Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #133172 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-05-23
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.com
Spanish cinema veteran Vicente Aranda, best known for such art-house fare as The Lovers and Libertarias, first hit the international scene in 1972 with this sexy vampire thriller. Simon Andreu is a young and inexperienced new bride whose violent nightmares are invaded by a mysterious woman in white. Her husband (Dean Selmier), who at first appears sensitive and consoling, has a tendency for rough lovemaking, and his practical jokes show a strange, sadistic streak. Andreu discovers a vandalized portrait of her husband's ancestor, Mircalla Karnstein, a young bride found a century ago lying next to her dead husband in a blood-soaked wedding dress. Mircalla's mysterious phantom soon emerges from Andreu's dreams and enters her world. This twist on Sheridan Le Fanu's story "Carmilla" (which also inspired Carl Dreyer's Vampyr and a host of erotic horror films in the 1970s) suggests that this vampire is less an agent of evil out to corrupt the innocent maiden than a physical manifestation of the maiden's own subconscious sexual fears and fantasies. The mysterious blood-spattered bride rises from her grave like an avenging devil. Her "official" entrance, buried naked on an empty beach and breathing through a snorkel, is one of the most memorable images in modern horror cinema. It seduces Andreu, too, unleashing her repressed psychosis in a bloody homicidal frenzy. Aranda's style is earthier than French or British vampire films, less a dream world than a world invaded by nightmares. It's handsome and accomplished--spooky, edgy, sexy, and startlingly violent. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Could Use a Transfusion
Don't get me wrong here...I like this film quite a bit and this new DVD from Anchor Bay looks great....but the movie just disappoints because it could have been so much more. First off, this new letterboxed DVD is the first time it's been released uncut in the USA...I think it's about 10 minutes longer than the old Gorgon Video release...and although some of that is just exposition, I do think there is some extra nudity and gore that had been previously edited out (but I'm guessing from memory). The movie has a cool serene feel to it, several really haunting moments, and a good share of blood and nudity...but the script just doesn't have much momentum....there's no suspense and no drive to the plot....it just unfolds slowly with really no where to go. After you've sat there for 101 minutes and the movie's over --- it's hard to remember anything about it! Just call it Euro-Fluff. So it's a mixed bag --- definitely worth a look for euro-fans or lesbo vamp fanatics -- but don't expect too much going in.

an excellent Euro horror
I'll keep this quick and simple. If you like Euro Horror stuff from the late 60's and 70's than you can't go wrong this film. Although the title is much, much cooler than the film itself, it is still a good representation of Euro horror. Reminds me of Torso and Tourist Trap a little, just a little. Nonetheless, it's a great buy for your collection and the print rendered on this DVD is excellent!

Stylish retake on a classic novel
When Carmilla first appeared in print the sexually repressed society of the day lapped this subject matter up greedily. Today, such themes of lesbianism and sadistic sex are commonplace enough but some sexual repressions endure. This is the key to understanding The Blood Spattered Bride. It is unfortunate that the producers saw the need to resort to using such a lurid title to attract viewers who would almost certainly be expecting a mad slasher film and thus apt to be disappointed. Although there is some violence and gore it is never rampant. Likewise, those seeking an erotic release will also come away disappointed as the nudity and sexual situations are tainted with violence which is apt to arouse only the sexual sadist. The key to understanding the movie lies with the themes of sexually repressed emotions which manifest themselves in subconscious action, which may sound too freudean to some but is cleverly treated in this film. From the opening scene it becomes apparent that the viewer is going to be forced to decipher which is reality and fantasy. There is one scene which sensitive persons need to be WARNED: A fox is caught in a leg hold trap and dispatched with a shotgun, and that is for REAL. It is a quite disturbing scene but I suppose it adds credence to the reality/fantasy motif. And so the viewer must become a psychological detective rather than a mere passive viewer in order to truly appreciate the film. As such the movie is not a true horror film but a stylish suspense thriller... Thankfully there is no clutter of added features (coming attractions) before the film. Just pop it in the player and the film starts immediately. The movie has been dubbed into english in a manner which is almost seamless, so there is no need to worry about following subtitles.