1970s horror movie review

“They’ll come back. They cannot die.” Sounds like vampires… or zombies. Is it vampires or zombies? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr – as they take in The Blood Spattered Bride (1972), an aptly titled Spanish horror film from director Vicente Aranda.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 202 – The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Newlywed Susan is haunted by visions of Mircalla Karnstein, a centuries-old bride who murdered her husband on their wedding night.

• Director: Vicente Aranda
• Writers: Vicente Aranda; J. Sheridan Le Fanu (novel); Matthew Lewis (story)
• Selected Cast:
  • Simón Andreu as Husband
  • Maribel Martín as Susan
  • Alexandra Bastedo as Mircala Karstein / Carmila
  • Dean Selmier as Doctor
  • Ángel Lombarte as Carol’s Father
  • Montserrat Julió as Carol’s Mother
  • Rosa M. Rodriguez as Carol (as Rosa Rodriguez)

Spanish horror films of the 1970s often hid their social and political commentary within their horror and supernatural shenanigans. Is that what The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) is doing with its loose adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella “Carmilla?” The story mixes modern elements with a gothic sensibility to craft an odd vampire tale where the characters are all unlikable and the story full of unreliable narrative. Yet, the film is wonderfully shot and earnestly acted, providing ample gore when it wants to. Check out what the Grue-Crew think of this bizarre, often overlooked tale of terror.

At the time of this writing, The Blood Spattered Bride is available to stream from Wicked Horror TV, Tubi, Pluto TV, and a couple of PPV options. The film is available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro.

Viewer feedback from Rebecca McCallum on our episode about Hitchcock’s Frenzy leads us to link you to her essays, Hitchcock’s Women, and her podcast, Talking Hitchcock. Check them out!

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Doc, will be Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971), the fourth and last of Hammer’s mummy movies!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

“I walked the streets, brooding on the bitter irony that all I wanted to do for humanity, for life, would be cheated by death… unless I could cheat death.” And eventually, he discovered… you can’t cheat a cheater. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they discuss Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde(1971), a Hammer film with a twist on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 175 – Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

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A Victorian scientist tests a serum that transforms him into a sensuous murderess.

• Director: Roy Ward Baker
• Writers: Brian Clemens (screenplay); Robert Louis Stevenson (based upon the story by)
• Selected cast:
  • Ralph Bates as Dr. Henry Jekyll/Jack the Ripper
  • Martine Beswick as Mrs. Edwina Hyde
  • Gerald Sim as Professor Robertson
  • Lewis Fiander as Howard Spencer
  • Susan Brodrick as Susan Spencer
  • Dorothy Alison as Mrs. Spencer
  • Ivor Dean as William Burke
  • Tony Calvin as William Hare
  • Philip Madoc as Byker
  • Paul Whitsun-Jones as Sergeant Danvers
  • Virginia Wetherell as Betsy
  • Dan Meaden as Town Crier
  • Neil Wilson as Older Policeman

Bill describes Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde as a mid-level Hammer film searching for the magic mix that can reverse the company’s fortunes during the beginning of its decline. At the same time, he gives the filmmakers credit for their creativity and for the transformation scenes that, though not perfect, are well done. Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde was not at the top of the list of Hammer films he hadn’t yet seen, but Jeff’s glad he did experience it. He praises the filmmakers and actors for depicting the Jekyll and Hyde variations as somewhat androgynous, helping to make the transformations believable. He also likes the triple threat of Jekyll/Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and Burk & Hare nicely combined into one story by writer Brian Clemens. Doc, who chose Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde for this episode, also describes it as an example of Hammer reaching for some answers. To him, the way the film’s themes are handled doesn’t really hold up while admitting the failure might be a product of the times in which it was made. He also describes Dr. Jekyll as a role more complex than many, possibly making it Ralph Bates’ best Hammer role.

The 70s Grue-Crew universally laud Martine Beswick’s performance and lament the absence of any character in the film for which to root. For those wishing to watch, or rewatch, Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde, the film is available to stream from Tubi, Freevee, The Roku Channel, Peacock, Hoopla, and several PPV sources. The film is also available as a Blu-ray disc from Scream Factory. Of course, this information is as of the time of this writing.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Jeff, will be Blue Sunshine (1977). That one should be a fun trip. (See what I did there?)

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com. 

“That bugs me, man. That really bugs me.” This ends up being Glenn Ford’s key line in his short appearance in this episode’s movie. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they come away with a slew of questions after watching The Visitor (1979) and its star-studded cast.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 174 – The Visitor (1979)

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Synopsis: The soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers becomes the prize in a fight between forces of good and evil.

• Director: Giulio Paradisi (credited as Michael J. Paradise)
• Writers: (screenplay by) Luciano Comici (as Lou Comici) & Robert Mundi (as Robert Mundy); (story by) Giulio Paradisi & Ovidio G. Assonitis
• Selected cast:
  • Mel Ferrer as Dr. Walker
  • Glenn Ford as Det. Jake Durham
  • Lance Henriksen as Raymond Armstead
  • John Huston as Jerzy Colsowicz
  • Joanne Nail as Barbara Collins
  • Sam Peckinpah as Dr. Sam Collins
  • Shelley Winters as Jane Phillips
  • Paige Conner as Katy Collins
  • Franco Nero as Jesus Christ (uncredited)

Chad chose The Visitor for this episode’s discussion, but he confesses that he had no idea what was going on at any given moment during the film. On top of his confusion with the storyline, he was “bored off his hindquarters” while some scenes dragged on forever and ever and ever… To him, it felt like a ripoff of The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) with a little science fiction twist thrown in. Of course, there was the hate-eliciting kid, dripping with evil, and the inappropriate music backing many scenes.

Though competently made, according to Bill, The Visitor is a mess. The incoherent story seemed to go a little Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) while still not making a lick of sense. Echoing Chad’s feelings about the kid, he admits he cheered when Shelley Winters’ character slapped her. He finishes with, “Of all the WTF 1970s movies we’ve done, this is the WTFest.”

Jeff agrees with Chad that The Visitor is way too long with what seemed like some endless sequences. Once he realized it was an Italian film, the presence of a confusing storyline kind of made sense. The second time he watched it the plot became somewhat less opaque, but he would never recommend that anyone else watch it twice.

The Visitor took some life out of Doc and made his brain hurt trying to figure out what was happening. For him, it plays a lot like Damien: Omen II (1978) with Lance Henriksen even playing a similar part. He also found some unintentionally comedic scenes and while the film has its moments, on the whole, he had to fight to not fall asleep.

Despite the 70s Grue-Crew’s poor impressions, The Visitor does have a cult following and sports an excellent cast that outperforms the material. At the time of this writing, The Visitor is available to stream from Shudder, Peacock, Kanopy, Tubi, and Freevee. The Visitor is also available on physical media as a Blu-ray from Drafthouse.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule, chosen by Doc, will be Hammer’s Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971). That won’t be confusing at all.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.