(1973)
Dir - Julio Salvador/Ray Danton
Overall: GOOD
This one is rather all over the place. Existing mostly under the horror radar with a scant few reviews you can find online after some digging, Hanna, Queen of the Vampires, (La tumba de la isla maldita, Young Hanna, Queen of the Vampires, Crypt of the Living Dead, Vampire Woman), appears to be made up of footage shot by two different directors, placing its initial origin somewhere vague. Was it a co-production from both America and Spain or a Spanish film that got sliced and diced by an American director for said market? Or both? Ray Danton was mostly known as a B actor, (and for being married to Creature from the Black Lagoon scream queen Julie Adams), but he is credited with being behind the lens on this one along with Julio Salvador who is obscure enough to not even have his own wikipedia page. Script wise, the film adheres to as many cliches as it possibly can with rude, superstitious villagers, a shouting foreigner who follows science, cult worship, a mute wild man in place of a village idiot, creepy kids, a vampire who is barely threatening and easily thwarted, and of course a tomb, wooden stakes, and dogsbane, (in place of wolfsbane) to round up the undead specifics. Yet despite the occasionally goofy story elements and some jerky editing, the pace is remarkably brisk and the entire film is satisfyingly atmospheric with a nice, nasty ending and a creepy if easily anticipated final tag to boot.
(1973)
Dir - Jorge Grau
Overall: MEH
Though mostly interesting yet ultimately brought down by a tedious flow and botched editing, Jorge Grau's The Legend of Blood Castle, (Bloody Ceremony), is a near recommendable vampire outing that succeeds at manipulating many of the sub-genre's stereotypes. In this universe, dead vampires are put on trial, (wheeled into a lavish courtroom, coffin and all), and the entire town acts not as a manic, superstitious mob, but instead as a very well-organized and oiled, vampire investigating machine. Vampirism and witchcraft both seem to just be normal things that are dealt with just as legally as say a land dispute. This all makes it a very exclusive take on the Gothic, Hammer-esque style that otherwise the film closely follows, certainly taking into consideration that it is yet another re-working of the Elizabeth Bathory legend. Oddly though, the film is sort of given an additional twist that seems to have been thrown in as an afterthought where instead of being shown flashbacks, it would have been far less confusing to let the scenes pan out in a natural, chronological fashion. Instead, it rather looses the audience along the way and then abruptly tries to smooth it out once it is rather too late. The set pieces though bounce back and forth rather tiresomely, which is yet another shame given all the potential to be thoroughly unique elsewhere.
(1976)
Dir - Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Overall: GREAT
Screenwriter/director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador has only made two theatrically released films in his decades long career, instead being far more prolific in television. Yet both of them, (this and 1970's The House That Screamed) are easily two of the best European horror films out there. Adapted by himself and Juan José Plans from the latter's own novel titled El juego de los niños (The Children's Game), Who Can Kill a Child? is one of the many in the Village of the Damned vein where the premise alone is naturally disturbing to any viewer. Serrandor simply excels with the material though. The film could almost be criticized as being too long if not for the fact that all the time spent building and then simmering in the eerie fantasy is deliberately given enough depth and detail to work. With an eight minute intro of war footage showcasing suffering children and then a full half hour of our main protagonists innocently portrayed without any cliche foreboding, by the time the film enters its second and third acts, everything unbelievable that transpires sits in a completely realistic set of circumstances. The performances are as believable as they get and Serrador stages all of his heart-racing scenes in the most memorable way possible, with virtually no blunders to be found. It is far more appropriately unflinching than exploitative and the only real downside to the experience is that Serrador has so very few such other works under his resume. On that note, having two out of two masterpieces is highly commendable.
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