The Films (4/5)

    OK, a few things, the Mondo Macabro Blu-ray of Symptoms might be my favorite Blu-ray relese of the last 10 years. Not because of the package, but because I never thought I'd see Symptoms outside of a 10th generation washed out bootleg, and there  was  now a well-restored Blu-ray edition. Vampyres, I saw a teenager, and was convinced through the years it might be the best erotic vampire film of the early 70's besting even the works of Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, Hammer, and the famed Daughters of Darkness.

   However, outside of a one time viewing of the lesser, but still great Black Candles, I had not seen much in the way of Jose Ramon Larraz' work. Though based on Symptoms and Vampyres alone I was convinced he was likely the most neglected master of European horror's golden age (1957-1994).   Arrow Video one of the truly great companies has been doing a wonderful job during most of their time in the Blu-ray business rescuing both Eurohorror obscurities and classics. They are basically the Criterion of Cult Cinema, and now they have turned their eye to Larraz, putting 2 of the director's more obscure features in a Blu-ray box set with the iconic Vampyres.

    The set opens with Larraz' debut feature Whirlpool (1969) in which Tulia played by Vivian Neves is invited to the secluded country estate of erotic photographer Theo (Karl Lanchbury), and his Aunt. Tulia expected a simple weekend in the country, but was given anything but, as Theo and his Aunt have plans for Tulia including seduction and murder. Whirlpool, very much plays out as the late 60's answer to the erotic thriller, but with a little extra shock to it. The film features a bisexual romance between Theo, Tulia, and the aunt including an eventual threesome.  

    Karl Lanchbury never seems normal for the running time, bordering between kind of crazy, and over the top crazy. The film definitely has a cool late night viewing atmosphere, and is as entertaining, as it is strange. Though the pacing isn't perfect, and the film definitely has slow parts, it is overall quite easy to recommend. Add into the whole piece a score by Stelvio Cipriani, who did the score for Bava's Bay of Blood plus other Larraz works and you have a surefire formula for a sold Eurohorror thriller.

    The second film in the set is 1974's Vampyres.  Vampyres tells the story of 2 vampire hitchhikers Fran and Miriam.  Everyday they catch a ride with an unsuspecting person, and request to be taken home to a local castle.  These people are then seduced, and intoxicated by the duo, before finally being killed by them.  One of their victims is a traveling businessman named Ted.  Ted is taken captive by Fran, however, instead of Fran killing him immediately she slowly drains the life from him over the course of a few days.

    While this is going on outside the castle, a young couple is spending a few days of their holiday on the castle grounds painting, fishing, and resting.  The young woman of the couple, begins to wonder about  Ted,  Fran, and Miriam, as she observes them going to and from the castle.  This wonder turns to obsession, as the film plays out, and leads this young innocent couple into the vampire’s grasp.

    Vampyres is an undeniable classic of 70's erotic vampire cinema. The vampires played by Marinane Morris and Anulka have strong dominate personalities, that makes their violence all the more powerful.  Vampyres as a film oozes with a wonderful gothic atmosphere.  The director Jose Larraz uses his budgetary limitations to his advantages, taking the castle and its ground, and making it a character in the film much like Kubrick did for The Shining's Overlook Hotel.  There are some slower parts throughout the film, and there are some confusing moments strewn throughout the plot, such as how Ted and Harriet are previously associated with the vampyres.  However, even with that in the mix Vampyres blends creepiness with an atmosphere of dread to create a potent vampire cinema cocktail.

    The third and final film in the set is Larraz' infamous 1979 film The Coming of Sin.  This is a film I have heard about for years due to some of its more notorious content. When watching it, however, I was highly impressed by the film itself, and not just the more over the top moments.   Larraz' lived in Spain during the time of General Franco, and felt the effects of fascism, and went to the U.K. to avoid having it suppress his work, which if you cannot tell already has an erotic tone to it. He returned to Spain after the death of Franco, and in the late 70's crafted The Coming of Sin. 

    The Coming of Sin follows Lorna, who is asked by a friend to take in an orphaned teenage girl Triana, so her and her husband can move back to London.  Lorna takes Triana in, but begins to realize that Triana has more to offer her then companionship alone. Triana has been having nightmares about a man on a horse, and when that man, Chico actually comes into their lives (both sexually and otherwise) Lorna begins to realize Chico's presence in Triana's life might spell doom for one of them.

    The Coming of Sin carries over the themes from Larraz' other work, mixing horror, with an erotic ambiance, and a focus on a threesome relationship. It also creates an atmosphere of dread and impending doom more so than any of the 3 films in this box set. At times I felt like Larraz was channeling the work of the other great erotic Spanish filmmaker, Jess Franco. However, the tone of each filmmaker's respective work is definitely differing with a more serious and disturbed tone coming from the Larraz work.

Audio/Video (4/5)

     Both Coming of Sin and Vampyre are presented 1:66:1, while Whirlpool, the earliest film in the set is cast in a 1:66:1 aspect ratio. All 3 films are presented 1080p with an AVC encode.   All 3 films look completely solid, and I have to imagine since Larraz' was never quite getting his due on home video outside of Vampyres and Black Candles before the Blu-ray era, these would by default be the best looking these films have ever looked on home video, or possibly ever. Detail is excellent, colors are mostly stable, and though there are some soft parts throughout the whole image looks really fantastic.

    Audio is handled by HD mono tracks in English for all 3 films with a Spanish option for the Coming of Sin. Everything here sound quite good without any discernible issues.

Extras (5/5)

There are a handful of names you can put in the extras section of a Blu-ray release, and I know I will enjoy it, and be well-informed on the films, their history, and their makers. Those would include Kim Newman, Tim Lucas, Samm Deighan, and Kat Ellinger, and guess what? They are all included in this box set. Kat and Samm do a highly informative and interesting commentary on the Coming of Sin, with Kat Ellinger leading a wonderful solo commentary on Vampyres. Tim Lucas turns in a commentary that is up to his very high quality standard on Whirlpool, which goes deep with information on this film and more.  Aside from that we get 2 cuts of Whirlpool, and interviews with the cast and crew of the respective films,  a 2006 short film made by Simon Burrell under Larraz' guidance, and so much more.

Overall

    As of this point Blood Hunter ; The Films of Jose Larraz might be the best EuroCult release of the year, and will be hard one to beat at year's end. The 3 films are fantastic, well-restored, and loaded with extras. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.