Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Black Candles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 6, 2022

Jose Ramon Larraz's "Black Candles" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with author and Spanish cinema expert Antonio Lázaro-Reboll; new program with author Gavin Baddeley; new audio commentary by critics Rodney Barnett and Troy Guinn; and Diego Lopez's documentary La Dama Del Fantaterror. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Folks that are familiar with Jose Ramon Larraz’s body of work know well that he did not think highly of Black Candles. Toward the end of his life, Larraz frequently declared that he regretted shooting the film, and after he passed away there were intense speculations that he might have disowned it.

Severin’s Blu-ray release of Black Candles features an excellent exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Rodney Barnett and Troy Guinn, hosts of the NaschyCast, who are big fans of Larraz and have a good grasp of his work. In it, they discuss Larraz’s relationship with the film and highlight a very interesting detail. They were right to highlight this detail as it is usually ignored, but misinterpret its significance and place it in a wrong context that then skews their take on the film. I would like to explain why because it would reveal to you the exact reason the film has often been misjudged even by some of Larraz’s most loyal admirers.

The interesting detail Barnett and Guinn highlight in their commentary is this: Black Candles does not look and behave like the massive disaster Larraz frequently insisted he had shot. The exact opposite is true, which is why large parts of the film look unusually stylish and have a striking dark ambience. The film’s flow, which accommodates a couple of very interesting and unexpected twists, is very good, too. Naturally, if Larraz is to be believed, it seems peculiar, to say the least, that his camera was able to produce so much quality material. Barnett and Guinn then compare the stylistic identities of Black Candles and Vampyres, according to many Larraz’s best film, and proceed to explain why the latter excels in numerous ways.

But the detail that is described above isn’t just interesting, it is crucial and reveals precisely why Larraz tried so hard to discredit Black Candles. Indeed, his film is genuinely transgressive, often even dangerously so, and it is impossible to discard as yet another random exploitation project. The erotic content, which Barnett and Guinn find overwhelming, at times even distracting, is emphasized specifically so that the transgressive does not immediately reveal the film's true identity. In other words, Larraz knew exactly what type of film he was making and later on, likely after he viewed a complete version of it, got spooked by it.

You will probably be spooked too if you view Black Candles from the right angle. (Keep in mind that Larraz completed the film at a time when the cinematic standards for acceptable and unacceptable were not as flexible as they are today, which makes its content even more disturbing). This angle becomes identifiable as soon as you reject the lazy description that profiles Black Candles as a trashy horror film, which it very clearly isn’t, and begin noticing that the various Satanic rituals in it are neither random nor ludicrous. Your definitive proof that Larraz wasn’t shooting just another bad genre film is that notoriously disturbing scene with the black billy goat. Simply put, the attention to detail and extremely careful camera work that is revealed in it could not have possibly been done by a director who did not care.

When Larraz began shooting Black Candles his head was obviously a very strange incubator where stranger, even dangerous ideas were being hatched. One of these ideas must have spawned the bizarre activities and rituals that are staged in the film. This likely explains why the film is structured as a mind trip, too. I find these types of unorthodox projects quite intriguing, and Black Candles isn't an exception, but they are not for folks whose viewing habits can be described as casual. Please keep this in mind when you try to decide whether Severin's Blu-ray release ought to have a spot in your library. *Severin's Blu-ray release presents a new 2K restoration of the film with the alternate U.S. title Hot Fantasies. The film's original Spanish title is Los ritos sexuales del diablo.

Black Candles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Black Candles arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

I have a pretty old R2 DVD release of Black Candles which offers a pretty rough technical presentation of the film with all kinds of different issues. On top of this, I don't think it is entirely legit. Severin's Blu-ray release is sourced from a new 2K master that is one of the best that I have seen from the label in quite some time. In fact, excluding a few white specks, scratches, and small blemishes that pop up here and there, I think that it is outstanding. Indeed, on my system, the film had such a strong organic appearance that I feel pretty confident stating that Severin will end up having the definitive home video release of it. In terms of delineation, clarity, and depth the new 2K master delivers everything I hoped it would. Plus, the party that graded it did an outstanding job and as a result the overall color balance is excellent. Is there any room for meaningful improvements? Yes, but they are of the type that I usually describe as 'cosmetic'. For example, there are some minor density fluctuations that a 4K master would tighten up a bit. A few darker areas can reveal slightly better shadow nuances that could strengthen the perception of depth. The specks and blemishes could have been manually removed as well. But in its current form, which you may think of as 'raw', the new 2K master offers an all-around very solid organic presentation of the film, and I like it a lot. One last thing. The encoding on this release is very nice as well. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Black Candles Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional yellow English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The English track is an original dub track that was done for the international markets. To be perfectly clear, most of the actors utter their lines in English, but they were overdubbed. Naturally, you should expect some minor unevenness and, given the production limitations, a fairly modest range of nuanced dynamics. Clarity and sharpness are very still very good. Depth is pleasing as well. I noticed a few minor pops, but they are not distracting. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Black Candles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by Rodney Barnett and Troy Guinn, hosts of the NaschyCast. Even though I disagree with some of the conclusions that are offered in the commentary, I thought that it was excellent because the deconstruction work in it is spot on. Also, the comments addressing genre films from the same period and especially the evolution of Jose Ramon Larraz's work are really good. So, if you have a special viewing experience with Black Candles, find the time to listen to the commentary in its entirety. Barnett and Guinn are clearly fans of Laraz's work and genre films as well.

• La Dama Del Fantaterror - this recent documentary takes a closer look at the life and legacy of actress Helga Line, who appeared in numerous Spanish genre films after WWII, including Black Candles where she plays the Devil's seductress, Fiona. The documentary features an exclusive new video interview with Mrs. Line as well archival film footage and promotional materials. It was produced by Diego Lopez in 2020. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• Made by the Devil - in this new program, Gavin Baddeley, author of Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship & Rock'n'Roll, discusses the stylistic identity of Black Candles and how the genre the film is typically associated with has evolved over the years. In English, not subtitled. (42 min).

• An Exception to the Norm: The Cinema of Jose Ramon Larraz - in this new program, Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, author of Spanish Horror Film, discusses Jose Ramon Larraz's work as a comic book artist and his transition to the film industry, some of the key characteristics of his style, the exact moment in which Black Candles emerged (and specifically the socio-political environment in Spain after the death of General Franco), and the film's controversial image. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

Black Candles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jose Ramon Larraz tried to discredit Black Candles for the exact same reason Peter Sellers wanted to destroy Hoffman. Over the years the popular consensus has been that Black Candles is just another sexploitation European film, but this is a very lazy description that is laughably inaccurate as well. The truth about Black Candles is that it is a direct portal to Larraz's mind, which for a while appears to have been a very strange incubator where stranger, even dangerous ideas were being hatched. Larraz realized that it was so after he completed the film, got spooked, and then tried to distance himself from it as best as he could. The evidence that it was so is in the manner in which the film was shot, which is pretty impressive and precisely the reason why what it shows is so disturbing. If you decide to see it, you will be pleased to know that Severin's new Blu-ray release is sourced from a very solid new 2K master. Also, it has four excellent exclusive new bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, but only to folks who have substantial experience with 'difficult' genre films.