It’s a small-scale, simple sort of horror that actually reminded me of one of my all-time favorite Tales From the Crypt episodes, “The New Arrival.” Para Elisa wisely pays reference to a number of classics though, with it also feeling more than a little like House of the Devil and Misery, not to mention one of my recent favorite horror films, the underrated Livide by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. All of these perfectly synthesizing would be a little too good to be true, and while Para Elisa doesn’t take too much from these classics, it does end up feeling like the sum of its parts at times.

There’s a really amazing core to Para Elisa, but it kind of just sits in it. Even the posters and the promotional images of the broken Elisa are nearly just as effective as the film itself. Far too much time is spent bifurcating the narrative by showing Ana’s boyfriend, Alex (Jesús Caba), hunting for her (I mean, you could easily trim the several trips to the police station to a lean single appearance). It wrecks the suspense and tension that the film does an otherwise great job of establishing. Once Ana is trapped inside of the house there also needs to be more variety with what’s going on. The idea behind it all is so thoroughly twisted, but if it just plays out like a broken record then much of its impact is lost.

Interestingly enough, Para Elisa’s run time becomes one of the film’s most problematic issues. Clocking in at a mere 74 minutes, I was excited for an adrenaline shot of a movie that cuts to the point and holds you in terror’s icy grip for the bulk of the film. What ends up happening here is that the movie falls into an awkward place where it doesn’t feel too short, nor does it necessarily feel padded either, but the result still doesn’t exactly work for it. For example, it feels like with the content that’s presented here that Para Elisa would either work better as a short film (I’m actually surprised it’s not adapted from a shorter version of itself, to be honest), or a longer 90-minute movie with one more act added to it. Length isn’t the problem here, it’s the amount of material to cycle through.

There’s a lot of different angles that could have been expanded upon—watching Ana try to learn the Beethoven piece (with broken hands) in order to sate Elisa—would have been a great addition. It feels like the doll iconography could have been doubled down on a lot more. Even just starting out with Ana arriving at the home would have been an adequate start.

The performances here are really wonderful with the cast all doing exceptional jobs. Elisa and Diamantina (Luisa Gavasa) both feel genuinely messed up and are disturbing character studies. This is the sort of film that could completely fall apart if the performances didn’t work and here everyone rises to the challenge. If anything I wish we got to see a little more of Elisa’s mother, Diamantina, as well as getting more of a clear indication as to whether she was nuts and drove Elisa to this behavior, or if Elisa just was, with Diamantina quickly adapting and catering to her bizarre predilections. There’s an incredibly deep relationship there between the two of them where the surface is merely scratched. In a film that’s 74 minutes long, you inevitably keep thinking of 15 minutes scenes that could be added, and anything else with the mother and Elisa before Ana shows up would have done a lot with a little. Even just flashbacks to some of the other “doll” experiments, looking at how this has gone down in the past where each failed attempt has changed them some. At the same time, less is more as well, and knowing that there’s a horrifying, tragic backstory between the two of them can sometimes be enough.

As a first film though, Para Elisa is an absolute triumph and has me particularly curious about what Fernandez will do next. With a little more restraint and confidence as a filmmaker, his next effort will no doubt be even better. It feels like this all acted as a good training ground for him to break out of the house and try something a little bigger next time. With what he’s proven he’s capable of in Para Elisa, I have complete trust that he’s up to the task.

‘Para Elisa’ begins playing in select theaters and is available on VOD, September 1^th.

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She is in love with Gustavo, but her parents are arranging her marriage to Edwardo. Bound by family honor, she says goodbye to Gustavo, and marries abiding to her parents will. But Gustavo is a vampire, and he’s not having any of this. So he arrives on her wedding night, murders Edwardo by stabbing him through the jugulars, and bites Ofelia in the neck so they can be together forever.

Now Ofelia has vampire problems.

Fast forward to the present (1967), where its time for go-go dancing, free spirits, and lots of bare boobies. In something equivalent to today’s road trip, four young adults soon find themselves broken down on the side of the road, with only an abandoned mansion nearby for shelter. Its there they stay despite warnings, and Gustavo begins to visit them one by one – turning them into the undead as he feeds. Ofelia visits with one of the men, and makes love to him without feeding, confessing that she wishes for eternal rest. As she and Gustavo wrestle with cabin fever of eternal proportions, their four young lives all hang in the balance.

While this all may sound somewhat interesting, Blood of the Virgins (Sangre de vírgenes) is weakly executed, and plays out like a faux Hammer excursion, with all the familiar ornate gowns, mansions, and fangs – only director Emilio Vieyra adds a little Argentinian heat by topping it with lots of bare breasts – which this vampire like to suck on more than necks. It sits neatly among the other Hammer titles of its time, being generally familiar and atmospheric, and it passes as one to those otherwise unaware. Just be aware now, going in, that its a bit of a snoozer and should probably be avoided before bedtime.

Its not an entire loss. Blood of the Virgins is barely watchable. Aside from the nearly catatonic acting of the lead vampire (and the excruciating overacting of the ladies writhing and screaming in bed with the disease of vampirism), there is the charming nudity factor, a couple of bloody practical fx kills that nearly pass as “gory”, and perhaps its most enjoyable sequence – the paintings of the opening credits that tell a storyboard story of Ofelia’s curse of courtship, if you will, into her prison of a mansion.

Drink some coffee before watching this, if curiosity gets the better of you.

PS: If you enjoy watching Susana Beltrán as Ofelia, dare to check out another film by Emilio Vieyra called The Curious Dr. Humpp. In it, a mad doctor captures victims and forces them to have drugged up, insatiable sex. He extracts liquids from the men and women with a syringe and inject himself with it for his own special “vitality”. I kid you not.

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In theaters September 13 from Open Road, Danny Trejo stars as the title character, alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Amber Heard, Sofia Vergara, Charlie Sheen, Zoe Saldana, Edward James Olmos, Elise Avellan, Electra Avellan, William Sadler, Lady Gaga, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens and Marko Zaror.

“Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent Machete, who is recruited by the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen) for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer (Mel Gibson) who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet.“

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Other films in his canon include, Vampire Junction, Killer Barbys, Zombie 5, Hellholl Women, Cannibal Terror, The Lustful Amazons, A Virgin Among The Living Dead, Count Dracula and Dracula contra Frankenstein.

While Vampyros Lesbos seems like a good starting point, I plan on checking out at least one film from Franco’s vast body of work this weekend. How about you?

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There’s going to be a new fantasy-horror film coming out of Spain (ostensibly next year) called Fangs, based on the Spanish language young Adult bestseller “Colmillos” by Salvador Macip and Sebastian Roig. First time feature director Alberto de Tor will helm and co-write the screenplay with Macip.

Per Variety the film, “turns on a troubled teen who is kidnapped, shuttled to a house in the mountains, and forced to work as a slave. The only escape is through a dark forest where mysterious, savage creatures lurk.” Film Factory will be handling international distribution and describes it as “A wide-audience film in the line of ‘The Descent’”

The film is expected to start shooting in September. No word on casting yet. Cinematographer is Arnau Valls (Eva) and special effects are from Alex Villagrasa (Buried, REC).

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Rodar y Rodar, the company behind The Orphanage and Julia’s Eyes, has released the final international trailer for Paranormal Xperience 3D (XP3D, Scars), Sergi Vizcaino’s psychological thriller “about a group of children, each with their own interesting circumstances, who are preyed upon by a mad doctor in an abandoned town.”

The trailer opens with an introduction by the stars, and while I can’t understand it I’m pretty sure they’re saying stupid shit like “have you ever seen a ghost?” “What would you do if a ghost wanted to hurt you?” LAME.

Get the trailer inside along with the previously released posters. The film follows “Angela, a medical student who thinks she is capable of everything. Diana is extremely sensitive and responsive. They are sisters and have something in common, they hate each other. Angela, pressed by the eccentric Dr. Fuentes, will investigate a series of paranormal activities happening in a town called Whisper which has its own legend, a dead murderer, Dr. Amado. Carlos, her boyfriend, Bethlehem, and Jose will accompany Toni. But she left without means of transport, and his sister has a van.

When they reach the village, they discover things that could be interpreted as normal or supernatural. Diana sees the ghost of Dr. Amado after a hypnosis session, Carlos disappears, and the group is consistent with discussions between supposedly supernatural phenomena while the link Diana has with the murderer grows to the point of becoming a murderer. Angela has no choice and must face his sister and her own doubts.Is Diana owned or is it just part of her illness?”

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