Working my way slower than intended through a bunch of DVDs I got on sale. Today’s watch was the 1973 Spanish film, ORGY OF THE LIVING DEAD, also known as THE HANGING WOMAN. The latter is a better title as it helps sell the whole murder mystery aspect of the film. Also, there is actually a hanging woman in it so it makes more sense. There are no orgies in the film, zombie or otherwise.
Fortunately, there are zombies. More on that later.
The movie is about a man named Serge Chekov (Stelvio Rosi), who arrives in town after receiving a letter that his uncle has died and he has inherited the estate. On his way there, he discovers a hanging woman outside of the local cemetery, which as you can expect, startles him quite a bit. It doesn’t run him off and he manages to find the house, where it turns out there are a couple of houseguests he wasn’t aware of, including a witch named Nadia and a scientist named Professor Drolia. It seems they all have a bit of interest in the estate and were hoping it would go to them when Serge’s uncle died. Of course, if the others end up dying, one of them will inherit it all, thus beginning a hunt for the person responsible for the killings.
Of course the most obvious suspect is the necrophiliac grave robber named Igor, played by the always awesome Paul Naschy. Of course, he’s only in a bit part so it can’t possibly be him, which means there is someone else behind all of these killings.
What ensues is a perfectly cromulent mystery that only takes a turn towards the supernatural in the final act. But when it does, it does it with style and it goes balls to the wall to the end. It’s a little sleazy at times, but the blood flows and is an entertaining watch. The killings keep you guessing who it is until close to the end where a few clues point the finger at a certain someone that can’t be ignored.
Unless you’re the lead, who thinks everyone is playing dead and he ends up stabbing more than a few corpses. He’s a bit daft in that way.
Fortunately, we have the wonderful Dyanik Zurakowska as Doris Drolia, the professor’s daughter, to keep us entertained while Serge bumbles his way through the plot and ends up making himself more and more of a suspect. Can’t say I’ve ever seen her in anything before but she is easy on the eyes and is a solid actress.
The atmosphere is the main selling point of the movie (besides Doris, that is). Every frame drips with gothic goodness and spookiness. The whole town feels like an abandoned relic that you expect vampires to be living in, not actual people. When the zombies show up, you have to be surprised they weren’t wandering the streets to begin with, that’s how much they fit in. The makeup on them is great. Each one is a hero and memorable. Which is more than I can say for most of the main characters. Igor steals the show, as does the drunken graveyard guard, but the others aren’t really that great. Which is a shame as a little more work on the characters and it would be a must watch.
I get a lot of LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE vibes from the film, mixed with a little of the Blind Dead series, though it’s not nearly as entertaining as any of those movies. Still, it’s worth checking out as a solid little entry into the Spanish horror oeuvre.
Check it out.
