Historical Horror! – HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1973)

A shameless concoction of erotica, camp, gore, and medieval legend.

Paul Naschy may be a household name for Spanish horror fans, but America still seems to be catching up with him. Ironically, he was best known for a role he never intended to play, Count Waldemar Daninsky, colloquially known as “El Hombre Lobo”. In the 11th hour of pre-production for the 1968 film, THE MARK OF THE WOLF MAN, he made the jump from screenwriter to actor, simply because the producers couldn’t find a suitable leading man in time for principal photography. Thirty years and more than ten sequels later, Naschy (real name: Jacinto Molina Alvarez) had easily clawed his way into the annals of Euro horror cinema. 

One of the roles Naschy was proudest of, though, was that of 15th century French warlock, Alaric de Marnac, first featured in his 1973 hit, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB. After watching this slice of early-70s fromage, you can see why Naschy held a soft spot for the character in his stone-cold heart. After being tried for witchcraft, both de Marnac and his mistress, Mabille de Lancre, are condemned to death, with it being decided on the fly that de Marnac’s head and body should be buried apart for good measure. Shoot ahead 400 years as some young and stupidly optimistic Parisians hold a swinging 70s seance that allows de Marnac to divulge the whereabouts of all his body parts. Soon, a scavenger hunt of sorts begins in order to piece the ol’ Satanist and his girlfriend back together. Anyone outside of a horror film would instinctively know this is a terrible idea, but our plucky Parisian dipshits start getting slammed with a 400-year-old warlock whammy once Alaric screws his head back on. 

Before you know it, we’re in the midst of a cavalcade of male and female nudity, sickle murders, heart-rippin’, toasted zombies, and something resembling Necrophilia-Lite (“just one calorie!”). One’s only protection from all this is a talisman that looks like something I made in 11th-grade shop class. All of this is taken *Very Seriously*, with music cues straight out of “Dark Shadows” and melodramatic acting that would make Hammer Film alumni blush. Having said this, the gusto our players leverage makes for an uncommonly breezy and enjoyable 90 minutes. 

Fans can be grateful that the rights to the film (as well as its lesser, belated sequel, PANIC BEATS) got scooped up by discerning folks in recent years. I have an old, washed-out edited version from at least 15 or 20 years ago, and finally watching the movie remastered and uncensored is a refreshing experience indeed. 

Ultimately, there’s no use resisting temptation. HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB is undoubtedly my favorite of Naschy’s earlier films, and pretty much the entire reason it works is due to having such an interesting villain. Alaric de Marnac is imbued with a hypnotic aesthetic that combines vampirism, satanism, and templar knighthood. Confidentially, I haven’t even made my new year resolutions yet but I already know my costume for the next Halloween season. Hell, I already have the beard, the hair, the build, and at least half of the accessories, so this should be a knockout. Sure, I’ll inevitably have an unending string of uninformed looky-loos asking all day long, “Are you supposed to be, like, a medieval Dracula, or something?”, but I guarantee I’ll get more ass than anyone that night. 

Finally, for all you history buffs in the crowd, Naschy based his antagonist on one of the most despicable villains of the Renaissance: Gilles de Rais, a 15th century French baron who fell into the occult before being convicted of unspeakable crimes against more than 140 children (!!!). He later revisited de Rais for inspiration on THE DEVIL’S POSSESSED (1974) and ROJO SANGRE (2004).

Respect the warlock whammy, bitches.

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