La novia ensangrentada (1972)

Country of Origin: Spain
Year of Production: 1972
Running Times: 82 mins (USA)     101 mins
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Morgana Films
Executive Producer: José López Moreno
1st Assistant Production: Salvador Casado
2nd Assistant Production: José Sanchez
Production Chief: Jaime Fernández-Cid

SCRIPT
Script: Vincent (real name: Vincente) Aranda
Novel: Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

DIRECTION
Director: Vincent (real name: Vincente) Aranda
Assistant Director: Carlos Durán

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Fernando Arribas
Camera Operator: Jesus Ocana
Assistant Camera: Eduardo Perez Climent
Lighting: Sadilsa
Lab: Fotofilm Madrid S.A.

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Pablo G. del Amo
1st Assistant Editor: Maite Mateos
2nd Assistant Editor: Amparo Roces

MUSIC
Music: Antonio Pérez Olea

SOUND
Dialogue Director: Adolfo Aristarain
Sound Effects: Luis Castro
Sound: Estudios Exa

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Cristóbal Criado
Assistant Make Up: Luis Criado
Hair: Ana Criado
Wardrobe: Peris Hermanos

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Antonio Molina

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Juan Alberto Soler
Properties: Vazquez Hermanos y Mateos

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Girl: Nieves Aguado

LOCATIONS
Locations: Isla de La Toja, Pontevedra, Spain; Pontevedra, Spain; Santiago de Compostela, La Coruna, Spain

CAST
Simón Andreu ("he")
Maribel Martín (Susan)
Alexandra Bastedo (Carmila)
Dean Selmier (doctor)
Rosa Maria Rodríguez (Carol)
Montserrat Julió (la guardesa)
Ángel Lombarte (el guardés)

PLOT SUMMARY

Newly married Susan is disturbed by her husband's sexual fantasies and she turns to the mysterious Carmilla, descendent of the infamous Mircalla de Karnstein, for help. But Carmilla has inherited the vampiric ways of her ancestors and seduces Susan, leading her into acts of butality and murder.

Spanish Exploitation picture with a few pretentions to art. Variation on the Carmilla story with British TV star Bastedo in the lesbian vampire part. Simply by being onscreen she exudes a melancholic eroticism and the part asks little else of her. She is first revealed in the film when sand is clawed away from her buried body revealing just a pair of breasts, an idea stolen from Russ Meyer's Cherry, Harry and Raquel (1970). The breasts, as was all of Bastedo's nudity, are that of a body double. Concentrates on the relationship between Carmilla and one of her loves with less capering around with a variety of lovelies as in Hammer's take on the story, The Vampire Lovers (1970). The violence, particularly in the ending, is quite gruesome - or possibly non existant and reported in a newspaper headline if you see a cut version - which means the bride is barely spattered in blood at all.

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Interpeninsular Prozesa (Pro.Zeta, S.A.)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Europix International; MPI
Video Distributor: Gorgon Video (MP 3058)

Finland
Rating: K-16

UK
Rating: X; 18
When the film was released theatrically in the UK in the late 1970s, the BBFC made unspecified cuts to the film. When it finally saw the light of day on video, a further 26 seconds of cuts were demanded.

USA
Rating: R
The video version entitled Til Death Do Us Part is heavily edited
The uncut, uncensored 101 min. version has been re-released by Anchor Bay Entertainment under it's original title of The Blood Spattered Bride. (it was originally released in the U.S. in a heavily edited 83 min. version retitled Til Death Do Us Part.)

1972
September
30: Spain - theatrical release

1974
September
20: Finland - theatrical release

1979
June
5: UK - rated X by the BBFC (for theatrical release)

1988
June
9: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

The Blood Spattered Bride - UK/US title
Till Death Do Us Part - US video title
Blood Castle
Bloody Fiancée

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Mad Ron's Prevue's from Hell (1987)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique vol.4 no.1 (Spring 1975) p.32 (USA)
review

Cineinforme no.177 (June 1973) p.14 (Spain)
review

Continental Film Review vol.27 no.7 (May 1980) pp.40-41 (UK)
review

L'Ecran Fantastique no.3 (1973) p.80 (France)
review

Films and Filming vol.26 no.7 (April 1980) p.41 (UK)
review

Necronomicon no.1 p.8 (UK)
illustrated review

BOOKS

Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror (2nd edition) p.263
credits, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.50
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume II p.39
credits

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.66
credits, review

KEYWORDS

vampires, lesbianism, sex, honeymoons

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008