O Quarto da Culpa

While watching this movie I was trying to determine when it was made. From the appearance of it (and props like the phones) I guessed maybe in the early 1990's. - but if I was going by the blatant anti-lesbian, anti- abortion propaganda of the movie I would guess that it was from the 1970's or older. Imagine my surprise when I found out from IMDb that this offensive piece of crap (which really doesn't even qualify as a horror film) was actually made in 2006. I can't remember the last time I saw something so disturbing (in an incredibly offensive sort of way) that was made within the past 10 years. There were numerous moments while watching the movie that I wanted to shut it off, but I kept hoping for the payoff, some kind of legitimate scare, but it never came.

In 2006, "Películar para no Dormir" - roughly translated as "Films to keep you Awake" - was sort of the Spanish answer to "Masters of Horror". They were six relatively short (between 70 and 80 minutes), dark, and sinister thriller/horror movies, directed by the nation's most prominent and acclaimed names in the genre. Alex de la Iglesia participated, but also Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. This installment, "Blame", was even written and directed by one of the founding fathers of Spanish horror cinema, and creator of bona fide classic genre movies like "Who Can Kill a Child?" and "The House that Screamed"; - Narciso Ibáñez Serrador!

While "Blame" isn't the best project Serrador linked his name to, I'm sure it was a very personal and relevant film for him. The plot deals with a handful of very delicate and courageous themes, like abortion quite obviously, but also the financial struggles and loneliness of being a single mother. Like some reviewers righteously pointed out, "Blame" isn't really a horror movie, but more of a drama and psychological study. Suffering single mother and nurse Gloria is happy and grateful when the hospital's resident gynecologist Ana offers for her to stay, together with Gloria's six-year-old daughter Vicky, at her house and some administrative tasks in her private practice. However, she quickly learns that Ana is very pro-abortion and a lesbian who makes her affection for Gloria abundantly clear. When Gloria then gets pregnant unplanned, Ana puts her under pressure to perform an abortion.

Although primarily a drama, there are many uncanny aspects and mildly shocking sequences in "Blame". Nieve de Medina's character of Dr. Ana, for starters, is a very unpleasant person that gives you shivers. The explicit abortion moments are mentally challenging to sit through as well, and the climax - albeit foreseeable - is hauntingly tragic. The story supposedly takes place in the 70s, and in Spain's underbelly of society, and this is very well-reflected in the overall grim atmosphere of the film. Also, peculiar but very effective, Serrador chose not to include any male characters in his film at all. The patients come to Ana's depressing practice alone, and the men in Gloria's life - regardless of their bond with her - remain completely anonymous. "Blame" certainly isn't without flaws (for example the sub plot with the nosy neighbor is utterly pointless), but it's an impactful tale you won't forget easily.

Part of a six-part series of Spanish made-for-TV movies entitled SIX FILMS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE, BLAME is a hard-hitting ghost story about an abortionist. It's a film that's light years ahead of current Hollywood competition and has more in line with the creepy, slow-moving perils of modern Asian horror cinema. That's right: despite the disturbing subject matter, this is an old-fashioned film through-and-through in which the scares come from noises in empty rooms and inexplicable occurrences rather than any shocking killer babies a la the IT'S ALIVE films and their B-movie ilk.

Blame benefits from a uniformly excellent cast that includes a young child actress whose fragile yet sinister performance recalls Heather O'Rourke of POLTERGEIST fame. The direction is assured and confident, leading to a beautiful looking movie that makes the best out of its rather mundane, otherwise nondescript locations: the run-down house, for instance, in which much of the film takes place, is almost a character in its own right. In the end, this is a film about the difficult topic of abortion and all the complexities that go with it: it's utterly moving, sometimes heartbreaking and very upsetting. By the end, it's become a far more intelligent and mature reflection on the topic than we, as viewer, had any right to expect, and I can't recommend it enough.

¨Blame¨ deals with Ana (Nieve de Medina) , a gynaecologist , invites Gloria (Montse Mostaza), a nurse and friend from the hospital, and Gloria's daughter Vicky (Alejandra Lorenzo) , to come and live with her . It opens just as does many a murder mystery, with the covered body of a woman being dragged along the floor and leaving a trail of smeared blood . Later in the film, it must be assumed that the body is that of the mysterious and absent "Christine", but this thread of the story - like that of the weird guck on the stairwell and the religiously fanatic neighbor (Mariana Cordero) - is completely forgotten by the film's end . The crux of the film revolves around the unwed mother and nurse named Gloria and her young child Vicky and Gloria's colleague Dr. Ana Torres , who offers to let Gloria and Vicky come live with her in her big house where she runs a gynecological practice . In return , Gloria should assist in the practice in the afternoon after work . The house, a section of which is used as a private clinic, is light , cheerful and peaceful . Nevertheless, all the good the friendship between the two women provides , turns into dark , creepy and sinister . In fact , there is something sinister alive in there . But Ana has a crush on Gloria and soon learns that she is not only a lesbian carrying a flame for her, but that Ana also expects Gloria to help perform first-trimester abortions . Things go wrong when Gloria is soon pregnant once again . Ana gives her an ultimatum: terminate the baby or terminate the living situation. After she finally chooses the former, the aborted fetus disappears just as Vicky begins to carry around and talk to a tin box. Wracked with guilt, Gloria chooses to bow out and leave the house during the next abortion, returning just in time to find mysterious happenings. Could the unknown murderer also be the thief of Ana's aborted fetus? Could it be little Vicky? The religious spinster next door? A horrific secret is hidden in the attic !.

Thrilling and horrifying tale being well-paced and displaying mystery , horror and creeepy scenes . This tale belongs to "Historias Para No Dormir" series , it is four independent horror stories that pay tribute to the classic format of Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, directed by and starring well known names in Spanish cinema, such as Rodrigo Cortés, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Paco Plaza and Paula Ortiz directing "La broma", "El doble", "Freddy" and "El asfalto" respectively . Narciso Ibáñez Menta dominates the scenario providing thrills and suspense enough , providing a spine-chilling psycho-drama with an interesting but lesser than credible premise, including terrific performances . The picture succeeds because the thriller , tension , as well as a superbly written script delving into the human psyche in such extreme situation and dealing with a surprising intrigue with plenty of twists and turns . ¨Blame¨ packs very much has the feel of European classic horror films of the 60s and 70s , due to , among other things , its languid , slow pacing , its general mysterious aura, its color scheme , its oddly sordid take on both lesbianism and abortion, the loose ends in the storyline and the downbeat non-ending . Indeed, the only things that differentiate Blame from any given superior Eurosleaze classic of yesteryear is Blame's total lack of naked flesh , soft-core sex and copious blood . These ordinary ingredients would have helped make ¨Blame¨ a much better and most commercial film, it nonetheless exhibits a certain morality and fascination for the supposed sleaziness of lesbianism and abortion . It is , the key points of which are very much based on traditional anti-abortion and anti-lesbian issues and as mentioned before , were usually given the full sleaze treatment in the nice films of yesteryear instead of the restraint shown in ¨Blame¨ . Here the well played protagonists are always dragging their pasts behind them towards the room upstairs. ¨La Culpa or Blame¨ turns out to be adequately creepy , but the creepy tone of the film is actually somewhat misplaced , for despite all its susprises and ghostly red herrings , in fact the film is anything but a ghost story .

It contains spotless pictorial as well as evocative photography by magnificent cameraman Jose Luis Alcaine , Almodovar's regular , he pulls off a photography with juicy atmosphere . Jose Luis Alcaine is deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen with a long and prestigious artistic career. He was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning in the 1970s ; Alcaine photographed successes as ¨Amantes Pasajeros ¨, ¨13 Rosas¨, ¨Rivales¨, Roma¨, ¨Reina De España¨ , ¨Altamira¨ , among others . Furthermore , a willingness almost perfect of the elements of each frame , every scene , every place . As well as frightening and suspenseful musical score by Victor Reyes . Still, even without sex and excess bloodshed , in this last directorial work of Narciso Ibáñez Serrador he carries out a nice effort dealing both lesbianism and abortion into symbols of squalid, disquieting horror that he actually achieves an in-the-end superfluous sleazy feel to the scattered , character-driven plotline, a plotline that picks up and drops threads like an epileptic before reaching its unexpected climax . And although ¨Blame¨ or ¨La Culpa¨ does suffer from some ups and downs and a diffuse script , the depressing final scene does indeed leave an effective feeling of doomed and tragic horror. The picture was competently directed by Narciso Ibañez Serrador who was considered the Spanish Alfred Hitchcock and one of the most important directors and producers in Spain. Narciso Ibáñez Serrador worked especially for TV getting his biggest hits with ¨Un Dos Tres Responda Otra Vez¨ , ¨Mis Terrores favoritos¨ , ¨Waka Waka¨ and TV films as ¨La Zarpa¨ , ¨El Regreso¨ , ¨El Televisor¨ , ¨Pesadilla¨ and of course ¨Historias para no dormir¨ with several episodes played by his father , Narciso Ibañez Menta , another expert on terror . Chicho Serrador also directed for cinema two known terror masterpieces : ¨The Boarding School¨ and ¨The Island of the Damned¨ .

Here's another entry into the 'Films to Keep you Awake' series but while its production values and its outgoing approach to one or two themes is very much present, La Culpa is nothing more than a short, sharp way to spend 70 minutes watching a horror film that although is foreboding at times, is nothing particularly special. La Culpa, I find, was written and directed by a Uruguayan man named Narciso Ibáñez Serrador; a man who has been writing and directing for decades so perhaps my reaction to the film being a little 'iffy' is down to a mere off day on the directors behalf.

La Culpa translates into the English for 'Blame' but from memory, I cannot recall any reason for anyone to be 'blamed' for anything and nor can I really recall an underlying theme based on the title to tie in with the film's story and developments. For the record, Blame sees a struggling female nurse named Gloria (Mostaza) and her young daughter Vicky (Lorenzo) move in with a fellow nurse called Ana (de Medina). But there is supposedly more than meets the eye to this person. She has an abortion clinic set up within the walls of the house, the house itself shares a through-door with the next door neighbours and Ana's sexual preferences seem a little ambiguous at best. The trouble is, I think the film liked to think that it had all these ingredients and ideas going for it when really they were merely a series of set ups and let downs to fill up time. In fact, I do not think La Culpa can even be classed as a horror film but a mere urban drama revolving around a financially struggling single mother and her hardships.

Take the abortion clinic for instance as an idea. Yes, abortions are always going to make for uneasy viewing when placed within the boundaries of a film but what do we actually get? Nothing of the frightening quantity. Then there is the door that leads into the adjoining house which for a horror film, is, I suppose a pretty good idea: 'where does this door lead? Why should the character's not go in? What's the knocking from the other side? But the set up and anxiety exists for only a mere scene or two – it turns out there is a logical explanation for the door, where it leads and what's the other side of it. Yes, a creepy looking old woman lying in a bed in the room through the door can be perceived as creepy but when the owner of the house shows up and sates that it is someone's bedroom in next doors house, are we really going to be so full of anxiety come the next uncanny set up? I for one was not and this is where La Culpa lost me as a horror film.

This idea continues on into one of the film's later scenes when Gloria approaches a 'creepy' rocking cradle. But by this point we are sort of confused; there is nothing uncanny in this film, right? This is taking place in the real world – the house is not haunted and there are no such things as monsters. What is actually in the cradle sums up not only the film's approach but how we react to the foreboding set ups in the sense it's an anticlimax. If anything, Blame borrows from To Let in the same way the film involves a seemingly psychotic landlady, they both centre around a young adult who is either in a crisis due to impending birth or already owns a young child and they both seem to want the ambiguity of their respective locations to generate half the scares for the film. But while To Let's location was actually quite eerie because we had reason to fear what was going on, Blame extinguishes fear and anxiety early on resulting in the later exchanges to become anti-climatic.

But La Culpa deserves credit for its general approach to its subject matter. I think the word 'blame' from the title has something to do with casual sex and unwanted pregnancy. I think the film is some sort of covert morality tale to do with sex before marriage – the young girls come into the abortion clinic and we generally get all the nasty, hair tingling build up you'd expect when the abortion is prepared and then followed through and the flushed away. We get the anaesthetic, we get the blood and the talk during the operation with the only thing that is missing being the 'nod' to the females amongst the audience: "You don't want this to be you, do you?" So Blame demonises casual sex which is fair enough if the director is going to make that statement but it does so with a supernatural approach which is something I cannot reckon the thinking behind. Blame is willing to be slower and more sedate in its setting up of the situation. Scenes involving little Vicky and her mother exchanging, being picked up from school, etc. are sweet and everything but then the film is supposed to be scary, isn't it?

La Culpa misses the mark as a horror film but as a vague statement on why kids should wait for marriage before sex I suppose it succeeds; but it does so through telling us how nasty abortions are and the how nasty the procedure is rather than giving us evil looking zombie babies and haunted houses – come to think of it, maybe that's a good thing. But if elderly women asleep in beds in rooms you should not enter and characters finding odd looking goo on the floor and leading upstairs sounds scary to you then by all means give La Culpa a go. Since there are explanations for these events, the film fails for me.