Henry-17 Review of Cauldron of Blood

Cauldron of Blood (1968)

One of the most wretched and unedifying movies of all time.

[19 January 1999]

Not until three years after the death of Boris Karloff, EL COLECCIONISTA DE CADAVERES had his premiere at the cinema in August 1971. For me, it verges on the miraculous that this could happen anyhow. This obscure Spanish-American production was one of the last movies in which the master of the horror film appeared, but he could not enhance the movie in any way, being only a shadow of his former screen presence. The entire film, on which work began in February 1967 and lasted about three months, has not a single appealing scene to offer. It is so tedious that it is a real challenge to follow the "plot" without falling asleep. To make matters worse, J.P.Aumont and V.Lindfors are spectacular miscast. Especially Aumont torments the viewer, acting bored and arrogant. He is nothing less than a constant provocation for the paying audience. R.Rojo and R.Monteros on the other hand tend to heavy overacting, which doesn't support the film either. Thanks to the depressingly dumb screenplay, indifferent direction and annoyingly bad actors, EL COLECCIONISTA DE CADAVERES is one of the most wretched and unedifying movies of all time. In comparison to this, the movies Karloff made shortly after in Mexico are pure entertainment.