31 days of Horror: Day Twenty Six- Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas

Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas (1978)

This movie is psychotic. It's like The Devils + The Exorcist + The Vampire Lovers.

Justine moves into a Church run orphanage in 1800's Mexico. She immediately becomes fast friends with Alucarda, another orphan, and Sister Angélica, a kindly nun. Alucarda is a little wild, and soon the two are running through the forest consorting with Satan (who looks like a beatnik), and professing their love for one another. Later Satan joins them in their room, and they pledge a blood oath to evil, and each other. When the Priests, and nuns find out about their pact, they discuss what to do while whipping each other. During the brutal exorcism that follows, Justine is killed, but then returns from the dead for revenge.

This must have been a profoundly shocking film when it was first released. The nudity, blood, and Satanic elements are presented by director Juan López Moctezuma with apparent glee. And although Sister Angélica is the moral center of the film the Church itself is presented as an bunch of dangerous fools, at best. In a country as Catholic as Mexico, I'm surprised it came out at all. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for kinetic energy. The films picks up speed as it goes along. The whole movie is like a nude, screaming, blood orgy. If that sounds good to you, then you will certainly enjoy this film.