El libro de piedra

OK,I went in with high hopes for this one ans I was mildly disappointed with it. First,I have to say that I watched on VHS and the picture/sound were not that good;I don't know even if this film has ever made it to DVD. The story is your typical Gothic supernatural horror,but not as great and eerie as the one that it often gets compared to,which is the British 'The Innocents' from 1961. It involves a little girl which seems to be having a strange relationship with a stone statue situated in the vast garden of her rich parent's suburban house. You know the typical ghost story; is she possessed,is it all in her mind and the viewer's,does the statue really have a life of its own? A couple genuine moments,but nothing that I/you haven't seen hundreds of times before,if you're a big fan of the genre. If you are interested in the director,watch his better film 'Even the Wind Is Scared'. I give this one, a 6 out of 10.

A rather splendid Gothic horror that is not particularly scary but there are some really good moments and I loved it. It was especially an unusual film with the statue and the young girl. Lucy Buj the youngster is really good and unfortunately she only made half a dozen films. The director, Carlos Enrique Taboada is liked and I had seen Dark Than Night (1975) and Even the Wind is Afraid (1968) that were both rather creepy. Joaquin Cordero one of the most popular actors of Mexican cinema and made some 200 films of different genre, in this one he is probably not the most liked one of this one and seems that he understands nothing of what is going on. It is his wife, the governess and the young girl that really seem to know what is happening but never at the same time. The governess, as Marga Lopez is rather lovely and I also saw her in Even the Wind.

This might be the best of the few Mexican horror films. The story revolves about a statue of a boy which is found in the forest near the main character´s house. Legend says that the statue is not really what it seems to be. As with most horror films prior to the 70,s, this movie lacks gore or flashy fx but compensates it with solid acting from most part of the cast and a very creepy and uneasy atmosphere that leaves you looking twice over your shoulder or looking more carefully at the shadows in the corners even after repeated viewings.

The governess Julia Septién (Marga López) arrives at the real estate of Eugenio Ruvalcaba (Joaquín Cordero) to work with his daughter Silvia (Lucy Buj), who had meningitis when she was very young, and is hired. Eugenio introduces his wife Mariana (Norma Lazareno) and then Julia befriends the girl, who was playing with her friend Hugo. Then she learns from Eugenio and Mariana that Hugo is an imaginary friend. Julia questions Silvia about Hugo, and she learns that the boy is from Eastern Europe that is waiting for his father, a powerful wizard from the Eighteenth Century that will bring him back to life. Soon Silvia's godfather Carlos (Aldo Monti) arrives at home with his dog, but Silvia did not like the dog. Julia finds that Hugo is connected to a creepy statue from Europe in the garden of a boy with a book of stone that was in the real estate when Eugenio bought the property. When weird and macabre things happen in the place, Julia questions whether Hugo is really an imaginary friend or being from the beyond.

"El libro de Piedra", a.k.a "The Book of Stone", is a creepy 1969 Mexican horror movie by the master of horror Carlos Enrique Taboada. The plot is scary and supported by a wonderful black-and-white cinematography. The screenplay is well-written, with explanation for the events, but the conclusion is unexpected and surprising. Looking forward to see other films by Carlos Enrique Taboada. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Livro de Pedra" ("The Book of Stone")

Growing up in Milwaukee in the early 80s meant one Spanish channels for my parents and every Friday night was our family night. Unlike your typical family night our idea of family night meant making popcorn and jumping into bed with mom to watch "Noche de pelicula". During Halloween they showed many scary movies and this one along with "Hasta el viento tiene miedo" are engraved in my mind like GEMS in a pile of dirt. This movie is a MUST SEE! I would put this and the before named movie up their with "The Exorcist" and "The Amityville Horror" just for its raw FEAR. Many new horror movies are based on visual effects to produce fear where these classics use plain atmosphere to create a natural fear.