By Chris Hyde

April 22, 2003

North Americans who like to delve into world cinema that's a bit on the fantastic side can now rejoice, as the true believers at Mondo Macabro have seen fit to start bringing some of their amazing lineup stateside. Exhibit A: Alucarda, a primitively wrenching Mexican sort-of vampire story awash in lesbian love, shattering shrieks, and colored utterly blood red.

This horror gem is nothing if not a '70s period piece, but its interest genuinely transcends the usual genre work of the era. Its director, Juan Lopez Moctezuma, was an associate of the famed visionary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, and in fact helped produce that director's crazed 1970 El Topo. As a helmsman, Moctezuma himself was the man behind the camera for only a handful of films, which though some have previously been seen in videotape versions have never really been brought to the small screen in truly proper editions. Now, with this pristine release of the film to the DVD format with a nice bonus menu of extras, horror film fans can see for themselves what all the screaming's about.

The story revolves around two young women who live with a religious order of nuns: Justine (Susana Kamini), a new arrival to the convent, and Alucarda (Tina Romero), who has lived there nearly her whole life. The latter takes an instant liking to her new companion, showing her the nearby woods and fields within which she feels alive and happy. But their lighthearted gamboling takes a sinister turn when they encounter a scruffy charm seller (played by the great Mexican actor Claudio Brook, in one of his two roles in the film) and thereafter accidentally unleash some wayward demons in a nearby tomb. Upon returning to the convent, strange events befall the two young women and subsequent scenes involve all kinds of possession, flagellation, orgiastic cavorting in the woods and full frontal blood rites. Eventually the strangely shrouded nuns and their not-necessarily-fearless leader decide to attempt an exorcism to rid the girls of their demons, but that effort ends up being interrupted by the film's resident realist, Dr Oszek (also played by Brook).

Though this cursory and incomplete plot summary certainly indicates that the film doesn't lack in the cheaper elements of exploitation, Moctezuma isn't just simply a hack throwing in some nudity and gore to help him make a quick buck. The film's sex and violence seems to flow quite naturally from the plot itself, and the overwhelming atmosphere of the whole affair is undoubtedly a good part of the film's malevolent charm. The sets within which much of the film's action takes place are brilliantly created; the convent especially seems suffused with that bizarre mixture of religious idolatry and animist tradition that denotes the way Mexican Indian culture historically assimilated the teachings of the Catholic Church. The director uses this eerie setting as a backdrop for emotional, over-the-top scenes that are both evocative of horror movie classics and at the same time allow him to drop comments on religion and reality inside the swirling panic.

But though the composition of the film allows it to rise above the level of many similar genre outings, that's not to deny there are also some cheap thrills (and laughs) along the way. A good bit of the dialogue will be recognizable to any viewer who has seen their share of horror films, with the good doctor's voice of reason speeches being especially hackneyed as his realist eyes are confronted with unearthly evidence of spirit possession. Additionally, though the acting and the gore effects attain a relatively high level of achievement, there are certainly some moments where the mood of artificiality goes awry and spins towards camp. But with Moctezuma in charge what wins out here is the general ambiance of panic, and the overwhelming visual and sonic assault of the heavier scenes coupled with the allegorical nature of the movie makes this one pretty hard to laugh off as mere junk.

Turning to the DVD itself, it's obvious that the film has been handled with the utmost care and the extras included make the whole package a great deal overall. The digital transfer has been handled spectacularly, and though there's the kind of flecking that you might expect from a film of this ilk, the colors are vibrant and the frames are clean enough to look excellent. Also included is the film's original Spanish-language trailer, especially notable for the moments towards its end where nearly every cast member is introduced by showing a scene from the movie where they scream at the top of their lungs. The DVD additionally contains a stills gallery, a nice interview with Guillermo del Toro, and a print interview with Alucarda's director that accompanies the standard filmographic and biographical entries. As if that weren't enough, rounding things out is a 14-minute documentary titled Juan Lopez Moctezuma: A Cultural Maverick that gives some great background on the director and the industry in which he worked, and which also contains scenes an earlier film of the director, The Mansion of Madness. We can only hope that a similar DVD version of this Poe-based vehicle awaits us at some time in the future.

But setting aside that wish for the time being, for now Mondo Macabro has at least seen fit to bring this one notable slice of Mexican horror to North American viewers in peak form, and for that genre fans should be eminently grateful. Filled top to bottom with shock and sex, Alucarda is an exciting film that deserves attention for its stylish setting, anguished theatrics and historically informed milieu. Handily directed by a filmmaker who quite obviously lavished great care on the production, the movie rises above its trappings and realizes its potential as both cinematic terror and rambling rant on reality and religion. Coupling the strength of the production itself with the tender care of the transfer and the fantastic package of extras included on the DVD makes a purchase of this one a no-brainer for anyone who sometimes likes their cinema a bit on the wild and bloody side. And you also might as well start saving your money now for future releases from the company; given what they've released in Europe there should be plenty of international cinematic weirdness on tap coming your way down the road. This reviewer, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next.

View other columns by Chris Hyde