In this episode of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks, I talk about one of the bloodiest and most hysterical horror films ever made – Alucarda (1977)!
Directed by Juan López Moctezuma, Alucarda (aka Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas) stars Tina Romero, Susana Kamini, Tina French, David Silva, and Claudio Brook.
It was inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic tale of vampirism and lesbian sexuality – Carmilla.
After the death of her parents, Justine (Kamini) finds herself living at a creepy convent overrun with nuns cloaked in blood-soaked rags. Her roommate, Alucarda (Romero), soon introduces her to the forbidden pleasures of sex and Satan, prompting a brutal exorcism by the resident priest. Much bloody screaming and exploding nuns ensue.
Alucarda is a glorious, sacrilegious feast of blood-drenched insanity, unflinching nudity, and shrieking histrionics. It’s easily one of my favorite horror movies, and among the bloodiest ever made. If you can think of a horror movie with more screaming, be sure to leave it in the comment section here or on YouTube!
Alucarda is a must-see movie for fans of Mexican horror, but it also touches on universal themes and as such often reminds me of other classic horror movies such as The Exorcist, Carrie, The Blood Spattered Bride, Blood on Satan’s Claw, The Devils, Stuart Gordon’s The Pit and the Pendulum, Heavenly Creatures, and others. Fans of those movies who have not yet seen this would do well to pick up a copy!
Alucarda is a furious burst of blood, sex and religious hysteria that I rate 9/10!
Look for new episodes of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October! You can watch past episodes HERE.
Ryan Stockstad is a Los Angeles filmmaker with a passion for horror, documentary and experimental cinema. He has written articles for HC Magazine, Mostly Harmless Magazine and various blogs and websites. He has lectured on topics as diverse as low budget filmmaking, short story structure, and the influence of the Spanish Civil War on surrealist cinema. He hosts new episodes of Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October.