I can’t recall ever hearing the name of Jose Larraz even
among horror fans and yet his body of work tends to lend itself to the genre.
Of the three films included in this new set from Arrow Video I’d seen one,
VAMPYRES, but was completely unaware of the rest. After watching these three
films I found that I hadn’t become a fan though I could appreciate the quality
of his films.
The first among them is actually his first feature,
WHIRPOOL. The story follows Sara (Pia Andersson) an older woman who helps
aspiring models further their careers. She meets young Tulia (Vivian Neves) and
takes her to her home in the country where she introduces her to her “nephew”
Theo (Jarl Lanchbury), a photographer on the way up. Over the weekend the three
become involved with Theo first hitting on Tulia and then introducing her into
the bedroom of his “aunt” where he photographs the two of them together.
References to the previous girl they brought there named Rhonda come up
throughout the weekend. Before all is said and done Theo’s friend will rape
Tulia while he photographs them, a blackmail scheme will come forward and not
everyone will make it out of the weekend alive.
The movie looks great from a cinematography standpoint and
the acting isn’t terrible but the movie leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps the
biggest item missing here is a moral compass. No one seems to care about anyone
else and everyone is more than ready to use everyone they meet in an attempt to
step up the career ladder. Worst of all is the films unsatisfying ending.
Next up is perhaps Larraz best known film VAMPYRES. Opening
with a lesbian couple in bed their shot almost immediately by some man. Fast
forward to present times apparently and the two women roam the countryside.
Also about at the same time is a young couple and their motorhome who think the
property they’ve stopped on is abandoned when it is in fact the castle the
young women reside in. The couple had seen them alongside the road earlier and
one of the girls was picked up by a driver and taken home. Unfortunately for
him the pair are vampires and after having sex with him drain him just enough
to get by and keep him alive. Eventually the paths of the girls and the
traveling couple will cross but not before plenty of exposed flesh is seen and
a bit of blood spilled.
Once more the film looks great and Larraz has chosen an
extremely good looking cast. But the story is a bit confusing with no
background given save for the women being shot in the beginning. How did they
suddenly become vampires? Who turned them? How long have they been here? And
once more the ending is a bit ambiguous at best.
Lastly is THE COMING OF SIN and if the first two films
didn’t provide enough nudity and sexuality then this film should round off the
trio nicely. A young adopted gypsy girl named Triana is dropped off their
friend Lorna’s house as her adopted parents head for London. The girl is quiet
and disturbed by a recurring nightmare of a naked man riding a horse and chasing
her.
Triana and Lorna, of course, become close and are soon
lovers as well. But then Triana’s nightmare becomes real when Chico suddenly
shows san clothing on a horse. Eventually he works his way into their world and
the next thing you know we have a threesome going on. But with Chico and Triana
both being gypsies some skullduggery is afoot and Lorna will be the most likely
to suffer.
This film felt more like a foreign film than the rest with
seemingly less story and more emphasis on the way it looks and feels. Made in
1978 the film could qualify as soft core porn and was probably a favorite on
the drive-in circuit at the time. But it feels hollow and with little going for
it more than the nudity and sex. If that’s what you’re looking for you’ll find
it here.
I can understand why some would view the films of Larraz as
art films but for me they seemed boring, repetitive and more inclined towards
that soft core station among movies than most. I’ve seen people heap praise on
VAMPYRES in the past and as with my first viewing and in spite of the
magnificent job Arrow has done with the transfer of the film I still have yet
to decipher why it has so many fans. Perhaps it’s because I’m old school with a
love of Hammer films that this one seems like a poor imitation tossing aside
cleavage for full on breasts. In any even the three films are now available in
pristine fashion from Arrow Video so fans will be able to own them in the best
possible format possible.
All three films have been restored in 2K from original film
elements. And the extras will take as long as the films themselves to get
through it all. Included is an 80 page book featuring new writing by Jo
Botting, Tim Greaves and Vanity Celis. Each movie has their own set of extras
as follows:
WHIRPOOL: the original US theatrical cut, new audio
commentary track by Tim Lucas, “Obsessive Recurrence: The Early Films of Jose
Larraz with author/critic Kim Newman, “A Curious Casting” actor Larry Dann on
the story behind his casting in the film, “Deviations of Whirlpool” a
featurette comparing the differences between the US and previously circulated
cut of the film, an extract of an archival interview with Larraz, an image
gallery and the original US theatrical trailer.
VAMPYRES: a new audio commentary track by Kat Ellinger, new
interviews with various cast members as well as makeup artist Colin Arthur and
composer James Kenelm Clarke, “Reimagining Vampyres” a new interview with
Larraz’ friend and collaborator Victor Matellano, an extract of an archival
interview with Larraz, Larraz and Marianne Morris Q&A at the 1997 Eurofest,
an image gallery and trailers.
THE COMING OF SIN: the Spanish and English language versions
of the feature, a new commentary track by Kat Ellinger, “Variations of Vice:
The Alternate Versions of The Coming of Sin” with exploitation expert Marc
Morris on the history of Larraz’ most censored film, “Remembering Larraz”
author and filmmaker Simon Birrell talking about his friend and collaborator
Larraz, “His Last Request” a short film made by Birrell under the guidance of
Larraz, an extract from an archival interview with Larraz, an image gallery and
the original Spanish trailer.
As I said, if you’re a fan you’ll want to add this one to
your collection. Toss out any old versions as the Arrow video one presented
here is bound to be leaps and bounds better than anything previously released.
Click here to order.
Click here to order.
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