealings portended in the lore revealed through dialogue. The premise is certainly sufficient to catch one's attention, too.

Unfortunately, I'm not so sure that the strength of the viewing experience bears out the expectations one may have on any particular basis. Even recognizing the deliberate, measured dispensation of the story and the genre elements, the pacing feels dull to the point of dampening one's enthusiasm and trying our patience. Plot development is rather slow, and one will note that this was the last project that Gilling took on in his life, at that several years after his most recent previous work. I don't say this to altogether reflect on and impugn the man's skills as director; then again, there are definitely moments when his direction comes off as especially weak. There are no few moments, for example, when a scene relies rather oddly on hard gazes shared between Adolfo Marsillach as del Rio, Eduardo Fajardo as Enrique, and possibly other actors/characters, and the moment is so flimsily drawn out as to sap any possible tension from the intensity of the players' expressions. While we viewers are treated to bits and pieces of violence and horror notions as the length draws on, 'Cross of the devil' saves the vast preponderance for the last act. The wait is worth it to some degree, yet I can't help but feel disappointed; like a more famous Spanish flick involving the Knights Templar, 'Tombs of the blind dead,' the actual experience of watching doesn't live up to its reputation, or what we assume.

I also think the writing is troubled. We're basically presented with three major plot points: the murder of Justine, and Alfred's interest in learning more about it; the tale of Beatriz and Inigo, a legend passed down through the years; and the legend of the Knights Templar and the titular location. The writers do make connections between these ideas, but the threads are weak and less than fully convincing; moreover, as they present, each plot point in and of itself is less than entirely cohesive. Note, for example, how the weapon that is offered up as a crucial MacGuffin in the last act has only just been introduced for the first time; as an audience we can only take it on faith. Even the last ten minutes or so serve up only a very meager resolution to the tale; the glove fits, but barely, and it has holes that our fingers easily poke through. I've heard it said that modern viewers are too obsessed with plot, and that in the face of story ideas that disagree or don't form a cogent whole we forget how to just have fun nevertheless. I understand that sentiment, but there comes a point when the frailty of a screenplay reduces the support structure for the movie that's built upon it. I rather think 'Cross of the devil' works best only if we can accept the logic of Movie Magic that holds its storytelling together.

It's still enjoyable, by all means, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. I name-dropped 'Tombs of the blind dead' in fleeting reference and truthfully, I think this is a superior feature. That doesn't make it a great one though: good, yes; specifically admirable, no. I appreciate all the hard work that went into it, and I'm glad for those who get more out of it than I do. More than anything else, however, I believe this 1975 title needed more pep in its step to make its ideas count, and above all it needed more time to gestate so that the writers could patch the rough spots in the details of the plot. 'Cross of the devil' is a suitably good time if you come across it, but all told, you shouldn't go out of your way for it, and temper your expectations.