The Loreley's Grasp

This movie is almost as good as Ossorio's blind dead movies (I must add it's even better than Ghostship of the blind dead). It is interesting that it consists of only one man, among many girls. Unusual in films of any genre (except porn).

The two best things about this movie are:

The monster and its attacks. You really get the picture that the monster is VERY aggressive, and the attacks are FURIOUS! Later on, you will also see a kind of sad twist to the monster's entity.

The atmosphere and the setting. There are many intriguing scenes with dreamlike landscapes; a magic and mysterious counterpart to the violence at the mansion.

I give this 10 out of 10.

This goofy horror movie is about the Lorelai, a mythical demon that collects people's hearts. Its set in a village where young girls are being slaughtered by the beast. They use a lizard costume with a hood for the creature's visage. The murder attacks look fake enough, like the Lorelai is attacking mannequins. It is fast paced, though, and its silly enough to keep trash fans interested. Directed by Amando Ossorio of the Blind Dead fame. Released in 1985 as When the Screaming Starts where they gave out barf bags, although there really isn't anything barf-worthy in this movie. Lots of good looking naked girls though. This film isn't available on DVD yet. I saw it on the When the Screaming Starts VHS.

Amando de Ossorio is definitely more famous for his excellent 'Blind Dead' series, and while this film is nowhere as good as that series (overall), The Lorelei's Grasp certainly has its moments and the film is mostly fun to watch, although it has to be said that it's a rather long way away from brilliant. The film is very much in the Eurohorror style; although the plot seems to take more influence from classic monster films of the UK and USA (Hammer Horror's The Reptile sprang to mind for me). The story is actually quite a good basis for a horror film and follows the idea of a beautiful woman that turns into a horrible monster known as 'The Lorelei' when the moon is full. She has been living under the Rhine in Germany for centuries, and hunting for human blood at night. However, when The Lorelei decides to kill one too many young girls at the local boarding house, the authorities decide to hire a hunter named Sirgurd to track down and kill the monster.

It's obvious that this film was made with a low budget, but even so; the director manages to create a fabulous Eurohorror atmosphere, and not even the special effects are all that bad. There's a fair amount of gore, and while the monster itself looks silly - that is both to be expected, and kind of fun in its own way. The plot itself is a little choppy, and the film definitely isn't very well paced. Certain plot points seem forced, while others seem more than just a little bit silly - the section with the scientist, for example. I have to say that this film could have been better; I'd have preferred something more along the lines of a Giallo style monster movie. It's odd, considering the nature of the plot, that the film appears to be pretty much humourless; but its serious tone only really comes off as being inappropriate when it comes to actually showing the monster. Overall, The Lorelei's Grasp is a good cheesy little horror film, and comes recommended to Eurohorror fans...just don't go in expecting too much.

"The Lorelei's Grasp" is sadly hard to find at the moment. The awful re-release "When The Screaming Stops" makes a mockery of the heart of the film, dressing it up as drive-in trash. In it's original version, it's still a bit cheesy, but I think it's a pretty good horror film. The plot centres on beautiful girls at an exclusive school who are being terrorised by a killer...some of the girls are already dead and so the school calls on the help of a handsome bodyguard called Sirgurd to protect the rest of them. Sirgurd has his hands full as all the schoolgirls soon develop a crush on him, but he also has to work out who is responsible for the gruesome murders.

Although the English version has terrible dubbing and most available versions are bootleg copies with a poor picture, it's possible to see that there is a good film hiding in here somewhere. The Lorelei creature itself is a bit hokey, but it doesn't hold back on the violence, with lot's of gory chest ripping shots(the Lorelei likes to rip people's hearts out). It also features some beautiful actresses of the period, notably Silvia Tortosa as the heroine, and the fabulous Helga Line as the mysterious beauty who seems connected with the murders somehow. It also has a poetic ending of sorts, and a great dreamy musical soundtrack. This film could gain a lot more appreciation if it was given a re-mastered DVD release. As they have recently done a make-over for the director Amando De Ossorio's "Blind Dead" series, maybe this one could be next?

The iconic Spanish Horror director Amando De Ossorio is doubtlessly best known for his four 'Blind Dead' films starting with "La Noche Del Terror Ciego" ("Tombs of the Blind Dead") of 1971. "Las Garras De Lorelei" (aka. "The Lorelei's Grasp"/"When the Screaming Stops" of 1974 is yet another great little gem in the man's repertoire, which must not be missed by any Eurohorror fan.

The film, which is (very loosely) based on the German Loreley myth and the Niebelungen Mythology, is set in a Village by the Rhine, which is struck by a series of gruesome murders. After a girl has been found with her heart ripped out, some voices claim that the gruesome murder was the deed of the Lorelei, a beautiful woman who turns into a monster by nights and devours human hearts. The hunter Sigurd (Tony Kendall) is assigned as a watchman for a nearby boarding school for (hot) girls, lead by the drop-dead gorgeous teacher Elke (Silvia Tortosa)...

Connecting the fascinating Niebelungen myth with Eurohorror simply must result in great entertainment, especially since the man in the director's chair is Amando De Ossorio. It is undeniable that the film has a strong (and charming) camp-factor, but it has just as many moments of genuine creepiness. While the dialogue is sometimes camp and some characters' actions make little sense at times, Ossorio succeeds once again in creating a rich and menacing Gothic atmosphere. The photography and score are great, and the locations and set-pieces are beautifully gloomy. The female cast is full of beautiful women. The Regular redhead Eurohorror beauty Helga Liné shines in the role of the eponymous she-monster, and looks both incredibly hot and somewhat eerie. Silvia Tortosa, who plays the sexy young teacher, is even more ravishing. Miss Tortosa, who is also known for "Horror Express", must have one of the most impeccably beautiful faces ever seen on screen. The cast includes many regular Eurohorror actors, such as the creepy-looking Luis Barboo, Luis Induni (who also was in many Spaghetti Westerns) and José Thelman ("La Noche Del Terror Ciego"). There is some female nudity, but compared to other contemporary Spanish Exploitation films (such as some by Jess Franco, Paul Naschy,...) the film is rather low on sleaze. As usual for De Ossorio, the gore is very graphic and intense, and very well-made in spite of a low budget.

Besides the "Blind Dead" cycle, "Las Garras De Lorelei" is one of Amando De Ossorio's most memorable films, and an eerie and outrageously entertaining little gem that no fan of European Horror should miss. Highly Recommended!