Written by: Michael Den Boer on January 19th, 2006
Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1977
Director: Carlos Puerto
Writer: Carlos Puerto
Cast: Angel Aranda, Sandra Alberti, Marian Karr, Jose Guillen, Luis Barboo
DVD released: February 28th, 2006
Approximate running time: 82 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish, Dolby Digital Mono Spanish, Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English
DVD Release: Mondo Macabro
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95
Synopsis: Andy and Anna is a young couple expecting their first child. One afternoon while driving they run into a man name Bruno who claims to be an old classmate of Andy’s. Bruno and his wife Mary convince the young lovers to spend the evening with them at their place in the country. Bruno and his wife have a strong interest in the occult. They convince Andy and Anna that it would be fun to conjure up a few spirits with their Ouija board. As the night progresses more bizarre occurrences happen including a storm prevents Andy and Anna from leaving. So they plan on leaving the first thing in the morning. When they wake up they soon discover that they have overslept and that their car is now missing. Will Andy and Anna ever escape this nightmare that is slowly engulfing them?
When one thinks about Satan and cinema it is only natural to think of Roman Polanski’s brilliant film Rosemary’s Baby. Satan’s Blood was made nearly ten years after Rosemary’s Baby; still it has many elements in common with the former film like a pregnant expecting mother. The first act of Satan’s Blood is almost too mundane as the film moves along at a snail’s pace before transforming into something that is genuinely bizarre. This film does rely a lot on nudity with its most erotic scene being a graphic orgy that will get your blood rising fast.
The film is filled with many wonderful shots like the shadow of a knife above Anna’s head. Satan’s Blood is essentially shot on one location a remote estate in the middle of nowhere and director Carlos Puerto manages to make the place look hauntingly beautiful in every frame. This film doesn’t exactly follow a straight forward narrative structure as some of the films most surreal moments just feel like they came out of nowhere. Just when you thought that you finally had figured out what is going on the films what the hell ending would have been surprising if it wasn’t so obvious that the film was heading that way. If you like films filled with nightmarish imagery that relies heavily on atmosphere then you will thoroughly enjoy Satan’s Blood.
The DVD:
Mondo Macabro’s high definition transfer for Satan’s Blood presents the film in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The colors look nicely saturated and flesh tones look accurate through out. Black levels are strong and remain constant through out. There is some noticeable print damage in the form of specs of dirt and nicks.There are no problems with compression or artifacts.
This release comes with three audio options. There is the original Spanish language track which is presented in a Dolby Digital mono and also included is a new Stereo remix for the Spanish language audio track. The third audio option is an English dubbed audio mix that is presented in a Dolby Digital mono. Overall there really is no noticeable difference between the three audio mixes as they all have clean audio with dialog that is easy to understand. The music and effects sound evenly balanced as they never overpower or distort the other. Removable English subtitles have also been included for this release.
Extras for this release include an alternate opening to the film which also comes with a text essay about this opening. After watching this intro it does feel out of place with the rest of the film and should be viewed mostly as a extra then something that adds to the overall film. Other extras include a text piece about Satan’s Blood written by Pete Tombs, a DVD credits page, an extensive stills gallery that is broken up into four sections and the Mondo Macabro preview trailer which includes clips from titles they have currently released or about to release. Rounding out the extras is a twenty five minute documentary ‘The Devil’s Disciples: A History of 20th Century Satanism’ with Gavin Baddely an expert who has written about Satanism and he is also a reverend for the Church of Satan. This is an extremely informative look into everything from the origins to the modern day affect Satanism has had of on society in general. Overall Satan’s Blood is an obscure Spanish horror film that every Euro-cult fan is sure to enjoy and Mondo Macabro have assembled another impressive DVD that comes with a first rate audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras.