A bloodthirsty monster rises from the Rhine...
This is our second Weirdhouse Cinema selection directed by Spanish horror director Amando de Ossorio as well as our second film starring Tony Kendall. Kendall stared as a fireworks man turned undead-battling hero in Ossorio’s Return of the Blind Dead, which came out the same year as today’s selection: 1973. While Return of the Blind Dead concerned Templar wraiths and local corruption in Portugal, this selection is all about mythic monsters on the German Rhine.
The Loreley's Grasp is a lot of fun. You want a bloody monster hand and early-70s euro sex appeal? You got it. How about a lot of Germanic, Wagnerian myth and a wonky science plot about lunar mutations? Sure thing. Oh, and let's throw in a radioactive dagger as well.
Tony Kendall really gets to shine in this one, bringing all his b-movie swagger to the role -- and the same can be said for Helga Liné as the titular monster's female form. Most of the action goes down against the backdrop of container ships moving sluggishly down the Rhine and waterfronts so dismal that it seems fitting that creatures from another world might emerge and feast on human hearts.
Since the history and lore of the Loreley monster itself is really interesting, I also recorded an episode of the Monstrefact this week --- getting into its mostly 19th century roots:
We're still figuring out next week's episode, but in the meantime check out our Letterboxd page as well as our merch store -- featuring the new RUB THE FUR shirt.
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