Satan's Blood (1978) User Reviews (23)

Escalofrio!

[parry_na · 7/10 · 1 December 2016]

It can be awkward when we are approached by a couple who swear they know us and we haven't a clue who they are. It must be a good deal worse if we accompany these people to their home to 'catch up' and we realise they are a couple of perverted demon worshippers who have some very grisly plans. This is exactly what happens to Andres (José María Guillén) and his pregnant wife Ana (Marianna Karr). Pretty soon their lives have taken on an extraordinary turn for the worse.

Directors Carlos Puerto and (an uncredited) Juan Piquer Simón make sure we're just as unnerved and anxious as the unfortunate pair. True to its 'euro-sleaze' trappings, the foreboding atmosphere is heavily punctuated with lingering scenes of sex that drag things down a little - but developments come thick and fairly fast. It's a tension-filled rollercoaster and a good way to spend 82 minutes.

Prince of Fornication? Father of Incest??

[Coventry · 7/10 · 17 October 2007]

Throughout my many years as an avid horror fanatic, I encountered numerous movies dealing with devil worshipers & satanic cults, and therefore I also assumed I had already heard every name, title and form of address for the "character" of Satan. Wrong again, because in this underrated gem of 70's Spanish horror, there's a scene in which the speaker summons good 'ol Lucifer using a whole bunch of new, hugely offensive and exhilarating names, including Prince of Fornication, Master of Hate, Serpent of Genesis, Prince of Necrophilia, Father of Incest and High Master of the Black Arts. Other than being a surprisingly eloquent film, "Satan's Blood" is an atmospheric and ultra-sleazy highlight of European (more particularly Spanish) cult cinema. The plot is obviously simplistic and severely lacking logic as well as plausibility, but the film offers a continuous spitfire of eerie images, nudity that is simultaneously erotic and gratuitous, gore and genuinely morbid scenery. When the young newlyweds Andres and Ana are bored to death on a regular Saturday afternoon, they decide to take their dog out for a drive in the city. Waiting at a stoplight they're contacted by another couple of whom the husband claims to know Andres from high school, even though the latter doesn't remember him at all. Andres and Ana reluctantly follow the couple to their secluded mansion in the countryside where they all join in sinister Ouija-board games, dangerous acts of seduction, a bit of inappropriate cannibalism and – of course – some good old satanic orgies. The couple behaves increasingly mysterious and obtrusive, but a heavy thunderstorm and car trouble prevent Andres & Ana from leaving. And even when they manage to get out of the house, they appear to have entered an inescapable spiral of satanic evil. "Satan's Blood" is an above average; I even daresay GOOD film despite the occasionally tedious moments and the overload of sex footage that constantly interrupts the suspense. A handful of sequences are downright creepy, notably the ones with the uncanny porcelain doll, and the fate of poor pretty Blackie is truly harrowing. The last 5 to 10 minutes are really terrific, full of gore and loaded with disturbance, repulsiveness and shock value. Massive recommendation for fans of 70's exploitation or Euro-cult horror in general.

On a slightly less important note, the DVD version of "Satan's Blood" I watched even provides a bit of hilarity, as the subtitle track was clearly handled very unprofessionally. Sometimes there are English subtitles without there even are dialogs and most of the time the translations are just indisputably incorrect. For example, Andres clearly states he works as a mechanic but at the same time the subtitles claim he's a lawyer.

Embrassingly Decadent and Delightful

[Kashmirgrey · 6/10 · 9 May 2007]

I know that I should not have found anything good in this film. I know that it is just shy of an X-rating (at the time of its release.) I know the script was atrocious and the acting pretty darn bad. I know that its surprises were observed a mile away coming. But... I confess. I liked it.

A young, expecting couple depart for a weekend getaway when they are lured to a country villa by another couple under the guise that the male of the latter recognizes the younger man as an old college acquaintance. After some Ouija board dabbling gone awry, the young couple find themselves stranded by a storm and reluctantly agree to spend the night with their hosts. An orgy, dead dog, murder, suicide, and a couple of "return from the deads" later, our two protagonists successfully flee their captors only to find the nightmare may not be over after all.

"Escalofrío" aka "Satan's Blood" has some extremely erotic scenes, primarily so because of the lovely Mariana Karr who plays the young, mother-to-be wife. There are also a few disturbing scenes involving cannibalism and sexual sacrifice, not to mention poor Blackey's fate.

If you're a fan of Spanish horror, especially the 60-70's vintage, you will probably enjoy this film because it is the epitome of its ilk. If you're looking for the next "Silence of the Lambs," look elsewhere.

Pretty decent Spanish horror flick from the '70's

[lazarillo · 15 June 2006]

I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that, Carlos Puerto, the obscure director of this Spanish horror semi-classic was actually a pseudonym for the more famous Spanish/English director Jose Larraz. Puerto is apparently a real guy, even though his film is eerily similar to many of those of Larraz with its plot of an innocent couple being lured to a remote house in the wilderness and being preyed on by a satanic coven of sexual degenerates.

The good news though is that this tends to eerily resemble a good Larraz film like "Symptoms" or "Vampyres" rather than a bad Larraz film like "Whirlpool" or "Black Candles". The bad news is that this suffers from the same problem of many (especially latter-day) Larraz films and many other films of the post-Franco "destapa" period--the emphasis on softcore sex and gratuitous nudity at times brings the story to a complete standstill and threatens to overwhelm any suspense or tension the story has built up. Luckily though the film is fairly skillfully done and the acting is good (I don't know who any of these actors are, but they're better than almost anyone Larraz ever worked with).

The ending is especially non-sensical even as far as Eurohorror goes, and dog lovers might not like the movie much, but it's still one of the better Spanish horror films I've seen from this period and the new DVD is widescreen and looks really good. Mirala!

Mouth-Watering Satanic Sleaze

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 25 February 2010]

"Escalofrío" (1978) is an atmospheric and delightfully bizarre and slice of Spanish Occult Horror that especially fans of the sleazier kind of European cult-cinema should not miss.

The beginning of the film is as promising as it gets already, when a sinister long-bearded fellow (Fernando Jiménez del Oso, who apparently was a specialist for pranormal and supernatural phenomena and the occult) gives a bizarre preface about how Satan is real, and about how Satanists have been worshipping their master in bizarre rituals and sex-orgies for centuries. The actual film begins with such a bizarre Satanic orgy, then switching to the home of Andres (José María Guillén) and Ana (Mariana Karr), a married couple expecting a child in a few month. When driving around on the weekend, Ana and Andres are invited by another couple Berta (Sandra Alberti) and Bruno (Ángel Aranda), who claims to have gone to college with Andres, even though Andres is sure never to have seen the man. Nonetheless, Andres and Ana accept the sinister couple's invitation and follow them to their eerie remote mansion, which is full of occult stuff...

While I thoroughly enjoyed "Escalofrío" from start to finish, I must say that it could have maybe been even better if the first part of the plot didn't completely lack any logic. Even though they are too anxious about their unborn baby to even go dancing, Andres and Ana have no problem to accompany a strange couple to their creepy domicile. And even after their mansion is full of satanic objects, they stay. Ana even witnesses Berta eat raw, bloody meat out of a through like an animal. Still, they stay. Even when their hosts begin to carry out satanic rituals, they stay. Heck, I've heard about people acting stupidly in Horror films, but... come on! However, these illogical elements add something to the 'camp' factor of the film, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Furthermore, it gets a lot better and VERY creepy in the second half. "Escalofrío" is beautifully shot and the eerie old mansion is the most perfect setting imaginable. Both female cast members are beautiful, and the film is full of sleaze from start to finish. The performances may not be great, but the cast-members all fit in their roles. I almost cheered when I saw that the mansion's gate-keeper was played by Spanish Cult Horror / Exploitation regular Luis Barboo, a creepy-looking fellow who also was in many of Jess Franco's films. In the second half, the film gets magnificently bizarre, creepy, macabre and delightfully weird, which almost makes "Escalofrío" a must-see for my fellow Eurohorror fans.

"Escalofrío" is definitely a strange little gem, and while it is quite camp in the beginning it gets really creepy and intense in the second half. The film contains some of the sleaziest Satanic activities in European Exploitation cinema, and the satanic prayers include the most exotic and smuttiest nicknames for the Lord of the Flies - such as ("Father of Incest, Prince of Necrophilia,..."). If possible, it is recommendable to get a (subtiteled) Spanish language copy - I saw the English dubbed version, which is a prime example for the often horrendous dubbing of European Horror films (though, personally, this doesn't really bother me). My rating of "Escalofrío": 7.5 out of 10.

Decadent mundane satanism

[crystallogic · 5/10 · 14 February 2018]

I really wanted to like this more than I do. It's atmospheric, eerie, and somewhat erotic. It's also got a plot so thin it's almost invisible, and is so very slow. I know that latter is probably deliberate (see what I did there?), and yes, the stately pace of proceedings doubtless contributes to the creepy, morbid atmosphere. Maybe it's just that I watched this right after a much more exciting film (The Big Bird Cage, if you want to know), but I surprisingly failed to really connect with this one.

The satanism is pretty cool though. It's exciting when the lady of the house gets all hot and bothered reading all those blasphemies from her satanic book. This film kind of subscribes to the old idea of satanists being a bunch of bored decadents. But these guys aren't harmless, I guess; they indulge in cannibalism and all sorts of morbidities. Yet, I can't escape the fact that this film kind of has a mundane feeling. The stakes are small and maybe that's part of the point, but at times, despite all the darkness, the whole thing feels like a childish game, and nothing more.

I do like the dichotomy this film nicely slots into. It's got one of those stern professorial types at the beginning telling us of the dangers of black magic and satanism, which are of course alive and thriving in our cozy urban worlds today. Classic exploitation technique, and it still works. Then, when we get on to the nudity and bloodshed, we get that classic primal-level confusion about what the film is really trying to tell us. Are we supposed to indulge and enjoy ourselves, or feel bad? Of course, it's both, and that's the beauty of it! Mostly though, just enjoy ourselves, I think, and transgress, because we can. Remember that this film was released in 1978, and that Franco (the fascist Franco, not the film director who smartly got all his films financed in other countries) and his government had imposed strict censorship on the country's art. Such transgressive iconography would have been utterly forbidden a mere few years earlier. And I'm sure this is exactly the freedom the film-makers were revelling in. So, even though I confess that I didn't entirely "get it", and that as a horror film I thought this was kind of a failure, I still commend the effort and think it's worth seeing for anyone into devilish cinema.

Oh, and despite what i said above -- they get props for the ending, which was, after all, rather fitting in its cyclical nature.

Cool Spanish "Sex-N-Satan" Exploiter....

[EVOL666 · 7/10 · 19 June 2006]

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

Good Spanish horror film....

[MovieGuy01 · 5/10 · 14 October 2009]

I thought that Satan's Blood was a very good Spanish horror film. The film is about an urban couple living in Madrid, called Andy and Thelma, they leave their apartment for a day around the city. In Madrisd They meet another strange couple called Bruno and Anne, who invite them to their country estate. There is a bad storm in the evening, so they stay overnight. The couples have a bit of harmless fun with spirits by a Ouija board, but soon the past comes back to them. Thelma had an affair with Andy's brother, and Anne criticises Bruno over his attempted suicide. This is only the beginning of all the horrors that will haunts them, because they are a pair of psycopahic Satanists who like group sex and black magic. I found this film very disturbing to watch, but enjoyed most of the film.

Granted an 'S' for sex certificate upon it's Spanish release and it certainly deserves it

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 29 March 2006]

With Franco dead the Spanish could let rip and this one certainly goes at a pace. There are many sex and Satanism films that barely get round to either sex or Satanism, this one revels in it throughout. Just when it gets a bit silly towards the end, it gets very silly and builds to a great finale. In fact much of the film is really good, as well as almost constant bare flesh from the ladies and the gents there is blood and gore AND a really creepy atmosphere aided by the strange antics of the main protagonists. Whenever we see them in the deserted kitchen they seem bent over some dog bowl, and when they are in bed together they growl and pair like two animals. Granted an 'S' for sex certificate upon it's Spanish release and it certainly deserves it, though it also deserves a 'V' for violence and 'G' for gore. Excellent stuff - and not over long!

Earning Its "S"

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 21 February 2013]

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"....

Euro Exploitation Film

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 1 December 2022]

In Madrid, Andrés (Jose Maria Guillen) and Ana (Marian Karr) are happily married and Ana is four-month pregnant. One day, they decide to go for a ride in their car with their dog Blackie. While returning home, they stop at a traffic light and a man in another car says "hi" to Andrés. They park their cars and the other driver, Bruno (Angel Aranda), tells that they were schoolmates and introduces his wife Berta (Sandra Alberti). They invite Andrés and Ana to go to their house to drink wine, and they drive to a distant house in the countryside. They have a session of Ouija board when secrets from their past are disclosed. Then there is a storm and Bruno invites the couple to spend the night in his house and return home in the morning. Soon Andrés and Ana learn that Bruno and Berta worship the devil and they are trapped in a haunted house.

"Escalofrío", a.k.a. "Satan's Blood", is a Euro exploitation film from the 70's. The storyline is simple and flawed screenplay of a couple lured by another couple that worships the devil. Great part of the movie is dedicated to show Marian Karr and Sandra Alberti naked in lesbian, threesome and foursome erotic scenes. This overrated movie is also weird and predictable. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "O Sangue de Satã" ("Satan's Blood")

Very creepy and sleazy Spanish horror.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 10/10 · 1 December 2004]

"Satan's Blood" has to be one of the most underrated Spanish horror films ever made.It's sleazy and genuinely creepy Satanic horror flick co-produced by Juan Piquer Simon and well-directed by Carlos Puerto.Andy and Thelma,a couple living in Madrid leave their apartment for a pleasant day around the city with their dog Blackie.They cross paths with Bruno and Anne,a strange couple who invite them to their eerie country estate.Unbeknownst to them,Bruno and Anne are devil worshippers...Very atmospheric chiller that offers plenty of sleaze and full-frontal nudity.The scenes with a creepy porcelain child doll scared the hell out of me.The opening scene of nasty rape-murder in a Satanists' coven is wonderful."Satan's Blood" is extremely hard to find,but if you are a fan of sleazy Spanish horror give it a look.10 out of 10.

SATAN'S BLOOD (Carlos Puerto and, uncredited, Juan Piquer Simon, 1978) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 23 June 2006]

While not especially impressive (and possibly the least of the 6 Mondo Macabro titles I watched during the last few days), the film works because of its genuine eeriness and some undeniably effective moments: a portrait of Christ bursting into flames of its own accord; the equally unexplained (indeed irrelevant) presence of a devil-doll; the two nasty scenes in which the young couple surprises their Satanist hosts (with their backs to the camera) nibbling voraciously at something as if they were wild animals, which seems to be tied to the growling noises they make when aroused; the woman, who's also a medium, speaking on occasion with another deeper voice (most scary when the hero goes to check if she's really dead!). The film's pounding score is also notable.

The plot offers nothing new for the most part, though the last third of the film descends unexpectedly into black comedy with the Satanist couple doing everything in their power - resorting even to faking their own suicides! - to stop their bewildered and frightened guests from leaving the sinister mansion (where the majority of the action takes place). The climax - relocating to the young couple's apartment building - bears strong traces of ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), followed by a supernatural coda (actually a reprise of the incident which set the plot in motion to begin with!). Though the film features quite a bit of nudity (the two women are gorgeous, particularly the shapely and voluptuous blonde Satanist), it isn't any more graphic than your average 70s Euro-Horror; even so, SATAN'S BLOOD was awarded the "S" (for Sex, of course) Certificate by the newly-relaxed Spanish censor!

Still, I was disappointed by the film's curiously drab look (considering the flamboyant subject matter) - which, however, seems to be synonymous with the latter phase of the "Euro-Cult" style; I felt this particularly strongly when comparing it to the vivid colors of SATANICO PANDEMONIUM, made four years earlier and which I had just watched the previous day! The accompanying featurette on the DVD - in which a high-ranking member of the Church of Satan takes the viewer through the genesis of the 'religion' and its 'doctrine' - is interesting for its very uniqueness, but comes off as somewhat condescending in the way it basically downplays the various activities usually associated with Satanism!

good spainish 70!s horror

[emrio-1 · 9 September 2002]

This is a very good spanish horror film made in the franco era. Its erotic sleazy and as its made in mid winter, it has nice chill feeling about it.See it, don't expect the ground to tremble but its workman like and spanish horrors of the seventies are nearly always worth watching.

Bring the sleaze!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 21 January 2020]

Known in Spain as Escalofrio, this movie is exactly what you're hunting for if what you want to see is late 70's swingers stuck in a slowly going mad miasma of sexual depravity and Satanic hijinks. Go figure - that's always exactly what I'm looking for in a movie!

Finally free from Francisco Franco's repressed rule, Spanish filmmakers went nuts and made movie like, well, this one. Blame Carlos Puerto and Juan Piquer Simon (that magical lunatic who made Pieces and Slugs).

A young couple decides to see the city with their dog - they go get coffee and see Star Wars - and then meet up with another couple who live in a foreboding estate. Hey, it's 1978 and the world is ending pretty much, so let's see what happens next.

A big storm kicks in, the dog starts howling, it turns out that one of the girls used to sleep with the other girl's brother and that one of the guys just nearly killed himself. And oh yeah - there's a weird porcelain doll watching it all go down in front of the fire.

After dinner, they break out the black candles, the jazz cigarettes and the Ouija board - as you do - and things get weird.

Andy and Anna, the protagonist couple (I guess) decide that this would be a good time to head off to bed, but are awakened by loud noises and then a man in a black robe tries to attack Anna (keep in mind, every review I found online can't agree as to the names of the couples, so let's assume the other couple's names are Bruno and Thelma).

Andy and Anna try to leave, but it's too late - they keep getting pulled back to the house. So why not have a fourway romp on the pentagram rug with the hosts? Man, Spain was swinging in 1978!

Bruno, if that's really his name, is played by Angel Aranda, who was in The Hellbenders. Ana is played by Mariana Karr, who went on to be in several Spanish soap operas. And that's probably the only people you'd know, to be honest.

It doesn't matter. This movie promises Satan, sin and sex and it delivers. I mean, it starts with a bunch of hooded worshippers all over a girl before they stab her with a big ceremonial blade. Some prints even start with a professor warning viewers of the dangers of Satanism! Wow!

Yes - the dog gets killed and eaten. I hate to be the one to tell you.

But hey - this is like 80 plus minutes long, the perfect length, and a real crowd pleaser. That is - if your crowd are all maniacs like me.

This was released by Mondo Macabro and Scorpion, but it's out of print and commands high prices. Look for it at a used store, because trust me, you want this movie in your collection.

Sleazy and fascinating devil worship in a great Spanish horror film!

[The_Void · 8/10 · 9 August 2006]

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.

In and Out in Seconds!

[dick_james · 10/10 · 6 February 2013]

Finally, a film that knows what it's audience wants! I went into this picture back in '78 when it was released and it was mere minutes after entering that I was walking right back out the theatre doors, and not in a security guards arms either. Here's how it happened, I was in my seat just as the film was starting and it began with some old man in a cloak and some candles or something, I don't really know because I was focusing on taking my pants off without the usher noticing. Then bam! Right on the screen a naked woman is tied to a table with her sweater-hogs hanging right out! Then the old dude starts groping her, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better that cinematic genius, Carlos Puerto, gave the audience a close- up of her smooth naked "cat". Instantly gratified I finished all over the seat in front of me and made my way for the lobby where I ate 5 bags of candy corn then went home to sleep. I would have stayed for the rest of the film, but with an intro that spectacular there's no way they could have topped it. In the end I only have three words to say about Satan's Blood: What. A. Masterpiece.

Satan's Blood: excellent Spanish Satanic horror

[FieCrier · 8/10 · 30 December 2006]

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.

My favorite black magic film!

[alienlegend · 9/10 · 2 February 2023]

I recently saw Satan's Slave as well but Satan's Blood is far superior in my opinion. I really love this film. The atmosphere is amazing and truly foreboding with very exquisite cinematography plus the main girl Sandra Alberti is breathtaking. I got pulled in right away despite the tacked-on intro, which I still think is interesting, but you can tell immediately something isn't quite right as our innocent couple suspects when they're invited to a home far off the beaten path. I also really like Nude for Satan but Satan's Blood is far more respectable and fascinating. Sure, it's sleazy but I think that's a huge part of the appeal.

Amusing Spanish sleaze horror.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 17 March 2012]

"Escalofrio", a.k.a. "Don't Panic", a.k.a. "Satan's Blood" was made at a time in Spain when ratings restrictions had become more lax, so filmmakers were quick to capitalize on this. While this particular movie never received an American theatrical release, it did get released on tape under those alternate titles. Now we can enjoy it on DVD for the shameless smut it is. It's spiced up with so much delectable nudity and sex (including one memorable moment of group sex!) that a trash fan can't help but like it, and its writing is so insane as to be delicious.

A couple named Andres (Jose Maria Guillen) and Ana (Mariana Karr) are on an outing, with their dog in tow, when a stranger, Bruno (Angel Aranda) and his wife Berta (Sandra Alberti) confront them, Bruno claiming that they're old college buddies. Despite the fact that Andres just can't remember Bruno, and that his memories don't jibe with Bruno's, he and Ana willingly go along with Bruno and Berta to their isolated country mansion, where matters of the occult, including the use of a ouija board, await them.

"Satan's Blood" will have the viewer likely laughing in appreciation, at least if they are anything like this viewer. It's just such a hoot, with some graphic bits of violent business, a respectably creepy enough atmosphere, and good music by Librado Pastor. The little doll is a good touch. The movie is mainly worth watching for all the bare skin; one bathroom scene is fun to watch, and Alberti *literally* has a smoking hot body in this thing. From start to finish, this is endlessly entertaining stuff, with oddball characters on the fringes of the action, such as a would be rapist, an ominous gate keeper, and a suspicious doctor.

Andres and Ana act like so many other dumb horror movie characters, refraining from getting out while the getting is good, which may infuriate some people watching, but for others, seeing these two dolts just stick around and stick around becomes repetitive enough to be a riot. Fans of Euro trash horror are well advised to give this one a look.

Trivia note: Juan Piquer Simon, the man who gave us such classics as "Pieces" and "Slugs", is the art director, executive producer, and (uncredited) co-director. While watching, keep an eye out for a poster of "Star Wars"!

Eight out of 10.

Not much too say except.........

[panther_husky · 4 September 2011]

People who enjoy this film because of it's nudity and sex scenes should really consider if they are film goers or not. I don't mind watching a sex scene here or there but the movie is classified as horror! There were a couple of terrifying moments but they didn't last, then, the sex scene once again.

This is not film making at it's best. Spain has produced some "GREAT" films in the past but this one does not come anywhere near good.

You want to sell your films to people who enjoy watching nude women flaunting their bodies, then go and direct porn. For me, a good film needs a storyline and good acting and not have to resort in a film to have sex scenes and naked woman all through the film.

Creepy and Satanic

[Clarence-Worley-86 · 10/10 · 24 October 2020]

Definitely one of my favorite satanic movies rare and not easy to find. If you come across this classic (coughs YouTube) you have to watch it, you won't be disappointed. Blood curdling.. something about this movie gives me goosebumps. I love the gritty 70s feel.

Great Spanish post-Franco horror

[parkerbcn · 8/10 · 17 June 2021]

After the death of Franco, Spanish cinema went all out with sex and violence, like a big explosion. Many of the films of the period are not very good save for the titillation, but this little horror jewel is. It's creepy, sleazy and without a dull moment, even when it's clearly made as a quick exploitation cash in of the Satanist successes of the period (even the original Spanish poster is a blatent rip-off of famous illustrations). A B-movie done right.