Black Candles

I have to say that I bought this DVD because of the cover art and the title. It was presented as a mere suggestion due to other DVDs that I've purchased from Amazon over the years. I'd never heard of this movie before I bought it. What a surprise!!! If the viewers like boobs, butts, and bush in a erotic-horror/satanic movie (in English) then this is the movie to watch!!!! Being an academic student of the "occult" I have found not one plot or scene in error merely for sensationalism. My advice: BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!

This is a fun movie if you're into this sort of thing. But the quality of the DVD is poor. There are no captions, no menu, some jumbled previews, no extras. There's a tracking glitch, and probably some pan-and-scan.Let me say that director José Ramón Larraz is top-notch. And you can see that his cineamatographer knew what he was doing. This is atmospheric and mostly sexy as hell, except the parts where it gets really gross (you'll know what I'm talking about). But I'm really ticked off at the poor quality of the DVD, hence only three stars.

Well.... first off, there's not much of a plot to this film. Basically, a couple travel to a large mansion in the British countryside, way off in the gloomy forest. The reason they are there is to learn more about the death of the woman's brother. It seems that he died somewhat mysteriously, and they want to tie up any loose ends. And that pretty much sums up the narrative. Now, once they arrive at the house, it becomes increasingly clear that they are coming "under the spell" of the people who live there -- who are pretty clearly satanists. Or followers of black magic. It's not a large group of individuals, about eight or so, and some of them come and go as the movie plays out. There is also a satanic leader, who certainly looks sinister and intimidating. He appears to orchestrate the occult events and dark rituals of the house. Ironically, though, he almost never speaks; he mostly just mumbles the words of various rites from a black book. And he is the one that dominates the proceedings, and takes the "active" role in sexual encounters. Frankly, at this point, I should emphasize that there is far more sex in this film than actual occult rituals. It's like the movie is twenty percent occult, and eighty percent sexual hanky panky. I will say that the acting, overall, is quite good -- especially for a film of this type. As far as I can tell, most of the players are actually Spanish, and their voices have been dubbed into English. The cast members are attractive, for the most part, although they are not exactly young. They are probably in their 30's and 40's. But it must be said that everyone does a generally good job with their performances. Now, to get to the nub of this film: There is a serious "raunch" factor at work here. This is a pretty daring and sexual movie. There are numerous scenes of many different types of activity. Interactions range from lesbianism to ritualistic sex to orgies. It also appears that some of the actions are NOT simulated; it sure looks like the real deal, so to speak. To be honest, I was a little startled when i watched this movie. I don't consider myself a prude, and I am also an older viewer who has seen a lot of films, in general. That being said, I was surprised by how close to "hard core" this movie actually was. And there was one scene in particular, in a barn, that was fairly shocking. This being an Amazon review, of course, I have to be extra careful with my language and my descriptions. But if you happen to be looking for a whole lot of paranormal hanky panky, you will probably like this film. On the other hand, if you are a sensitive viewer, you will most likely want to avoid it altogether. All in all, I generally enjoyed this movie. But I certainly would not want to watch it with my family, obviously. The film provides a spooky vibe, some cool atmosphere, and a darkly sinister undertone that makes for an edgy viewing experience. It's a creepy and ominous movie. I may even watch it again at some point -- but it is definitely a late-night adult form of entertainment.

CLASSIC 70S HORROR!!!!

Welcome to another episode of Sly Hondo’s Video Nasties Project On Amazon. These are reviews of movies that we have found on Amazon and may someday have a chance of being shown on our imaginary late-night cable access show on station WSTV. And if they came from Amazon, you know our research team picked some real gems! Tonight, we’ll be looking at an incredible well-advertised film, Black Candles also known by its Spanish title, Los ritos sexuales del diablo. The disc was delivered in great condition and is a really nice print from the good folks at Films Around the World Inc. Any and all issues with the films are entirely the fault of the filmmakers themselves. Mostly 1970’s bad adult film, part thriller involving Satan worshiping, this one is so very basic, that it’s hard not to predict the ending before the twist. After Carol’s brother dies at his home in England, Carol goes down to pay her respects and stays at the home of his brother and his wife. There, she discovers terrible actresses and actors all who most assuredly worked in adult films as the townsfolk and servants. We almost immediately jump into every type of perversion you can shake a stick at. All being watched by a strange man with a dark goatee. And by this point, you have all you need to figure out the rest of the movie. While this was released in 1982, I would believe that it was filmed late in the 1970’s when X-rated films were getting experimental. It is an unfortunate fact that as Director Jose Ramon Larraz later said of the film after it was released, "No-one in that film could act. So, what do you do with them? You put them in bed and have them jump on each other.” Unfortunately, they simply cannot act, making those scenes dull and lifeless. Borrowing elements from Rosemary’s Baby and the Devil’s Plaything, it doesn’t use them well. The adult scenes are terrible and overwhelming while the suspense and horror are almost nonexistent. The traitor getting killed by a sword in his butt, the fact the women all seem to keep their boots on during the action, and that all the men had dad bods was different but not enough for me to sit through 85 minutes. And Holy Bobby Ewing in the shower, we get a quick and nonsensical ending straight out of Nightmare City. Honestly, I had more fun watching the coming attraction at the beginning including Graverobbers, Count Dracula’s Great Love, and the Bloodthirsty Butchers. Director Larraz should use Vampyres as his claim to fame. The seller gets a 5 out of 5 for his on-time service and quality of product. However, the film itself get a 1 out of 5 for content.

Black Candles is a cult movie that has a sizeable following. However, it's the kind of movie that would have been found mainly in those large Manhattan-based video stores in New York which used to around during the heyday of the VHS and Betamax machines. Amazon allows you to acquire a movie such as Black Candles without having to fight your way through the streets of Manhattan. And, the price of this DVD is comparatively minor when you consider the cost of renting a VHS copy of this title.

Super film/story, beautiful prestation of Helga Liné and other actresses

Disregard that they use Satan as a prop and look deeper to see witchcraft truths that aren't spoken.