‘Tops in total horror!’
Cauldron of Blood, also known as Blind Man’s Bluff and El coleccionista de cadáveres, is a 1967 (released 19700 Spanish/American horror film directed by Santos Alcocer (The Orgies of Dr. Orloff) from a screenplay by José Luis Bayonas (The Death Train) and Edward Mann (Island of Terror; The Mutations). It stars Jean-Pierre Aumont (House of the Damned), Boris Karloff, Viveca Lindfors (The Damned; The Hand; Creepshow), Rosenda Monteros, Milo Quesada (Tragic Ceremony), Dyanik Zurakowska (Sexy Cat; The Hanging Woman; The Vampires’ Night Orgy), Rubén Rojo, Manuel de Blas (Assignment Terror) and Jacqui Speed.
Karloff’s role was originally intended for Claude Rains (The Invisible Man; Phantom of the Opera), however the veteran actor died during pre-production. In an interview in Fleapits and Picture Palaces, producer Robert D. Weinbach (The Mutations; Shiver) has also said he considered Basil Rathbone, Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Cagney for the role! In the US, the film was released on a double-bill with Crucible of Horror by Cannon.
Plot teaser:
Claude (Jean-Pierre Aumont), a photo-reporter for ‘Holiday’ magazine travels to Torremolinos in Spain to interview Franz Badulescu, a “doomed” blind sculptor who is working on his magnum opus unaware that the skeletons he has been using for armatures are apparently the remains of the victims of his evil wife Tania (Viveca Lindfors) and that he is the next target…
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Reviews:
“At the time of its initial release, Cauldron of Blood was generally dismissed by horror fans; Karloff’s role wasn’t prominent enough, his expressive eyes were covered throughout (either by heavy black goggles or a grotesque makeup showing his eyes welded closed), and the modernist style of the film was jarring, its jazzy score (credited to Ray Ellis, though it sounds very much like a Spanish film score of its era) and its garish lighting not in keeping with the traditional qualities found in Karloff’s best pictures. Revisited today, with more familiarity with Spanish horror cinema and its own traditions under our belt, it’s easier to appreciate for what it is — not a good film by any means, but more interesting than previously thought.” Tim Lucas, Video Watchblog
Viveca Lindfors cracks a whip!
“Spliced into this rehash of the wax museum plots are swinging party vignettes, unconvincing red herrings, and pop culture references galore. It’s much more subdued, and consequently duller, than it sounds. However, an out-of-synch diversion comes in the way of a surreal nightmare vignette with Lindfors haunted by psychedelic images of her hubby transformed into a shrunken head (replete with equally psychedelic scoring). Tania undergoes a transformation herself, as a whip-cracking femme Nazi leering after and stalking female victims. Among Tania’s obsessions is Claude’s gal pal Elga (Euro sex kitten Dyanik Zurakowska), and her stalking concludes with a near fatal encounter with a vat of acid (Lindfors and Zurakowska standing in for Lionel Atwill/Fay Wray).” Alfred Eaker, 366 Weird Movies
“… the disconnectedness of the scenes, and the addition of several stylized sequences (including the opening title, and a dream one third through), make everything vaguely surreal. Its enjoyable in spite of itself. Karloff is mostly at the mercy of his fiery wife (Viveca Lindfors, who played a sculptor herself in These Are the Damned). His attractive seaside mansion has dungeons underneath!” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers
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IMDb | Image credits: Classic Horror Campaign | Wrong Side of the Art!
