Der Totenchor der Knochenmänner (1973)

Der Totenchor der Knochenmänner: Directed by José Luis Merino. With Stelvio Rosi, Maria Pia Conte, Dyanik Zurakowska, Pasquale Basile. Paul Naschy plays a supporting role as a deranged gravedigger in this zombie movie, set in a small village in the Balkans in the 19th century, where a stranger’s arrival to claim an inheritance is met with apocalyptic visions and other evil omens. The town unearths a crypt full of horrors, including a devil-worshipping coven and throngs of the living dead.

“Frankly, Iu0026#39;m still trying to figure out why I got pleasure from a horror film as effortless and unhurried as this one. If I have to be objective for a second, I would probably say that u0026quot;La orgía de los muertosu0026quot; actually didnu0026#39;t have much to offer to begin with. A nice variety of clichés and a predictable ending, are some of the magnificent qualities about this film. Letu0026#39;s just get this straight: the reason why Iu0026#39;m not praising this film, is not because Iu0026#39;m against clichés or predictable endings. I donu0026#39;t think a movie is great, only when it has a plot twist or unpredicted states of affairs. I believe that in order to be decent, a horror film needs to be either entertaining, gory or at least mildly eerie. However, Iu0026#39;m not sure u0026quot;La orgia de los muertosu0026quot;, provides much of these three virtues. For the contrary, itu0026#39;s a very sluggish movie, with no gore and almost no eerie situations. Perhaps we could say that the story gets interesting and mildly freaky during the last minutes, but thatu0026#39;s all. If we were talking about a different film, I would almost certainly say that it doesnu0026#39;t reunite enough elements to be considered a decent horror flick. Nevertheless, thereu0026#39;s something about this film that makes enjoyable and it has to do with the fact that it is awfully stylish and nice to look at. The striking and yet ominous European landscapes, the 19th-century wardrobe and the graveyard, create a perfect Gothic background that unquestionably belongs to the horror type. The atmosphere is somehow dark, but still enchanting in a way. The highland village exposes two facades, which makes the scenery so ambiguous and mysterious. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis may be a film that could be considered worn out by some people, but itu0026#39;s still captivating and charming in a spooky way. I could only spot one or two unintentionally funny situations and dialogs, which is a great flattering remark, in this case. Letu0026#39;s just keep in mind that this is a low budget film with actors who didnu0026#39;t even speak Spanish, or at least not all of them, and the film was supposed to be in that language. One of the scenes that really made me burst into laughter, was the one where Stelvio Rosi gets in a fist fight with Jacinto Molina…that was just plain hilarious. Without anything else to add, I can only say that despite of the flaws I mentioned, I believe u0026quot;La orgia de los muertosu0026quot; is a film that could be easily enjoyed by Gothic horror fans. Especially the ones who donu0026#39;t need a really complex plot and can appreciate a charming esthetic like the one in this film.”