Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

You can have so much fun with this! In this crazy exploitation movie, young nuns Alucarda (anagram for Dracula) and Justine strike a blood pact, summon demonic forces of some sort and wreak havoc in a small religious community in Mexico. That's it in a nutshell.It isn't simply a bad film, though it is in conventional terms. It's so utterly nonsensical, so bizarre and hysteric it becomes much more than it is. And isn't the whole point with movies that we construct what they mean to us?It falls somewhere between Jess Franco's lesbian vampire films, and unconsciously Arrabal's Panic Theater and the Pythons. The beauty of it is that you can read it any way you feel like, there is no logic which is something I seek in films. Or rather, the logic is so inane compared to the anarchic joy, it breaks. My preferred reading is that the whole cacophonous mess is something between Justine's fears of motherhood strangling her sexuality (viewed through a Catholic prism), a confessional of scandalous teenage thoughts, and mischief caused by two young nuns in the back benches during Sunday school, perhaps imaginary, perhaps blown up into 'possession' by the shrill teacher.It is all entirely theatric, but unselfconscious which is why its chaos works. Everyone is acting crazy, nuns drop down out of the blue. A book (ostensibly on demonology) simply reads 'Satan'. It's all of it disconnected, we visit one place then another. There is a satanic ritual and orgy for no good reason.There is so much screaming, there is screaming inside the screaming.It's awesome.

The opening scene suggests that Alucarda may be the devil's daughter. She is raised by nuns, but later daddy's DNA shows its effect, and she starts to do bad things. Very bad things. Setting nuns and monks on fire - or even kissing her girlfriend Justine. When Justine is (unintentionally) killed during an exorcism ritual, Alucarda explodes with rage and wants revenge on the priest.Everything you might expect is in here: fire, blood, whips, screams, blasphemies, and an orgy supervised by a guy with horns (well, a cheap rubber mask). However, this Mexican flick does not actually transgress the borders of Catholicism. There is a doctor, modern and progressive, who doesn't believe in the exorcist, but he has to give in and confess to the clergyman that there is something supernatural he can't explain as a scientist. A slice of the usual rubbish, unfortunately.Composer Anthony Guefen delivers a weird soundtrack, almost entirely consisting of organ sounds, rising and fading, rather "spaced out". If I can trust the biog here, his first work for a movie. More recently, he released happy danceable world music tunes, quite a long way to go. Director Moctezuma was one of the producers for Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo" a couple of years earlier which explains why "Alucarda" is quite bizarre. Tina Romero, starring as Alucarda, looks good in black and practices her maniacal stare until perfection. The role doesn't really offer a variety of expressions, to be fair. My verdict: got a real low budget gem here!

This one is a must see for any film fan, specially if you enjoy directors like Tarantino, Rodriguez, Ken Russel or Jodorowski. A correction should be made. Alucarda was originally made in 1975 instead of 1978. Long live DVD's! Although I still have my VHS (as well as vinyl records) collection, digital image is not just about quality, but the extra or special features included in most cases. In the case of Alucarda, the DVD itself is a splash of fluids from an eruptive volcano; however I strongly suggest to take your time to check the extras and see the interviews with some of the crew members of Moctezuma and Guillermo Del Toro. Cheers!

...Moctezuma was heavily influenced by the Silent films of the teens and 20's and it shows in this film..for its strong points are clearly the beautiful eerie images throughout..THe abstract Convent set in dark creative lighting..the Nuns in their Mummy like shrouds (they are more disturbing than the blood and gore..of which there is plenty)...The Erotic scenes between Alucarda and Justine..beautiful Images of Alucarda in her funeral black Victorian dress.My favorite Image from this film..possibly.. is the initial introduction of Alucarda as she turns around from the shadows to greet her new friend Justine whos newly arrived to the Orphanage..Its a quick creative dreamlike tidbit..the likes I've never seen in film before..Alucarda and Justine's early scenes have a poignancy and loneliness not unlike Soledad Miranda and her playmates in Vampiros Lesbos....It can be touching..Tina Romero(Alucarda)..I'm happy to say is still quite attractive and can be frequently seen in the current Telenovelas(Spanish Soaps)...I say grab a copy of Alucarda from Mondo Macabro..for a little taste o 70's Mexico..its a good little collectors piece...Christopher,2006