Escalofrio

Satan's Blood (original title: Escalofrio, and aka: Don't Panic, 1977) is a once obscure bit of Spanish seventies "sinema," with obvious echoes to Rosemary's Baby (1968), that Mondo Macabro has now released to dvd in an "uncut Euro version." Sex literally takes the center stage of the pentagram in this film by director Carlos Puerto, taking full advantage of the relaxed censorship that followed the death of General Franco in 1975. Some of Puerto's workmates to cash in on the suddenly unsuppressed prurient appetites of the people include Paul Naschy, who worked with Puerto on El Francotirador (1977) and Juan Piquer Simon, who worked on Satan's Blood as both an executive producer, art director, and (according to IMDB) was also an uncredited co-director. Fans of the horror genre might take note of Simon's contributions here since he would later direct such notorious and campy films as Pieces (Mil gritos tiene la noche, 1982 – whose direct translation, The Night has a Thousand Screams, would have better served the film) and Slugs: The Movie (Slugs, muerte viscose, 1988, whose direct translation is Slugs, Viscous Death; which merits the attention of all those people atwitter over the upcoming Snakes on A Plane title - please note that the Spaniards were way ahead of us). Satan's Blood doesn't waste any time showing skin; it begins by showing a sacrificial black mass with full frontal nudity. It then shifts gears and location to introduce us to the two protagonists, Andy (Ángel Aranda) and his pregnant wife Anna (Sandra Alberti), a happily married couple looking forward to a weekend vacation – until they are sidetracked by a couple in another car that claim to know them. Bruno (Jose María Guillen) and Thelma (Mariana Karr) are solicitous to a fault and convince the young couple to follow them to an isolated estate for some friendly quaffing of fine wine. As often happens, the Ouija board is brought out and both unpleasant truths and predictions are made that make everybody uncomfortable. It would be tempting to say that the unpleasantness simply keeps building as Anna's dog disappears and the hosts display disturbing eating habits as they gnaw and slurp away at their food like wild animals, but then there's a group sex scene in front of the fireplace that seems to get everybody pretty well relaxed (if maybe a bit dazed). But from this brief respite things do get decidedly worse for the confused couple that just can't seem to leave, even when murder strikes. Genre fans might find Satan's Blood to lack full-throttle scares or gore but it nonetheless provides a decent group romp full of sex and eerie atmosphere that mixes some unexpected and disturbing surprises along with the expected cliches. The Hi Def digital widescreen transfer looks crisp and colorful (as can be verified by the fact that during the group sex scene where everyone seems to be greased up for action all the bodies look especially emollient), and the disc comes packed with extras. Audio options include the original Spanish track (which carries with it a bit of crackle and pop), subtitles, and an English dub option. On a footnote to the unsung difficulties in dubbing or subtitling, consider the following line from the film when a knife-wielding Thelma sees Anna in the kitchen and says "Puedes cortar el queso." As subtitles don't have to match the moving mouth, they can convey the proper menace by translating this as a command with "Get the cheese." This preserves the intended tone. The dub track doesn't have the same latitude and opts instead for "Why don't you cut the cheese?" This shifts the tone considerably (especially if you're watching the film with a group of easily amused friends.) Bonus materials include some text by Pete Tombs outlining the political and cultural context that gave rise to the abolishing of censorship in Spain in the seventies and the "mini boom in adult oriented entertainment," an alternate opening that is essentially a tacked-on "self important prologue," an extensive stills gallery, and a 24-minute documentary called The Devil's Disciples in which Gavin Baddely, "one of the world's foremost authorities on Satanism and the Occult" and "an ordained Reverend in The Church of Satan" (and also, it must be said, an affable and amusing fellow), gives the viewer an informative overview of Satanism. For more information about Satan's Blood, visit Mondo Macabro. To order Satan's Blood, go to TCM Shopping. by Pablo Kjolseth