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A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

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

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The death of Generalissimo Francisco Franco in November 1975 meant not only the end of a 39-year repressive regime for the people of Spain, and the ushering in of democracy, but the dawn of a new freedom in the cinematic arts, as well. With the effective ending, in 1977, of the strict censorship laws that had hamstrung filmmakers for decades, a new looseness was engendered. Films could now be released that contained nudity, sexual themes, and violent and horrific elements...provided, of course, that the film was tagged with the "Clasificada S" label, that "S," of course, standing for "sex." Released in 1978, "Escalofrio" (which opened in the U.S. with the title "Satan's Blood") was one of the first pictures out of the gate to take advantage of the new freedoms.In the film, the viewer makes the acquaintance of two couples. Couple A, Andres and Ana (a lawyer with his four-months-pregnant wife, and played by Angel Aranda and Sandra Alberti), are taking a joyride through the streets of what I can only assume is Madrid (the city looks just beautiful, wherever it is) when they are approached at a traffic light by a couple in another car. Couple B (Bruno and Berta, played by Jose Maria Guillen and Mariana Karr) invites Andres and Ana over to their place, Bruno claiming to be an old college buddy of Andres', although the young lawyer has no recollection of him. Whereas most sensible couples might politely decline the offer, Andres and Ana follow Couple B to their house in the middle of nowhere. And what follows, after drinks and a go at the ol' Ouija board, is a weekend of escalating madness, featuring as it does attempted rape, a Satanic Mass, a four-way orgy, suicide attempts, canine and human homicide, the resurrection of the dead, nightmares, a decapitation, a hit-and-run incident...and a particularly creepy walking doll....Anyway, "Satan's Blood" ultimately makes very little sense, but for once, this viewer did not particularly care. It's the ride that matters here, and it is a thrill ride that grows progressively wilder and crazier as the picture proceeds, finally coming off like a full-blown nightmare. In the film's funniest moment, Andres declares, "What a fun weekend...we should have stayed home!" Practically begging for its "S" label, the film dishes out not only that oil-anointed four-way orgy, but full-frontal nudity on the part of the gals (but not the guys; I suppose THAT would have been too much for even the "S" rating!), a playful tub scene between Andres and Ana, and, in a prologue that bears little if any relation to the rest of the picture, the rape of a young woman by the officiating priest at a Black Mass. Shootings, stabbings, wrist slittings and other bits of mayhem surely sufficed to earn the film an "S" on their own, and the filmmakers have thrown in numerous instances of assorted weirdness (such as those bowls of meat around the house!) to make matters feel even more off-kilter. Directed with an eye toward maximum freakiness by Carlos Puerto, and featuring some genuinely scary (and yet at times lovely) music by Librado Pastor, the picture is one that will certainly be remembered. Spanish audiences back in the day must surely have been amazed by the sex and carnage unreeling on their neighborhood screens, and were no doubt shocked by the image of a framed picture of Jesus Christ catching fire and exploding. Filmgoers today, however, might be a bit more shocked at the sight of the pregnant Ana drinking coffee and liquor and smoking not only cigarettes, but cigars as well...AND, supposedly, after having lost her first baby! Just one more bit of strangeness, in a movie filled with so many.Further good news regarding "Satan's Blood" is the fact that it is now available in a beautiful print, with excellent subtitles, on a DVD from the always dependable folks at Mondo Macabro. (What an amazing roster of titles this outfit has built up over the years!) As usual, this Mondo Macabro DVD is just jam packed with extras, including a highly informative essay on the film, stills, an alternate opening, the superfun M.M. trailer reel...AND a 30-minute lecture on the history of 20th century Satanism by noted authority Gavin Baddeley. The editors of the wonderful reference book "DVD Delirium 3" are so correct when they say, in regard to the film and the DVD package itself, "Moody, shocking, and wonderfully constructed, this one's a definite keeper"....

Not sure how, but it slipped my mind that I'd seen this before, though it started coming back to me as I was watching.After an opening scene of a black mass, Andy and his four months pregnant wife Ana (who shows no visible signs of being pregnant) are out for a drive with their dog Blackie, when they come across a couple in another car who claims to know Andy. He doesn't remember the guy from school, and thinks some of the other things the man says are wrong (Last Year in Marienbad?), but they agree to join them for a drink at their house. The dog doesn't like the couple, and Andy has second thoughts when the drive to the house turns out to be over an hour over dirt roads in the middle of nowhere, but they do enter the couple's large gated estate. Once there, various things conspire against them leaving....Really well made sleaze/satanic horror. As is said in the novel The Crying of Lot 49, "True pornography is given us by vastly patient professionals."The documentary on satanism and satanic horror included on Mondo Macabro's DVD is well worth watching.

It would appear that Spain is actually a more prolific producer of horror films than I had first thought. This film isn't very well known, and that's a real shame as it's undoubtedly one of the best that the country ever produced. Satan's Blood handles the ever popular horror film theme of devil worship, and it does it with a lot of style, blood and nudity; all of which ensure that the film is more than just your average satanic slice of exploitation. The way that the plot is put forward is fascinating as director Carlos Puerto keeps the action simple, and by concentrating on just a handful of characters, it's easy to buy into the sex-laden plot line. The story follows a young couple; Andres and Ana, who decide to travel with another couple they have just met to their lovely home in the country. The man of the pair says that he knows Andres from school; although Andres can't remember him, and there's a reason for that, as they've never met before and the couple whose home they're going to are keen disciples of the devil! The film features a lot of interesting diabolical elements, from things such as Ouija boards to mass orgies on top of a pentagram. The more sordid elements of the film don't stop the director from telling an interesting story, however, as Puerto uses them to his advantage and the sordid elements help rather than hinder the film from a storytelling perspective. It is true that the film loses tension at times because of the breaks to show another sex scene, but many people will be tuning into this film to see sleaze; and they certainly won't be disappointed. Director Carlos Puerto also implements several things such as a creepy porcelain doll into the proceedings, which help to give the film more of a horror edge. There's a lot more nudity in this film than there is gore, but what there is in the way of blood is well used, and one scene in particular; which involves the couple's dog, is particularly nasty and liable to offend. Overall, even though Satan's Blood is heinously underseen, I personally wouldn't hesitate to rate it as a first class slice of Euro-horror, and it comes highly recommended.

SATAN'S BLOOD is a decent slice of obscure Spanish sexploitation. Tons of nudity (including plenty o' full-frontal) and a bit o' gore (and a relatively swift run-time) and a few actually creep scenes make SATAN'S BLOOD a pretty solid entry of 70's Euro-sleaze...A young couple is chillin' around town with their dog when another couple stops them and invites them back to their crib. The husband of the "approaching" couple claims to have known the husband of the "chillin'" couple from back in college - but this "friendship" is totally lost on chill-guy - he's drawin' a complete blank and doesn't recall the guy at all. Regardless - both couples head back to the other couple's house (which turns out to be a castle-like mansion in the middle of nowhere...) and before ya know it - their playin' with Ouija boards and partaking in Satanic orgies. The chill couple is freaked by the whole thing and wants to leave, but various "obstacles" prevent their escape...Although there are a few brief atmospheric and creepy scenes (a few in particular involving a bugged-out looking porcelain doll...) - SATAN'S BLOOD is pretty much just a fun, sleazy, Satanic sexploiter that should satisfy fans of cheezy violence and gratuitous nudity. Nothing extremely notable about the film, but a fun way to kill some time, and the film clocks in right around 70 minutes or so - so it's not boring or too drawn-out. Decent end scene, too...7/10