John Gilling: La cruz del diablo (1975) complete; English subtitles

Hammer B-movie master John Gilling (Plague of the Zombies) directed the intelligent gothic horror "La cruz del diablo" (Cross of the Devil) in Spain in 1975, at the invitation of Spanish genre king Paul Naschy. Sadly it was to be his last work.

What made Gilling's films so special? Two things I think: well-focused and thrilling action sequences, together with remarkably deep character development. "The Reptile (1966)" shows this most clearly. The story is frankly tripe, but we are really made to care about the fate of the young married couple caught in the heart of it.

Cross of the Devil has a lot in common with The Reptile - a simple story given unexpected depth. Hashish-addicted English author Alfred Dawson (Ramiro Oliveros) travels to Spain to come to the aid of his sister Justine (Mónica Randall), who is married to older Spanish gentleman Enrique Carrillo (Eduardo Fajardo). There he finds the Carrillo household under the unhealthy influence of scheming estate manager Cesar del Rio (Adolfo Marsillach), a typical "sinister bearded tit" (think Derren Brown renegotiating his contract with Channel 4 by mind control). Tragedy ensues. Featuring Carmen Sevilla as Dawson's mistress Maria, Tony Isbert as a hapless young nobleman, and Emma Cohen as the enigmatic Beatriz

That'll do for plot exposition, except to say that it's based on the same Knights Templar theme as the classic "Tombs of the Blind Dead". I thought the first hour was absorbing if a little slow, but the film became truly intriguing as the story developed towards the end. "Cross of the Devil" is an excellent piece of accessible but grown-up horror that deserves wider exposure, especially to fans of Hammer's gothic films.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• John Gilling
• Spanish horror
• gothic horror
• Hammer
• Paul Naschy