Watch A Candle for the Devil For Free

Must See Movie...

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Two sexually-repressed spinsters run an inn in a Spanish village. After accidentally killing a guest, her sister arrives, resulting in a cover-up. Maddened by the perceived indecency of the various travelers checking in, however, the domineering sister takes matters into her own hands, wielding judgment with a butcher knife.This compact Spanish-produced thriller is not quite what the title may lead one to believe—I had gone into the film under the impression that there was a supernatural element at play here, and there is not; this is a pure, unadulterated psycho-slasher by all accounts; it's also damned fun, too. Aurora Bautiste and Esperanza Roy play the two sisters who are riddled with repression and bursting with unexpressed sexuality. This, of course, becomes a catalyst that results in the more domineering sister, Marta, snapping, and going on a murder rampage against "impure" women who pass through, ranging from promiscuous Brits to American single mothers.There are some fantastic murder sequences, one of which involving a child is particularly disturbing. Judy Geeson plays the ostensible "final girl" role here, though a great deal of her screen time is spent touring museums and speculating about the guest disappearances while away from the inn. Some of these moments are stretched a bit thin, but they are not overly distracting. The finale is remarkably fun and there is a mean-spirited, revolting twist in the end that is quit literally stomach-turning. Overall, I found "A Candle for the Devil" to be a competent and well-made psychothriller, and perhaps even an early slasher template. It is elevated by particularly strong performances from the three leading women, as well as slick production values—it's both nicely shot and staged. Aside from a few lulls, there is a considerable amount of tension present, and the nastiness of the conclusion overshadows its notable abruptness. 8/10.

Two old maid sisters are running a little family hotel in Spain. They are very religious and the moral of the foreign tourist girl is too much for them. They start to kill them.First of all, 3 minutes into this movie there is hot blonde nudity which in my mind is a great beginning.Then there is one of the shortest skirts and longest legs I've ever seen.It's not a bad movie for the genre. Sort of a cult movie.

Two nutty sisters run a pension near Madrid. Folks keep disappearing from the place and ultimately you learn that they are killing the 'morally unfit'--and sooner or later, that seems to include just about everybody! One women (Judy Geeson) arrives to meet her sister and demands to know what has become of her. And, in the course of staying there, she starts to notice that OTHER residents are disappearing.When I read lazarillo's review of this film, it was very, very helpful. Because of this review, I realize that I saw a heavily edited version--very heavily edited. It lacked the nudity and violence of the longer version--and much more. At only 68 minutes, the version I saw was ridiculously truncated. So be aware that my review is only for the short version.Another way that I appreciated lazarillo's review is their interpretation of the symbolism of the film. It was filmed in Spain two years before the death of Franco and the film seems to have slipped past the censors. This is because the criticism of the moralistic sisters could EASILY be seen as a criticism of the rigid government as well--and why it wasn't seen that way is a good question. So, when the ultra-moralistic sister takes her hatred of the promiscuous to an extreme (by killing her 'sinful' tenants), this insane behavior seems to be a criticism of the state of Spanish society at the time.So is the film worth while? Yes, but the solution to the puzzle seemed VERY obvious and there was no suspense for the viewer since the sisters are seen killing one of the residents early on in the film. I also wish I'd seen the full version--not for the nudity but just to see what the filmmakers' artistic vision was. In other words, how much of what they intended us to see just ended up on the cutting room floor? Recommended...but with reservations.

Bad girls go to hell, that's a commonly known fact, but not before having spent one last vacation in the exaggeratedly puritan and deadly guest house pension run by two sisters in a remote little Spanish town. This obscure exploitation effort directed by Eugenio Martin (who clearly had a lot less money and acting talent at his disposal than with "Horror Express" released the same year) definitely boosts a couple of wannabe shocking themes (even including cannibalism) and perverted undertones, but the script is too predictable, the supposedly horrific effects too tame and the budget too non-existent for Martin to really accomplish something memorable. The opening sequences are promising enough and the last half hour also holds a few morbid surprise twists in stock, but generally speaking "It happened at Nightmare Inn" is a sadly passable and lackluster film. Veronica and Martha are two middle aged spinster sisters running a pension in a small town were tourism increased severely over the past couple of years, and lately a lot of their guests are young, luscious, liberate and single girls. Particularly the oldest sister has a problem with the free-spirited mindset of these girls, because years ago her fiancée stood her up at the altar and ran off with a younger girl. The other sister is a lot less stern and even has a secret lover in town, but she fears her sibling and acts docile. When Martha kills one of her guests for sunbathing topless, she claims it was an act of God and assures Victoria that He will protect them. They process the body into the pension's daily menu and continue with their jobs. But other beautiful young wenches of loose nature arrive at the pension, including the sister of the first victim, who doesn't really believe that she just left unexpectedly early. I honestly can't be too harsh on "It Happened at Nightmare Inn", since I have a soft spot for these early 70's Euro-exploitation flicks, but unfortunately I also can't deny this film is largely a failure. The main problem here is undeniable the tempo. I swear if the pacing were any slower, the tape in the VCR would automatically have started rewinding! Every character in this film talks slow, acts slow, reacts slow and even kills slow! Have you ever seen an angry mob move towards the house of a vicious killer at a speed slower than tortoise steps? Well, here's your chance! Luckily enough, there's at least some nudity to enjoy and the actual killing and storekeeping of the lurid girls is a reasonably macabre process. The music is catchy, the filming locations are enchanting and the acting performances are overall satisfying. Judy Geeson (as the investigating sister) and the two deranged siblings are likable, whereas the other female cast members simply have to parade around scantily dressed. Judging by the glazed staring of the elderly male extras, they more than succeed in their jobs.