A Candle for the Devil

The 70's saw a remarkably fertile horror scene grow in Spain, showcasing a lot of directors and other creative minds that would produce some of the most memorable and lasting horror films of the decade. Among these new faces was Eugenio Martin, two of whose movies have entered the public domain in the U.S.: the amazing sci-fi/horror/period extravaganza Horror Express and this film, A Candle for the Devil. Long known to American viewers in a butchered TV version called It Happened at Nightmare Inn, the film here receives its first legit U.S. DVD release in its uncut version in a sparkling widescreen transfer thanks to the folks at Scorpion Releasing.Marta and Veronica run a dilapidated hotel in an old Spanish resort town, and their strict religious fervor has a way of getting in the way of young women on the other side of the Sexual Revolution. After a liberated guest falls down the stairs to her death and some of her blood runs across some stained glass the older sister takes it as a sign from God, which is unfortunate considering that the young-and-sophisticated Laura (Judy Geeson) has just strolled in their front door looking for lodging. The film reveals a lot about the two sisters, such as the younger one's affair with a local townie and the older one's habit of snooping at the beach to watch young men bathe nude, but unfortunately their insistence on keeping their faith strong ends up with tourist corpses piling up. Will Laura be the next victim, and will the sisters confront each other to stop the killings? And what's in the wine casks?While bad-stuff-happening-in-a-hotel movies were very prevalent post-Psycho, A Candle for the Devil is a surprisingly thoughtful and measured character-based horror gem. It's a great example of the big difference between Spanish horror movies of the 70's and contemporaneous Italian horror movies - while the Italian flicks tended to be better shot and more extravagantly designed, Spanish horror movies tried harder to be real movies and as such were just better-told stories with better characters, ideas and flow. The premise of Candle might be familiar and there is certainly a lot of saucy content but the movie really cares about the sisters and their complex relationship, and it's actually kind of rare to find a horror movie with a really fleshed-out, believable pair of siblings as its main characters (see Jeepers Creepers for a good example of this). The acting is excellent from the sisters, even with the dubbed English soundtrack, and I'm really glad to see the movie in its uncut form so we can let the mood and depth of the film really sink in. It's also interesting to see a horror movie focus on the sexual needs and obsessions of straight women, as the bulk of the nudity is male and seen from the perspective of the sisters (see The Witch who Came from the Sea for another good example of this). A Candle for the Devil is a great intro to Spanish horror and it's good to see it finally get a proper release in the States.

I enjoyed the movie. However it was not what I expected. I expected it to have something to do with a cult or devil worship. It did not have that , instead it was about two sisters who murdered others because of their twisted thinking.I did enjoy the movie and would recommend it to those who like movies like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. and another movie I watched called The American Psycho.

i enjoyed this movie very much good euro horror

Great deal! Smooth transaction! nice and easy!

Made in 1973 this was an apocryphal tale about package holidays. Two Spanish sisters’ run a guest house or ‘pension’ and take in paying guests. However, they have been brought up as proper God fearing Catholics and have a moral code that the elder sister decides will be up held at all odds.Despite the locals enjoying the colour that scantily clad holidaymakers, with loose morals, bring to the town – the sisters see it as disgraceful. So when a girl goes ‘missing’ her sister starts to think there is more going on behind closed doors than the vigorous application of ‘after sun’ if you follow.Now this shows its age and modern horror fans may find this bordering on pantomime as opposed to being in the slightest bit horrified. The acting is in parts good and in parts a bit ‘oh dear’. It has also been dubbed so there are sound depth issues and lip synch etc. It is restored but still in narrow aspect. The lighting and atmosphere are both to be commended though. It has a certain charm but do not expect to be blown away – hence my rating.

The item was just as described and arrived before the expected delivery date

Great movie but a terrible print,Why?

Very good

"A candle for the devil" is a very interesting sexploitation. It could be called "Inn of blood". Young shameless girls are killed by the two female owners of an inn. Plenty of nudity mixed with bloody murders... Judy Geeson looks like always very beautifull ! Love her very much. Very sensitive in her acting. The last scene shows all her fragility ! The print is quite good. If you like this kind of stuff, buy this movie ! A little classic from the good old sexploitation times !