La endemoniada (1968) User Reviews

Somewhat flawed but still highly enjoyable

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 8/10 · 20 August 2012]

A vampire hypnotizes the descendant of his long-lost love to force her into killing off members of her family so he can raise her again, and when they discover the ruse, set out to stop the whole affair.

Pretty decent Gothic Mexican vampire effort, with some fun set-ups in the beginning and ending, in the former with it being a direct rip from another classic Horror film but oddly fits into the action nicely, while the finale manages to mix in pain transference, hypnosis and other elements with Gothic surroundings to produce some fun and a good ending, and mixed with some sleaze and some bloodshed during the middle portion, keeps it at least somewhat watchable. Throughout it all, though, one nagging flaw keeps resurfacing in that there's absolutely nothing at all shown to make us fearful of the vampire since he never gets into action and hypnotizes the girl to do the dirty work while he's off-screen, leaving him absent for the majority of the time. Not a great way to ensure fear in your lead, despite the promise within the plot, so overall it lowers it somewhat but not enough to completely discard it at all.

Today's Rating/R: Violence, Nudity and some language

La Endemoniada (1968) (aka A Woman Possessed)

[trimbolicelia · 8/10 · 6 August 2022]

Not bad Mexican-made Spanish language horror film. No subtitles or dubbing. In the 1500's a vampire and his lover create havoc in the region and are stopped and eliminated by the Spanish Inquisition. Before the woman's demise the vampire vows to bring her back. 400 years later he gets his chance. He moves back to his old mansion which happens to be near to the house of a dysfunctional family. You have the matriarch, a controlling old harpy who keeps a tight reign on the family funds and complains about her children and their spouses. A daughter, the daughter's husband who is a disinterested father, and their little girl. A boozy older son who gripes about his mom's controlling ways and wishes her dead, and his beautiful sexy wife who is a ringer for the vampire's lover. There is also the sexy wife's old friend, a young man with whom she has a platonic friendship. Somehow the vampire brings back his old love but to keep her and himself permanently alive they must eliminate the family and incorporate the lover's spirit into the sexy wife's body. The actress Libertad LeBlanc, who plays the sexy wife is beautiful but her hair is badly styled or is a worse wig. Pretty OK and thankfully not gory. The Nopal Films DVD is very good quality. Recommended.