(aka: DEAD WATERS)
Elizabeth travels from London to the Crimea looking for a missing friend as well inquiring as to why her father still sends money to the convent that's located on an island in the Black Sea. There, she finds out that her friend was killed by the nuns for spying on a ceremony that takes place in an underground cavern. They then hold Elizabeth prisoner.
It also helps that most of the film takes place in these candle-lit caverns because it adds a lot to an otherwise spooky atmosphere.
There is also the blind grandmother of Elizabeth who gets burned to death in a particular grisly scene by the seashore, and a nun who gets her guts ripped out by the fantastic devil creature that inhabits one of the underground caverns. You don't get a full picture of the creature until the end, but let's just say it has multiple sagging tits, slimy skin and horns that come out the top of it's head. It's looks pretty cool. We also get to meet Elizabeth's sister Sarah who in more ways than one, shows off her severely scarred body to Elizabeth. Not a bad makeup job.
All in all, I *really* liked this one, but avoid the York DVD and watch the VHS instead because the picture is actually cropped off at the sides on the DVD. You only get to see the top of someone's head, or part of the front of someone's face for the close-in shots. This is due to the severe full screen matting the DVD uses. In fact, it's one of the worst DVD transfers I've ever seen, and the film is only about ten years old. There are no extras, not even a menu to start from.
This flick really deserves a better media presentation and I'm hoping Anchor Bay or Media Blasters will get a hold of the master print, someday. I'd be well worth the wait because if your a fan of atmospheric Italo horror, then I think you might like this one. In fact, I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot more than ALUCARDA.
An Italian/Russian/UK co-production
Recommended.
8 out of 10
Elizabeth travels from London to the Crimea looking for a missing friend as well inquiring as to why her father still sends money to the convent that's located on an island in the Black Sea. There, she finds out that her friend was killed by the nuns for spying on a ceremony that takes place in an underground cavern. They then hold Elizabeth prisoner.
It also helps that most of the film takes place in these candle-lit caverns because it adds a lot to an otherwise spooky atmosphere.
There is also the blind grandmother of Elizabeth who gets burned to death in a particular grisly scene by the seashore, and a nun who gets her guts ripped out by the fantastic devil creature that inhabits one of the underground caverns. You don't get a full picture of the creature until the end, but let's just say it has multiple sagging tits, slimy skin and horns that come out the top of it's head. It's looks pretty cool. We also get to meet Elizabeth's sister Sarah who in more ways than one, shows off her severely scarred body to Elizabeth. Not a bad makeup job.
All in all, I *really* liked this one, but avoid the York DVD and watch the VHS instead because the picture is actually cropped off at the sides on the DVD. You only get to see the top of someone's head, or part of the front of someone's face for the close-in shots. This is due to the severe full screen matting the DVD uses. In fact, it's one of the worst DVD transfers I've ever seen, and the film is only about ten years old. There are no extras, not even a menu to start from.
This flick really deserves a better media presentation and I'm hoping Anchor Bay or Media Blasters will get a hold of the master print, someday. I'd be well worth the wait because if your a fan of atmospheric Italo horror, then I think you might like this one. In fact, I enjoyed this one a hell of a lot more than ALUCARDA.
An Italian/Russian/UK co-production
Recommended.
8 out of 10