Alucarda

"Alucarda" is one of those interesting horror titles that successfully blends art with trash. It has a somewhat limited colour palate - reds, browns, tans and the like - and director Juan Lopez Moctezuma creates a remarkable gallery of truly disturbing imagery. It treads on fairly familiar ground in terms of religious horror, yet it is compelling in its own sordid way. A well chosen cast delivers deeply committed performances, although some of the ladies do so much screaming that it may well put off some viewers. It's pretty short at only 78 minutes, and doesn't really have that much story. But Moctezuma just drenches the whole thing in real doom and gloom atmosphere.

Alucarda (Tina Romero) and Justine (Susana Kamini) are two young ladies who meet at a convent and soon develop a turbulent relationship. The more headstrong Alucarda decides that they will defy and question their religious teachings, leading to much conflict with the priests and nuns. Soon, it is determined that the girls must be possessed and that exorcisms will have to be performed.

One nice touch is to have the heroic Dr. Oszek (Mexican icon Claudio Brook), a man of science, begin to believe the same things as his counterparts, and fear for the life of his daughter Daniela (Lili Garza). Everything builds and builds to a very intense finale with lots of death and destruction. Some horror fans will delight in the frequent nudity and the heavy doses of blood. Our two main actresses Romero and Kamini are both quite attractive and alluring.

This comes recommended to fans of this sub-genre.

Seven out of 10.

This deliciously sacrilegious and surreal bit of insanity from 1978 is pure exploitative gold. They just don't make them like this anymore!

The sets are imaginative and quite impressive. The convent has the appearance of a cave and the multiple tiered Christs hanging from the ceiling is one of the most brilliant props I have ever seen! Instead of traditional habits, the nuns are clothed in what appears to be torn bloodied bandages. Tina Romero, who plays Alucarda gives a brooding and wonderfully wicked performance. When the action starts, it keeps a spirited pace right through to the end. There is more hysterical female screaming then I've ever witnessed in a single film! The dialog is over dramatic at times and there are a few moments that are bordering on cheesy but Moctezuma's strange, daunting and moody presentation keeps it from slipping into silliness. There is some great bonus material on the DVD, including a brief doc on the films director, Juan López Moctezuma and an interview with Guillermo Del Toro. You will be treated to bizarre images, flagellating nuns, satanic rituals, copious nudity, lesbianism, and bloody violence. It is all complimented nicely by some trippy organ music. This little gem from Mexico City is a must see for horror fans! Highly recommended!

You can have so much fun with this!

In this crazy exploitation movie, young nuns Alucarda (anagram for Dracula) and Justine strike a blood pact, summon demonic forces of some sort and wreak havoc in a small religious community in Mexico. That's it in a nutshell.

It isn't simply a bad film, though it is in conventional terms. It's so utterly nonsensical, so bizarre and hysteric it becomes much more than it is. And isn't the whole point with movies that we construct what they mean to us?

It falls somewhere between Jess Franco's lesbian vampire films, and unconsciously Arrabal's Panic Theater and the Pythons. The beauty of it is that you can read it any way you feel like, there is no logic which is something I seek in films. Or rather, the logic is so inane compared to the anarchic joy, it breaks. My preferred reading is that the whole cacophonous mess is something between Justine's fears of motherhood strangling her sexuality (viewed through a Catholic prism), a confessional of scandalous teenage thoughts, and mischief caused by two young nuns in the back benches during Sunday school, perhaps imaginary, perhaps blown up into 'possession' by the shrill teacher.

It is all entirely theatric, but unselfconscious which is why its chaos works. Everyone is acting crazy, nuns drop down out of the blue. A book (ostensibly on demonology) simply reads 'Satan'. It's all of it disconnected, we visit one place then another. There is a satanic ritual and orgy for no good reason.

There is so much screaming, there is screaming inside the screaming.

It's awesome.

...Moctezuma was heavily influenced by the Silent films of the teens and 20's and it shows in this film..for its strong points are clearly the beautiful eerie images throughout..THe abstract Convent set in dark creative lighting..the Nuns in their Mummy like shrouds (they are more disturbing than the blood and gore..of which there is plenty)...The Erotic scenes between Alucarda and Justine..beautiful Images of Alucarda in her funeral black Victorian dress.My favorite Image from this film..possibly.. is the initial introduction of Alucarda as she turns around from the shadows to greet her new friend Justine whos newly arrived to the Orphanage..Its a quick creative dreamlike tidbit..the likes I've never seen in film before..Alucarda and Justine's early scenes have a poignancy and loneliness not unlike Soledad Miranda and her playmates in Vampiros Lesbos....It can be touching..Tina Romero(Alucarda)..I'm happy to say is still quite attractive and can be frequently seen in the current Telenovelas(Spanish Soaps)...I say grab a copy of Alucarda from Mondo Macabro..for a little taste o 70's Mexico..its a good little collectors piece...Christopher,2006

After being born, and becoming orphaned, under mysterious circumstances, 15 year old Justine ends up in a convent, where she is befriended by a dark young woman named Alucarda. The two quickly form a lesbian relationship, and are about to enter into a blood pact with one another, when a dark force is unleashed...onto the world...or perhaps...into themselves...

Because, immediately after, they are drawn into a booby blood pact with the devil, and initiated into a demonic lesbian cult...both of which they wholeheartedly embrace. Turning against the sister who seeks to protect them, with help from God.

Now, the sadistic priest and other masochistic sisters fear that demonic possession will spread through the entire monastery, like an infection. And, thus, set out to violently exorcise the demons from the two stricken girls.

Justine succumbs to the bloodletting, but a local doctor intervenes, and saves Alucarda, before the clergy have a chance to torture her.

However, after Justine's body disappears and the nuns start to drop from a mysterious curse...the good doctor is forced to question his beliefs- as the more he witnesses, the more he starts to believe in the existence of the devil.

Now, the doctor must fight alongside the church, in order to save the convent, before it too succumbs to Alucarda...and the devil's curse...

This English language inquisition era film from Mexico's Juan López Moctezuma is really well made. The story is disturbingly erotic, and has some excellent gore for an independent feature from the 70's.

One of the auteristic qualities of Moctezuma's work seems to be a focus on issues women face when being subjugated by men and/or patriarchal institutions...but it's hard to tell whether he is making a subtle feminist commentary or just getting off on the sadism of it all.

I'll leave that for the viewer to judge.

A great little film.

7.5 out of 10.