Más negro que la noche

I have only seen two of director Taboada's movies, the other one being Veneno para las hadas, and both are very macabre. Mas negro que la noche is very scary because we not only hear strange sounds on a very creepy house inherited by four female relatives of the deceased old woman, but we also get to see her and I must say it's one of the scariest ghosts I have ever seen in movies. The reasons of her apparitions are related to her calling of her dear black cat who died shortly after she died. After some gruesome deaths, the ending is shocking but justifiable for people who love black cats.

I really enjoyed this. It is paced a little leisurely and is not full of startling action but it is colourful and engaging with a gentle but relentless move towards the inevitable bad ending. A fairly simple, 'Old Dark House' tale featuring four good looking young women who go to live in the aforementioned mansion. They are disrespectful from the start of the building and its 'junk' contents and the elderly Sofia, the housekeeper, magnificently played with complete eeriness by Alicia Palacios, and the film makers seem to wreak their own revenge to some extent by allowing the girls to make such asses of themselves. Also, deliberate or not the many and varied 70s outfits they sport seem to get progressively worse as the film continues. One or two moments of half baked 'soapy' melodrama, usually featuring preposterous plump and mustachioed 'boyfriends but for the most part a creepy fully focused and unusual horror that is well worth a watch. I must also mention the cat. Featuring heavily in the great opening credits, this black cat does not put a paw wrong and is caught on camera looking as mysterious and fearsome as is possible. He also features in the fine original poster.

My favorite of the Taboada trilogy of horror...I don't think Veneno Para las Hadas counts as a horror movie. The soundtrack is really good for a horror movie- harpsichord, varied themes and styles. With a low budget, Taboada managed to convey fright, something that is hard to do. It has a classic vibe to it, a la "The Haunting" (the original one...no the hot mess from the late 90s). I have to admit, it's rather cheesy, but as a child, it captivated me. What I loved also, now that I'm an adult and have read my share of books, is the nod to Edgar Alla Poe's "The Black Cat." Film-making wise, I think Taboada was an unappreciated genius. I hope Guillermo del Toro honors him by remaking one of the three.

DARKER THAN NIGHT opens with the death of an elderly woman, witnessed only by her cat.

Ofelia (Claudia Islas) is the old woman's niece, and will inherit her enormous house, land, and fortune. The only stipulation is that Ofelia must keep the cat, named Bequer. Ofelia and three other women (Lucia Mendez, Helena Rojo, and Susana Dosamantes) move into the mansion right away.

The women are met by the stolid, sour-faced maid, Sofia (Alicia Palacios). When Bequer makes his appearance, he begins to act in an odd manner. Mysterious events soon occur- unexplained property damage, disembodied moans, etc.

With this movie it's all about the building atmosphere of gloom and uneasiness. Most of the true, more overt shocks happen toward the end.

The all-female cast is fantastic! Not only beautiful, but able to carry the film without a "leading man". This is pretty rare in the movies from the 1970's...

Some old lady who adores her black cat dies and leaves her big creepy house to her 20-something niece (or granddaughter? I don't remember). All she kindly requests is that the young woman take care of her beloved black cat, Becquer.

Well, the niece moves in with her three roommates, all young women. Unfortunately, some of these scintillating ladies hate cats and are a bit hard on to help, which leads to some disastrous results for the characters but a bit of satisfaction for the audience as justice is well-served.

It's a Mexican movie, but don't expect to see any tortas, farmers, or street urchins. This movie is firmly grounded in the Mexican urban upper middle class/upper class world and could very comfortably be dubbed into the language of any developed country and I don't think anyone would notice the difference. It exclusively takes place in a lavish manor, an expansive library, and an upscale apartment.

Very effective sets and direction for a horror movie. The house looks big and creaky, like a 19th century manor just made for heinous activites. The head servant left by the grand-aunt is effectively creepy because of her emotionless face and monotone delivery. In short, there are lots of possible vectors the evil can take and you don't know from the beginning where it's going to come out of.

It's a satisfying watch as a moderately creepy drama-horror, but probably not the type of movie that will scare you out of your pants. There are a limited number of frightening scenes but it's nothing too intense.

It's very much like in the tradition of 1970's US horror flicks, but it can't match US horror of the decade in scares or thrills. It also doesn't have any Mexican (or non-US) charm to make it unique, so it's probably low on the list of 70's horror films to watch for the fans out there, but if you do watch it you probably won't be disappointed.

Honourable Mentions: Burnt Offerings (1976). A horror movie where the house itself is the evil villain. More outrageous and scary than this one. Worth a watch!