José Larraz Movies

The American title of this Spanish melodrama suggests that the film has something to do with Satanism. The original Spanish title confirms this: Los Ritos Sexuales De Diablo. You can expect several buxom, barely clothed (if at all) damsels being sacrified on the altar of the Dark Prince. And sometimes, their fates are worse than death, if you get the picture. First distributed in English-speaking countries as Naked Dreams, this 1981 production didn't receive a general US release for nearly ten years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie director Jorge Grau crafts this controversial religious drama about a Seventeenth Century nun swept up in a diabolical torrent of passion and lust. Spain, 1640: reverent superior nun Mariana is attending the funeral of her younger sister Isabel's husband when Isabel begins fondling the cadaver as if it were her sleeping lover. Aroused by the sight yet repulsed by her response to such a morbid sight, Mother Mariana fears that she won't have the courage to confess in the morning and begins drafting a confession letter to Father Augustin. Later that same evening, novice nun Maria bursts into Mother Mariana's room distressed after being taunted by a local pilgrim. When Mother Mariana attempts to comfort Sister Maria, the novice mistakes her superior's maternal affection for romantic interest and attempts to seduce her. Following a moment of hesitation, Mother Mariana rejects the advances, prompting Sister Maria to masturbate with a large crucifix. Convinced that this is a sign of demonic possession, Mother Mariana prepares to report the incident to the Holy office. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This Hammer-flavored gothic outing (originally titled Daughters of Dracula) involves the sanguinary exploits of two female vampires (Marianne Morris and Playboy centerfold Anulka) who bed down together in a queen-sized coffin by day and seduce male and female victims by moonlight, leading to lots of steamy soft-core sex scenes followed by copious amounts of the red stuff. One of their victims (Murray Brown) falls in love with Moore, even as he grows increasingly anemic due to her nutritional requirements. Moody photography and lush sets enhance the film's fatally hedonistic atmosphere, and the stars assay temptingly feline performances that render their characters' seductive powers chillingly real. This was a late entry in the European "lesbian vampire" sub-genre, a 1970s phenomenon made popular by such filmmakers as Jean Rollin and Jess Franco that made a comeback in the late 1990s. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Spanish sexploitation merchant Joseph Larraz helmed this mystery about a model who witnesses a killing; when she tries to convince the authorities of what happened, she realizes she no longer can find the murder site. Also titled Scream and Die. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide