Is The Blood Spattered Bride a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu Ray Distributed by Mondo Macabro / February 13, 2018
This atmospheric, gothic horror story is widely regarded as one of the best vampire films ever made. Controversial in its day for sexual content and for the extreme scenes of violence and gore, it was widely cut on original release. This brand new version restores the film to its intended length and includes alternate scenes that have never been made available before. This is the first Blu-ray release of an acknowledged classic, one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite films and an influence on his own Kill Bill.
Trashmen Rubbish Round Table
Jamie
This is bad – I am already forgetting about Blood Spattered Bride and what took place during that movie…what was everyone’s thoughts? It obviously didn’t leave a lasting impression on me.
Travis
I liked it, but thought it could be better. Started off strong, with some rape fantasies and nudity, but then hit a wall when it should have introduced the lesbian vampirism much more quickly.
Jimbo
Jamie and I are opposites when it comes to reviewing movies. Movies tend to leave Jamie’s consciousness right away so he prefers to draft reviews immediately after a screening. I’m the opposite. The further I get away from a screening, my mind starts to make connections and draw conclusions that I didn’t consciously catch immediately.
Jamie
This is true. I wrote up the Absurd review in less than 24 hours after watching the blu ray. Maybe it’s a sign of dementia. What were we talking about again? I forgot.
Craig
I love the dream-like pace and structure of the film. It would be incredibly easy to just slap together an exploitation film with hot lesbians gyrating around for the male viewer. Blood Spattered Bride is able to pull more meaning out of the subject matter. You get the critique of the patriarchal structure of marriage and male/female sexuality but also subtle political commentary (maybe I’m reading into that one too much?) coming out near the end of the Franco fascist regime.
Jimbo
From the film’s opening moments, Mircalla (Alexandra Bastedo) is already stalking and pursuing Susan (Maribel Martin). Newlyweds Susan and her husband have just arrived at a hotel resort. Susan notices the mysterious woman watching from her car but then retires to their room. Susan is left alone and an attacker (wearing a woman’s stocking to skew his appearance) rips Susan’s wedding dress and proceeds to rape her. We then cut to her husband as he exits an elevator and heads back toward the room. We think he’s about to walk in on the attack. However, when he enters the room he find Susan sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching her lace wedding vail to her breast. There is no attacker. Her dress isn’t ripped. Did the attack even occur?
As I spent the next day just ruminating about the movie, it occurred to me that the attacker was her husband. But not literally, of course. Upon reflection, it seems Mircalla used some supernatural mental suggestion to ferment doubt in Susan’s mind about her husband. It’s the first “dream sequence” among many where Mircalla will use violent mental suggestion to turn the bride away from her husband.
But Director Vicente Aranda keeps us off balance throughout the film because he never makes it obvious whether what we’re viewing is dream or reality. And the more I think about this, the more I like and admire that approach. Especially since there seem to be scenes of violent aggression from the husband. There’s the “bird in a cage” scene where the husband prowls outside a large pigeon cage, while Susan cowers within. And remember when he picked up Susan by her hair in the forest? Did it really happen? I don’t know if the husband is really an asshole, or if Mircalla is creating the illusion.
I’m only certain of one thing… Mircalla (aka Carmilla) is some kind of vampire trying to separate the married couple. It’s possible everything else is just a dream. How else do you explain a naked woman completely buried in the sand?
Jamie
The Blood Spattered Bride is a very well directed film. Some really nice camerawork and great atmosphere. It felt like I was watching a Jean Rollin film. Maybe not as stylish but still better than I expected. There was some great talent behind and in front of the camera.
The dream sequence where our heroine Susan (Maribel Martin who has the most magnificent bush. I think they shot Jungle Holocaust in her pussy hairs) stabs her husband and rips apart his body is pretty gruesome and what I thought was the highlight of the film.
Travis
There was the one very bloody stabbing sequence, but the ending was a bit of a let down. I have no idea about the already many times adapted source material, so I can’t say how faithful it was. I do think a little less mood setting and a little more advancement of plot would have helped. While there were some nice shots, it won’t stand as a benchmark in either Gothic Hammer style horror or crazy visual Italian horror. Looking at the director’s filmography, it doesn’t look like he could be a huge horror director so maybe that isn’t surprising. I am curious about “The Girl with Golden Panties” though.
Jimbo
I think that’s going to be the most contentious aspect of Blood Spattered Bride for viewers. Do you enjoy the kind of fast and loose play between dream and reality, or does that kind of ambiguity annoy you?
Craig
I tend to like my films a bit slower so the pace doesn’t really bother me. For me it helps to kind of set this dreamlike atmosphere that helps obscure Susan’s sanity (which carries the first half of the film). Is she crazy or just fantasizing through her insecurities and misgivings? Is Mircalla/Carmella a figment of her imagination? Of course, that all gets thrown out in the middle so I can see it being a problem for some people.
Jamie
Once Mircalla is introduced, the film seemed to peter out for me but this could be because we watched this late at night after a long day of work. Although the final shot of the husband grabbing a handful of tit is pretty memorable. If only they inserted a loud car horn when he grabbed that flapjack.
Jimbo
If you don’t like that style, I can see why you might call this movie “boring” or “slow”. If you’re looking for the usual horror tropes, you’re sure to be disappointed as well.
Travis
This movie might actually play better with a wider audience now, potentially being “re-discovered” during the #MeToo moment and the increase of female horror fans.
Jimbo
Blood Spattered Bride seems less interested in exploring the horror aspects of vampire lore, and much more interested in the seduction and sexuality of its source material. So less blood and guts, and more tension around Susan’s vulnerabilities.
Craig
The film kind of plays coy with the vampirism and maybe if they had taken out everything with the portrait and Carmella never aging you could keep that question of reality going till the end (which the spinning newspaper headline plays into as well). I don’t know, maybe the vampirism kept it from getting flagged by the Franco regime? Without it it’s just a film about women being radicalized and killing their husbands.
Jamie
I need to go back and re-watch the movie I think. This may be a film that may require multiple viewings. One things for sure, the Mondo Macabre blu ray looks amazing. No print damage and in a 4K remaster, this is a pretty impressive disc. Region free too for our overseas friends.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
Hidden Treasure
| Jamie: |  (2.5 / 5) |
| Jimbo: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Travis: | (2.5 / 5) |
| Craig: |  (4.0 / 5) |
| Average: | (3.0 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Simon Andreu: Portrait of a Professional
- Interview with Cinematographer Fernando Arribas
- Interview with Jonathan Rigby
- Alternate Scenes
- Audio Commentary – this audio commentary features Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan of Diabolique Magazine and their Daughters of Darkness podcast.
- Promotional Materials and Trailers
- Mondo Macabro Trailer Reel – a collection of trailers for other Blu-ray and DVD releases from Mondo Macabro’s catalog. (12 min).
