Alucarda (1978)

Disturbing, 17 April 2005

After the death of her parents, a girl, Justine (Susana Kamini), arrives at a convent hoping to find a new life. She immediately meets Alucarda (Tina Romero). Before long, Alucarda professes her love for Justine and wants to seal their friendship with a blood oath. But the spot the girls select to perform this ceremony is home to evil spirits that take over their bodies. Soon after, the girls express their allegiance to Satan and Alucarda attacks a priest. The girls eventually find themselves the subjects of an exorcism.

Alucarda certainly is a twisted story full of imaginative imagery. Between blood pacts, orgies with Satan, levitating nuns, exorcisms, reanimated dead bodies, and the fiery destruction of the convent, there are very few moments to catch a breath. I found everyone of these moments visually disturbing, yet somehow incredibly beautiful. It's a real contradiction to see a nun floating off the ground covered in blood and think to yourself that it's one of the most beautiful images you've seen in a film.

There are other contradictions within Alucarda that add to its effectiveness. Take Alucarda herself as played by Romero. She is evil and innocent at the same time. It's truly a remarkable performance.

9/10