SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Tom DeFelice Every movie is made up of a series of edits to what the filmmaker originally shot. This can turn a good film to bad and vice versa. The most famous is the very different versions that exist of Orson Welles' "Touch Of Evil". "Night And The City" and "Mad Wednseday"/"The Sin Of Harld Diddlebock" exist in two different version of the same source material. That is also true with "It Happened At Nightmare Inn" and "A Candle For the Devil". It is sad that IMDb does not see the difference in these very, very different cuts of the same source material. But the versions are all different from their counterparts."It Happened At Nightmare Inn" is not very good. The more sexually charged "A Candle For The Devil" is far more interesting. In 1973, "Candle" probably could not be shown in the U.S. The theme of sexual repression caused by religious fervor is very different from a couple of crazy ladies who like to kill young women.Pass on "It Happened At Nightmare Inn". "A Candle For The Devil" is worth a look.

Michael_Elliott A Candle for the Devil (1973) *** (out of 4) Fun Spanish shocker has Marta (Aurora Baustista) and her sister Veronica (Esperanza Roy) running a hotel where one day Marta accidentally kills a woman because she's a sinner. Marta sees this as her calling but things get complicated when the woman's sister Laura (Judy Geeson) shows up. Pretty soon Marta begins killing any woman she sees as sinful but Laura soon realizes that something isn't quite right.Eugenio Martin's film is available in several different versions but I managed to watch the 88 minute cut, which to my knowledge is the longest one available. While the film is certainly flawed and could have been improved on many levels for the most part I found it to be a satisfying horror film, which was clearly meant to send a message to those religious nuts who think they should decide the fate of others. If you're familiar with Spain's history then you'll know that censorship was a long standing thing in the Franco era and this film is clearly a middle finger to that.I think the film benefits from the beautiful locations and there's no doubt that Martin uses them to build up a pretty good atmosphere. I thought another major plus were the performances of the two sisters. Bautista is certainly the stand out as the older sister who slowly starts to lose her already unstable mind when she believes she's carrying out the will of God. Roy is also extremely good in her part as she pretty much gets dragged along in the mess. Geeson wasn't nearly as good and she was a little dry in the part but I still thought she was entertaining enough to help pull the movie through.I think there could have been some stuff handled better including some of the pacing at the middle of the picture. Perhaps another body or two would have improved things or at least kept it moving at a faster pace. The film does contain some nice cinematography and a good score, which are more pluses. A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL isn't a masterpiece but it's certainly a nice horror film for the period.

MartinHafer Two nutty sisters run a pension near Madrid. Folks keep disappearing from the place and ultimately you learn that they are killing the 'morally unfit'--and sooner or later, that seems to include just about everybody! One women (Judy Geeson) arrives to meet her sister and demands to know what has become of her. And, in the course of staying there, she starts to notice that OTHER residents are disappearing.When I read lazarillo's review of this film, it was very, very helpful. Because of this review, I realize that I saw a heavily edited version--very heavily edited. It lacked the nudity and violence of the longer version--and much more. At only 68 minutes, the version I saw was ridiculously truncated. So be aware that my review is only for the short version.Another way that I appreciated lazarillo's review is their interpretation of the symbolism of the film. It was filmed in Spain two years before the death of Franco and the film seems to have slipped past the censors. This is because the criticism of the moralistic sisters could EASILY be seen as a criticism of the rigid government as well--and why it wasn't seen that way is a good question. So, when the ultra-moralistic sister takes her hatred of the promiscuous to an extreme (by killing her 'sinful' tenants), this insane behavior seems to be a criticism of the state of Spanish society at the time.So is the film worth while? Yes, but the solution to the puzzle seemed VERY obvious and there was no suspense for the viewer since the sisters are seen killing one of the residents early on in the film. I also wish I'd seen the full version--not for the nudity but just to see what the filmmakers' artistic vision was. In other words, how much of what they intended us to see just ended up on the cutting room floor? Recommended...but with reservations.

Coventry Bad girls go to hell, that's a commonly known fact, but not before having spent one last vacation in the exaggeratedly puritan and deadly guest house pension run by two sisters in a remote little Spanish town. This obscure exploitation effort directed by Eugenio Martin (who clearly had a lot less money and acting talent at his disposal than with "Horror Express" released the same year) definitely boosts a couple of wannabe shocking themes (even including cannibalism) and perverted undertones, but the script is too predictable, the supposedly horrific effects too tame and the budget too non-existent for Martin to really accomplish something memorable. The opening sequences are promising enough and the last half hour also holds a few morbid surprise twists in stock, but generally speaking "It happened at Nightmare Inn" is a sadly passable and lackluster film. Veronica and Martha are two middle aged spinster sisters running a pension in a small town were tourism increased severely over the past couple of years, and lately a lot of their guests are young, luscious, liberate and single girls. Particularly the oldest sister has a problem with the free-spirited mindset of these girls, because years ago her fiancée stood her up at the altar and ran off with a younger girl. The other sister is a lot less stern and even has a secret lover in town, but she fears her sibling and acts docile. When Martha kills one of her guests for sunbathing topless, she claims it was an act of God and assures Victoria that He will protect them. They process the body into the pension's daily menu and continue with their jobs. But other beautiful young wenches of loose nature arrive at the pension, including the sister of the first victim, who doesn't really believe that she just left unexpectedly early. I honestly can't be too harsh on "It Happened at Nightmare Inn", since I have a soft spot for these early 70's Euro-exploitation flicks, but unfortunately I also can't deny this film is largely a failure. The main problem here is undeniable the tempo. I swear if the pacing were any slower, the tape in the VCR would automatically have started rewinding! Every character in this film talks slow, acts slow, reacts slow and even kills slow! Have you ever seen an angry mob move towards the house of a vicious killer at a speed slower than tortoise steps? Well, here's your chance! Luckily enough, there's at least some nudity to enjoy and the actual killing and storekeeping of the lurid girls is a reasonably macabre process. The music is catchy, the filming locations are enchanting and the acting performances are overall satisfying. Judy Geeson (as the investigating sister) and the two deranged siblings are likable, whereas the other female cast members simply have to parade around scantily dressed. Judging by the glazed staring of the elderly male extras, they more than succeed in their jobs.