Directed by Carlos Aured
Starring Betsabe Ruiz Emma Cohen
Helga Line
Paul Naschy
Vic Winner
Written in a period of two days by Paul Naschy (whose actual name is Jacinto Molina) and directed by Carlos Aured, who helmed the Naschy films "Vengeance of the Zombies" and "Curse of the Devil," "Horror Rises from the Tomb" (released in Spain as "El Espanto Surge de la Tumba") is a great early 1970s sex/horror film that pretty much throws in everything that was popular at the time: the walking dead, witchcraft, evil knights, nudity, exorcisms … the works. It's a major fan favorite because it drifted into the public domain and has been released on DVD many, many, many times. But the 2007 release from Victory Films is easily the best – an excellent transfer in widescreen, made from the original negative.
It hit American theaters in 1972, one of the very best years for modern horror -- a year that saw "Last House on the Left", "Sisters," "Tales From the Crypt" and "Asylum" hit theaters.
While I've never liked Naschy when he plays a leading man, he does look quite menacing playing a Satanist. We get him in both roles in this film.
Naschy plays an evil knight who is decapitated after watching his wife being cut in two. He also plays the knight's as the knight's modern-day descendent, who brings along some friends to search for the knight's buried treasure. (A third Naschy role is a bit part as the knight's executioner, who also happens to be his brother.)
The modern-day Naschy and his crew become trapped in his ancestor's town after their car is destroyed and, after buying a new one, they can't purchase any gas. Problems arise during their search for buried treasure. It only winds up liberating the evil knight's severed head. A handyman becomes the satanic talking head's mindless slave, terrorizing the community with a sickle which he uses to rip out people's hearts. More victims fall under the spell of the talking head, including some of Naschy's entourage. After the evil Naschy's head is reattached to his body, a gruesome sacrifice is made to reanimate his late wife (Helga Line), his partner in satanic crime back in the 1400s. Line becomes a vampire-like killer that shows up nude in men's bedrooms to rip their hearts out. Zombies don't actually show up until the last act.
Gore, zombies, sex, and a spooky organ score make "Horror Rises From the Tomb" one Naschy's most entertaining cheese fests, and the Victory Films remaster is nothing short of revelatory. Except maybe for its original release, this movie has never looked this good before. "Horror Rises From the Tomb" undeniably qualifies as a classic public domain movie – it's been on DVD in inferior versions countless times before, and if you pick up a 10-movie-pack of PD horror titles, it will probably be included on there. But it's ultimately a series of very effective horror set pieces and far from an early '70s masterpiece.
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-- Review by Lucius Gore
Posted by Casey K. on May 11, 2008 I couldn't make heads or tails of this silly film. It was so weak in nearly every aspect that it's hard to pin down just one complaint. And even the "better" parts were awful. The plot at least sounds decent, but it certainly wasn't executed that way.
Posted by Tellyasomethin@youtube.com on September 2, 2008 I thought this was a great piece of 70's horror. It reminded me of when I was a kid going to the drive in movies back in the day. I even used it as a soundtrack to my deathmetal band video. I collected all the best blood shots and put them on the Sorcery trilogy, Be sure to check it out!
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